All Glossary

Mold Shell Flange

These are usually required when a 3D printer is not large enough and an item needs to be broken down into smaller pieces and clamped together. More info coming soon.

Related Information

3D-design a flange for clamping a shell mold

This type of shell enables holding the mold together with paper clamps, making for easy removal when plaster is set. Here is the simplest way to draw it.

-Draw the jigger mold profile like shown below left (we use a 0.8 thickness outline).
-Draw another 6-8 mm outside it, that will be the flange.
-Revolve the mold profile 359.5 degrees, leaving a small gap, perhaps 0.5mm.
-Rotate the flange (with join operation) 0.5 degrees (hopefully producing 1mm thick, adjust as needed).
-Rotate the flange again (with join), but in two sides of -1.0 and 0.5 degrees (creating the other flange).

Notice the details that enable printing this upside down without generating any printed support. The printed PLA is left on the plaster mold above and below the shoulder, enabling precise fitting and good wearability.

3D print this rail to pour plaster jigger molds for mugs

Turn this upside down and center it over a plaster or 3D printed form of the outside shape of a mug. This creates a mold that drops down in our Shimpo cuphead. This opens slightly along one side for easy release from the plaster after set. It is held together by paper clamps during use. The upper flange can be glued down to a smooth surface with a clay slurry. If you would like this 3D file in Fusion 360 format, it is available in the Files manager in your Insight-live.com account (click the link below to go straight there).

Belt and suspenders baseplate for 3D printed molds

Available on the Downloads page

This assembly is the bottom half of a 3D printed 0.8mm wall thickness PLA mold. Plaster exerts a lot of pressure, especially in deep molds, even super gluing a disk onto a bottom flange can fail and result in a plaster spill. This is a "belt and suspenders" solution. This disk is thick and strong and it is removable. Paper clamps hold it onto a flange on the sidewall of the mold. These recesses enable placing it flat onto a level table.

Side rails for production of working mold

I made these side rails specifically to fit this case mold. To be more rigid I printed a wall thickness of 1.2mm. The flange at the bottom fits under the mold and assures that no plaster will leak under and displace it upward (provided of course that the vertical flanges clamp together with a tight fit).

By Tony Hansen Follow me on

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