say you FDM printed something on your 3D printer in, say, regular old PLA at 200deg C
and say you also had an aluminum mold of the same model
could you put that print in that mold and heat the mold to the edge of its glass point and blow compressed air through to iron all the outer surfaces to the contour of the mold, like blow molding but way slower and at lower temp with all the wrong materials?
@ajroach42 @kwayk42 @MountainTownToys
I’d love to get that going even if it was only usable for the relatively “simple” parts but my self-learning has had a steep curve
@djsundog @MountainTownToys @kwayk42 our 3D printed molds take ~3 hours to produce, last for between 50 and 200 pieces, and allow us to produce 1 part per mold every 10 - 12 minutes.
I had 8 molds in circulation yesterday, and I was able to get an average one part every 2 minutes.
With an aluminum mold, I can continuously re-use it. There's no waiting between parts. That means I can do one part every 30 seconds or so.
So ... yeah, it would absolutely be worth the two days of milling time if it was for a part we're going to use often.
@djsundog @ajroach42 @MountainTownToys you'll need to swap the CNC spindle motor to do at least 18,000 rpm plus you'll have to add a coolant pump and nozzle so you don't shatter your bits.
I also custom designed my own carriage and end-stop sensors. I built it all into a cart from #HarborFreight
The custom carriage was so I can hot swap the spindle for a laser engraver
@kwayk42 @djsundog @MountainTownToys I think we've already swapped the motor.
We will need a coolant system.
The bigger problem here, I think, is that neither of us know jack shit about cnc milling.
@ajroach42 @djsundog @MountainTownToys ahhhh, so the trick with aluminum is how sticky it is.
It's technically not a metal? But we don't need a materials science lecture lol
At higher speeds it will chip off vs making clean strands like steel. It also has a grain to it, where it helps to slow the movement speed down when your going across the grain vs with the grain.
There's CNC forums that'll have more detail and the types of aluminum
Aluminum is pretty easy to mill.
@djsundog It might just. There is a process called vacuum forming (random link) https://formlabs.com/blog/introduction-to-vacuum-forming/ someone in our local makers group was setting up gear to do it.
@djsundog Well have I got a recently-announced product for you! https://www.sunlu.com/products/sunlu-filadryer-e2-up-to-110-professional-drying-and-annealing-born-for-engineering-3d-printing-filaments
(Okay so it won't fit big giga prints, but still.)
@djsundog I wouldn't try this so much with PLA? As an organic based plastic (corn mostly) when you reheat it, it'll shrink or at least settle.
PETG should withstand this type of process better as it usually keeps it's size/ shape / properties with heat tempering.
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