Melt flow tester 3D CAD drawing

A 3D rendering of the latest version of our melt fluidity tester. We have promoted this device for many years as an effective way to compare fired glaze properties (e.g. melt fluidity, surface tension, bubble retention, crystal growth, transparency, melting range, etc).

You will be able to download a two part 3MF file of this by March 5, 2025. 3D print the two pieces and pour plaster into them to create a working mold. With 0.8mm thick walls, it prints quickly and is easy to remove from the plaster using a heat gun. The halves interlock using natches, thus our natch embeds and related parts are also required (the are available on this site).

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3D rendering of Fusion 360 drawing of glaze melt fluidity tester

Related Pictures

Melt fluidity of Albany Slip vs. Alberta Slip at cone 10R

This picture has its own page with more detail, click here to see it.

This is a GBMF test, it employs a slipcast melt flow tester to show the flow patterns of two glazes (or materials), side-by-side. Albany Slip was a pure mined silty clay that, by itself, melted to a glossy dark brown glaze at cone 10R. By itself it was a Tenmoku glaze at high temperatures. Alberta Slip is a recipe of mined clays with added refined minerals that give it a similar chemistry, firing behavior and raw physical appearance. As you can see, the melt fluidity is very similar.

CAD drawing for 3D-printing plaster mold natches, spacers, clips and embeds

Available on the Downloads page

This picture has its own page with more detail, click here to see it.

Plastic natches are cast into plaster molds to provide a durable and good-fitting interlock between pieces. The traditional self-interlocking 3/8" or 9.5 mm (nipple diameter) one has not proven suitable for mold making based on 3D printing. Our solution is a four-part system.
-13.5mm holes in 3D printed case molds are all that is needed to adapt to these.
-3D printing case and block molds necessitates pouring plaster and rubber into shells with planar mating surfaces downward (they must sit flat on the table). The thin flanges on the clips cause minimal issues.
-Casting an embed into a mold enables gluing (or friction fitting) a natch or a spacer inside. In addition, they permit flat mating surfaces to be sanded (for better flatness and fit).
Our drawing (right) shows the measurements we use. 3D printing is precise enough that the inside dimension of the embed is the same as the outside of the natch shoulder, yet the natch fits. The same good fit happens with the clip and embed and the natch nipple and spacer (although it is necessary to chamfer the bottom corners and bevel the top corners of the spacer for better insert).
There is a good chance some dimension changes are needed to fine-tune for printing in your circumstances.

Links

URLs	https://sketchfab.com/models/999eaa40074c4447a90e92229b7b1857?utm_source=triggered-emails&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=model-upload#share Melt Flow Tester 3D Scan STL file at SketchFab
URLs	https://insight-live.com/insight/recipes.php?OpenFile=q6csLckZWq Download melt flow tester CAD drawing Use this model to create a multi-piece mould to make flow testers. This link enters your Insight-live account so you need to be logged in.
Articles	A Low Cost Tester of Glaze Melt Fluidity This device to measure glaze melt fluidity helps you better understand your glazes and materials and solve all sorts of problems.

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