I just had to comment on the posting concerning mold making for
bakelite or plastic casting. David is exactly right about CNC
knowledge getting wide spread…I’d like to add that it is as well
MUCH easier than ever before, MUCH less expensive and more accurate
than ever!
I make molds, model parts, cut rings, pendants, etc daily with
materials ranging from plastic to stainless steel. The mold making is
now quite simplified…I use Cimigrafi and to make a mold from any
rendering, you simply click on one button to create the cavity and
put in an offset to leave space for the wax thickness in the mold.
The whole project starts with scanning in an image of what you want
to make. This can be an image from clipart, a drawing, whatever you
like. >From the image, you simply “build” on the computer screen what
you desire the piece to look like. You actually work through up to
four modules in the software, the last always being the “mill”
module… from this module, is generated ALL the code required to cut
the positive OR negative. OR both= MOLD!
I didn’t catch the first part of the Bakelite thread… BUT… you
might even want to consider doing a DIRECT cutting on plastic… I
have never tried cutting bakelite itself… but I do cut many
different plastics. Almost polished finishes can be achieved.
Dan DeArmond – DEARMOND TOOL: CNC MILLS, LATHES & SOFTWARE! If It’s CNC
We Do It! Graphitech/Cimagrafi/& more!
http://www.positiveflow.com (Our Web Site!)