OK- Complete Noob; I need a mould made

[chakup]

OK I need a mold for some parts and I don't know where to begin so I post here for the wisdom!!

My train of thought is this- I take an example of what I want to mould maker 'A' mould is made I go from there. But then I think- how in the heck do I make the first one with which to cast the mould?

Like I sad- complete new guy in this area. I have a idea that I've pondered off and on for awhile and decided I need to go forward with it, just don't know where to begin really.

[lerman]

In general, you don't need the part to have a mold made. You do need a drawing of the part.

Get a copy of a good 3D modeling program (I use the free Alibre Express) and make a model of the part (or of the mold). Use it to produce dimensioned drawings. Take it to a mold maker and get a quote.

Then determine that it is way out of your price range and try another approach. :-)

[I'm somewhat over general here. For some parts, having a sample is all you need. For example, if a wanted a mold of my face, I could use plaster to create a mold without having a drawing.]

Can you give us more info? What will this part be made of? How big is it? How many do you need?

Ken

[chakup]

what- gun magazine as well as follower
material- polycarbonate
quantity- depends on price for initial run.

I have two current production magazines that I need to "blend" to improve upon! time to recruit my wife- she's much more the artistic one- my ADD get's in my way sometimes!!

[dpryor]

Chakup,

Ken is right. You need to start with some sort of drawing or 3D CAD model of your finished part. If you are just looking for a "ballpark" estimate then even a crude sketch may suffice.

Next you need to think about how many parts you are going to want. Are you looking for 10-20? 10,000-20,000? More? That will determine the type of mold and manufacturing process you need. There are many types of "molding". You can cast in a silicone mold, injection mold, etc...

Once you have some of the preliminary work done, then it would be easier to put a price on it.

[chakup]

Quantity- long term 10-20,000.

I found out I mayhave a connection with much better solidworks skills then me so going to work with him on getting some drawings done. Thanks guys.

[plasticpeter]

If you are thinking of going through several iterations before deciding on a production-finalised part, get in touch with a rapid prototyping bureau - search in Google or go to the TCT website: http://www.time-compression.com

You have several options for getting prototypes made in plastic e.g vacuum casting, 3D printing, high-speed machining, fused deposition modelling or even rapid toolmaking but a bureau is the best place for tailored advice. For most RP processes they will want a 3-dimensional CAD model otherwise they are going to charge you for producing one from your physical model (that's not the case for vacuum casting though, where you can use the physical model as a pattern). In terms of RP techniques, some really simple parts can cost just a few 100 dollars and can be turned around in a couple of days or even less if you pay for more speedy service.

As for getting a production mould made, this is going to cost you. At volumes of 10 to 20k in Polycarbonate it would probably be wise to go for a steel tool and these are expensive to make - we could easily be talking 10s of thousands of dollars. Alumium tooling is much cheaper and quicker to produce and it might just work if your part is not too complex. One of the leading rapid toolmaking comapnies is Protomould:

http://www.protomold.com

In terms of steel tooling, a lot of companies are now using toolmakers in the Far East. The way it works is you e-mail them your CAD model and relevant information and they give you a quote. If you agree to get the tooling made, they will design and produce it for you and ship it to - all at a considerable cost saving on using your friendly local toolmaker. The big disadvantage is that if anything goes wrong - and believe me it can and frequently does - you are not going to be able to get it sorted out very quickly. Use a reputable local firm and they will sort it much quicker.

Last tip - design the part for manufacture or get advice on how to do this (the Protomould site gives great advice on this). Design engineers with no experience in manufacturing plastic components do tend to make several fundamental mistakes here and some products have to be completely re-designed to be fit for moulding.

Hope this helps.

[RB Precision]

These guys are rite, get your 3D model. Then, before you start design on a mold I would send your 3D model to someone with a 3d printer or SLT to mock up your part. Because changing your model is easy and SLT or print a new part until you are happy with your design. Then make your mold, making changes on a mold tool is and can be very time comsuming and expensive. I'm a mold maker at a place that does the design, 3D or SLT, proto mold then production mold. I also own my own busines on the side machining. If you get a design and are interested in costs etc. you can send me a solid of your part and I can run it past our tool designer. Good Luck

Ryan