I was wondering how many pulls people usually get from their Epoxy molds before the mold surface gets messed up? I just had a small piece of my mold break when I pulled a part, it was the 5th part I pulled I think. I believe I can just sand it down and add some surface coat to repair it. But I am curious as to how many pulls I can expect out of each mold. Thanks!
I expect at least 100. I’m using a two piece mold right now that is pushing 150. I’ve also got some simple 1 piece molds that have produced over 200 parts. My molds are usually retired due to the edges chipping on two piece molds. I’ve honestly never wore out a 1 piece.
If you are using a wax I think the mold life will go down. Move to a semi-perm and you can increase the life. Shoot a clear coat on top of the semi-perm and it will increase the life some more. I almost always shoot clear or paint into the mold.
Also, some resins just release better than others. Epoxies can be the most difficult. I use MGS epoxy resin for hand layups and infusion because I get the best releases and the most predictable results. Adtech 820 can release pretty nicely but I notice that it leaves a pattern in the mold if no clear goes into the mold. This printing pattern stays on semi-perms which I don’t like.
Depending on the epoxy system you used you can pull ut to 1000 parts from a mould. But therefor everything has to be perfect.
Thanks everyone, that answered my question!
All of my molds I make are made with clay to extend the part to a flat surface. It works well but I would like to start flanging. I tried to play around with thin aluminum but it was very hard to shape to my part. I posted a few weeks back about wax sheets which seems like they might work but they are very expensive so not really worth trying.
What material do you use to make a flange and how do you secure it to your part? I have tried hot glue which works, but then how can you wax the flange and part you want to mold without screwing up the flange you just made?
As always, Thanks!
Its all about how well the mold is made. corners chip because high surface coat content in the corners and lack of fibers. also chip because the release gets worn quicker there. Making sure you use a very high slip release just on sharp edges and keeping the surface coat thin along with making sure fibers are packed in those corner tight will make for a long lasting mold.