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- Created design of mold in Solidworks (using "Solidworks mold tools" --> helpful tutorial: https://youtu.be/yqROZFStz6c) and save as an .STL file.
- Calculated how much MDF needs to be used (based on thickness, dimensions of nose cone). Make sure to account for extra area for pry slits and alignment pins.
- Cut the MDF using a bandsaw and glued together (using what epoxy?). The piece of MDF we used was 25" x 97" so it required two people to cut it on the bandsaw because it was so large. It would be better to use a table saw to get the sides more even so that aligning the mold on the router will be easier.
- Mark where pry slits and alignment pins go.
- Verified that the tool head would not run into the wall of the nose cone while routing (this can happen if you're cutting too steep of an angle: see image below)
- Find some way to clamp the mold to the router table (if it moves around while routing, the mold will be ruined). Since we already glued the pieces of MDF together we decided to attach L-brackets to the side of the mold so that it can be bolted to the router table. We forgot to plan for this ahead of time so it was annoying and we had to increase the size of the holes in the L-brackets to fit the screws that attach to the table. An alternative would be to cut slots in the MDF before you glue the layers together so that it can be clamped down.
- When routing:
- Make sure the router is routing the correct shape- pause if necessary (instead of stopping the router altogether, set the speed to 1% so you don't have to re-zero everything after. It won't technically be "stopped" but it will be moving very slowly so you're effectively pausing it)
- Lots of sawdust will be generated, so follow the router tip with a vacuum to get most of it.
- TOOL PLUNGED
- step size was too large (0.5")
- ground yourself or you'll get shocked by static
- make edges more rectangular next time
Lessons Learned:
- Make sure to account for the fact that the mold will have to be clamped down before you glue the MDF layers together
- Make sure your step size is no larger than 1/2 the diameter of the tool you're using (in our case, a step size of 0.25" was fine)
- Don't skimp on glue when gluing the layers of MDF together or you might get cracks in the mold where the layers come together
Notes about Gelb router:
- Program is called "Cut3D" and is a dedicated toolpath for CNC machining
- Make sure to orient part correctly, paying attention to the axis along which you want to cut it. There is usually more than one way to orient the part, just make you set it up on the router according to how you defined it in the software
- Cut3D gives you the ability to scale parts if you need
- The "roughing cut" removes most of the material. For this mold Cut3D says it takes 23 minutes (will vary depending on what you're routing)
- The "smoothing cut" finishes the mold by smoothing the surface. Cut3D says it takes 56 minutes for this mold.
- Make sure you select the proper "feed rate" and "plunge rate." This depends on the material you're using.
- Make sure that the toolpath is correct and save it. Give the file time to download onto the USB
- When routing, make sure that the tool does NOT intersect the table
- Put a foam block under the tool when you turn the power off or it will crash into the table.
- You can either use the vacuum attachment while routing or vacuum periodically while it's routing.
Mold Preparation
Required Materials:
- Sandpaper (400 - 2000 grit)
- Wax
- Epoxy
- PPE: Respirator, gloves
- Sand the mold, starting with 400 grit and working up to 1000 and 2000. This will take a long time!
- Applied system 3000 epoxy. Had to fill in end of mold because we increased size of mold to account for thickness of gel coat but didn't use gel coat (filled in with fast hard + west systems + colloidal silica, used heat gun to speed up curing)
- filled in cracks with Bondo --> not the best idea
- Added 5 layers of wax
- Also added a layer of fibrelease before the layup but this may have dissolved some of the wax --> bad idea
Lessons Learned:
- Make sure you account for the thickness of ablative/whatever mold prep you're using when you make the mold (for example, if you said you'd use gel coat and increased the size of the mold, you either have to use gel coat or make a new mold because using epoxy to fill it in is not the best/most accurate solution)
- Don't use Fibrelease if you're using wax
- Don't fill cracks in with Bondo- it's difficult to work with and surface of the mold won't sand as easily/epoxy won't permeate the Bondo
- Heat guns are effective in speeding up curing
- Sanding wax is difficult. Make sure you only add wax when you're sure you're ready
- Alignment dowels work well
- Epoxy sides of mold and wax them to ease mold release
- Use smaller squeegees for applying the epoxy because larger ones won't fit the curvature of the mold as well
Nose Cone Layup
Required Materials:
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