Hi all,
Great forum with tons of info!
I was wondering if any one have tips on how to make molds of parts with clips on the back of it ~ such as car trimmings?
The front molding doesn’t seem such a big hassle, as long as the parts are not complex, but the back of these car trims and parts have clips. How would you make a totally new piece of this without overlaying the front?
This would seem totally impossible as these clips do have negative drafts.
Thanks.
Maybe make the clips seperately and post bond them on?
yeah copy the clips separately, button them into place,with some glue on them, and push the part on them.
I agree. Perhaps make sacrificial rtv molds of the clips. Fill the female molds with epoxy mixed with fine chopped carbonfiber. The carbon fiber will add strength to the clip parts.
Bond them on after the part is made. This is a lot of work. Many aftermarket composites companies use double sided 3M tape instead of clips… or industrial velcro if it is possible.
But if you are going to make new clips read up on making rtv silcone molds. This is just one way to make a small mold.
If it is a part you will produce many of you may want to consider having a machine shop make you some molds for the clips out of aluminum. A two part mold that bolts together so you will be able to release the clip from the mold since it has a negative draft shape.
Another option may be machining/grinding the clips out of a sheet of laminated carbon fiber. www.dragonplate.com Or machine the clips out of carbon fiber rod/bar stock.