Going from CAD files to moulds


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bkayyar
bkayyar
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Hey all,

I am trying to make a mould for a certain carbon fiber part that has been designed using CAD software. Traditionally, polystyrene foam has been used -a negative mould is made in the foam using a CNC cutter, and the surface of the mould is then prepared using layers of epoxy and bondo. The top layer has always been a hand-sanded super-smooth layer of epoxy. Given the amount of labour involved, I am looking for alternative methods. 
Specifically, my idea was to use the CNC to cut the part itself out of the polystyrene foam such that I have a positive mould, which I would then coat with a thin layer of epoxy. I then intend to use the Uni-Mould system, treating the epoxy-covered foam as a regular part, to obtain a negative mould. Any suggestions or reasons this would not work? I am especially concerned about the layer of epoxy on the polystyrene foam reacting with the epoxy-based gelcoat and hindering its release.
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davro
davro
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There are a few ways to leverage the power of CAD/CAM the method your suggesting creating the buck and then making a mould using a mould making system.
or Milling the mould directly and skipping the part where you need a buck, mill directly into aluminium or even cheaper using wood and tooling gel coat Smile

I use the wood + tooling gel coat method Satisfied for making moulds for parts I'm only going to use once or twice.
) Roughing operation.
) Ball end mill finishing operation -1mm
) Paint with tooling gelcoat.
bkayyar
bkayyar
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Thanks for your suggestion, David. I had a few questions regarding the videos you embedded:

1. You applied the gelcoat before the finishing pass using the ball endmill. Why not do the finishing pass first, and then apply the gelcoat?

2. Between the finishing pass and the resin infusion, is there any surface prep you do with the gelcoat layer? Do you sand the gelcoat on the mould or apply another layer? I noticed that you achieved a smooth finish on the wing mirror surfaces, but I assume that this would not be possible if you lay the carbon immediately after the finishing pass.
GO

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