13 — Molding and Casting

1. How I Will Use Molding and Casting

[Placeholder — 100–150 words on how molding and casting fits a project of mine: which part I want to reproduce, why casting is the right process for it (multiples, material properties, surface finish), and what material I plan to cast in.]

2. 3D Design — Part, Negative Mold, Master Mold

[Placeholder — 100–150 words on the FreeCAD design process for the part, the silicone negative mold and the wax master mold; what I learned about draft angles, parting lines, vents and pour holes.]

FreeCAD screenshot of the part, negative mold and master mold
[Screenshot — FreeCAD design of part / negative mold / master mold.]

[Link — molding.FCStd FreeCAD project file once uploaded.]

3. CNC Milling the Wax Master

[Placeholder — 100–150 words on booking the CNC slot via Assignment 13: CNC Scheduling, setting up roughing and finishing toolpaths, stepover and stepdown choices for jewelry wax, fixturing the wax block, and what I learned about 3-axis molding toolpaths.]

CAM screenshot of the roughing and finishing toolpaths on the wax master
[Screenshot — CAM toolpaths for the wax master.]
Photo of the finished wax master mold on the CNC bed
[Photo — finished jewelry-wax master after milling.]

4. Silicone Negative Mold

[Placeholder — 100–150 words on the silicone chosen (food-safe vs. MoldStar), mix ratio by weight, pot life and cure time from the Technical Data Sheet, and the PPE / ventilation / skin-contact notes from the Safety Data Sheet. What I learned about degassing, pour height and avoiding bubbles.]

Photo of the cured flexible silicone negative mold released from the wax master
[Photo — flexible negative silicone mold, ready for casting.]

5. Final Cast Object

[Placeholder — 100–150 words on the casting material (chocolate / sugar / lemonade for food-safe silicone, or SmoothCast poly-urethane resin in the ATEX room for MoldStar), the TDS mix ratio and demold time, the SDS PPE and ventilation requirements, and what I learned about pouring technique, shrinkage and surface finish on the final part.]

Photo of one or more final cast objects produced from the silicone mold
[Photo — final cast object(s).]