3D Print to Mould

I had my 3D model sent to a 3D printer at university, the machine can only manage small models so I scaled my piece down by 3 quarters. From this I decided to use it as a model to cast from in plaster, completely unaware of what would happen. The printer left a rough pixelated surface that I sanded down gently to avoid plaster getting stuck or trapping air bubbles into the mould. With each layer of my design being circular and quite small I need to ensure that the halfway mark of my model was exact to stop the model sticking in the mould. The mould consisted of 3 pieces as my model had a foot.  

The plastic model came away from the model really well, leaving perfect detail and refined edges. The first casting I took out too early, and became distorted and misshapen, yet it was more interesting than the original shape. It gave me another step to move into in my development. After this I got a few more castings out which were perfect, so I know that technique works. Next time I’d like to use the laser cutter, to create layers which can be stacked to produce a larger model than a printed one, plus it’s more cost effective. My work draws up similar links to Tavs Jorgenson being too similar in appearance, so more development is needed.

     

Idea Developing

Bringing structure to the formations was one way I’ve used to further my ideas. There is no real structure or pattern to the rock formations so to give them this, I produced 2D drawings of the formations and flipped them on the side and then split them into 5mm thick blocks following the original lines, which inadvertently ended up looking like pancake rock formations. The drawings were produced using CorelDRAW X5, the programme allows you to draw precisely and it’s simple to use with a little practice.

 

From this I divided the drawing to single sections. I then used the 2D drawings to produce a 3D model in SolidWorks 2012, I created the profile of the section from circles as shown below. I then wanted to test the piece as a vessel, that would be made with moulds, but how would I make the model? I want to link Digital Design with Ceramics, so 3D prototype printing could be used to produce the model to mould from.