A cereal bowl jigger mold made using 3D printing

Objective: See if it is possible for a potter to create a duplicate of a bowl purchased at Ikea. It is porcelaneous stoneware, not white but very vitreous. It is a simple and stable form with a transparent crystal clear glossy glaze.

As with other projects, this all depends on one's ability to do the 3D drawings. I use Fusion 360, one of the best skills I have ever learned.

First, I measured the aluminum cuphead carefully and drew its cross-section.

I drew the profile of the jigger mold using outside dimensions to match the inside of the cup head and an inside contour to match the outside of the bowl (with 12% size increase to account for drying and firing shrinkage).

After making a couple of iterations I realized that it was not necessary to print a multi-piece rail mold (with vertical flanges). A one-piece one works better (my Prusa MK3+ and MK4 can just handle this, it stays perfectly round by virtue of the flange and step). Additionally, there is no need to remove the 3D-printed shell from the mold, in fact, there are multiple advantages to leaving it in place.

Related Information

v2.0 DIY Jiggering is Here!

Available on the Downloads page

It is beyond amazing that this is possible at home now! Follow Lily, step-by-step as she uses Fusion 360 to create all of this in 9 minutes!

A newer larger 3D printer made this type of mold much more practical (and it adds the ability to make a clamping baseplate). This procedure that will work for jiggering almost any closed shape. 3D print the shell mold for the outside shape of the bowl, cast a plaster model in it and tool and soap it for a perfect surface. Then 3D print the shell of the outside of the jigger mold (full or flanged clamped halves). Invert both onto a clamping baseplate, stick the model down using a sticky clay slip and use the correct spacer ring to center the model inside the shell mold. Pour it full of plaster to make a working mold. Finally, adjust the hole locations on the template to mount on the jigger arm and 3D print it. You will be amazed at the cutting edge of the template, and the quality it can produce.

Bowl jigger mold versions ready to pour

3D-printed jigger template for cereal bowl

A jigger mold is about to be poured in these two 3D-printed housings. This is a demo, the plaster model of the outside shape has not yet been smoothed and soaped. When that is done it will be glued onto the clamping baseplate using a sticky ball clay slip, it will be held on-center using a specially printed spacer ring. The ring is different depending on the method.

Top: The outside shell was 3D printed in two halves and it is being clamped onto a clamping baseplate, tightly against the ring. When the plaster has set this shell will be removed and the bowl form will drop out leaving the completely jigger mold.

Bottom: The outside shell was 3D printed as one piece. When the plaster has set the model will drop out but the outside PLA shell will be left in place for the service life of the mold. It wraps over the top and provides a smooth tough surface to act as a stopping for the template.

Finished bowl jigger mold encased in a PLA 3D print

This is much more durable than a standard plaster jigger mold. And much nicer to handle. And it drops very precisely into the cup head, a perfect fit. This was the unexpected culmination of a project to simply use 3D methods to create a traditional all-plaster mold. But it became evident it was better to leave the PLA shell in place.

v1.0 bowl jigger mold procedure

This version was done when we did not have a 3D printer that was large enough to print the outer shell. So we did it in three pieces.
1 The original drawing in Fusion 360 (aluminum cuphead, jigger mold with bowl-outside profile, bowl mold, jigger mold case and jigger template).
2 The original bowl purchased at Ikea alongside the 3D printed shell of its outside contours (12% bigger).
3 The plaster model of the outside shape (created from the shell mold).
4 Printing a pair circular rails (with flanges for clamping).
5 The rail assembly (clamped, glued and soaped) ready for use to pour working mold.
6 The model soaped and glued to an Arborite bat (using sticky clay). The rail assembly glued down.
7 The light-bulb moment of realizing the rails - from #4, #5, #6; are not even need! I now print them as one unit, one for each mold I make.
8 The finished working mold (with amazing PLA printed outer surface).
9 The jigger mold inserted into the cuphead is ready for use.

Jigger wheel aluminum cuphead (for plates)

The head is lathed from aluminum. It fits on a potter's wheel (adjust the inside diameter to fit the shaft). The plaster mold drops into it this cuphead and stays in place by friction. The only point of contact between the mold and aluminum should be at the top inside corner of the cuphead.

Jigger arm assembly for a Shimpo RK2 pottery wheel

We have mechanical drawings for this (and the cup heads). This is very sturdy and useful. The arm is relatively short compared to industrial jigger wheels and is thus useful for only small shapes. There is an advantage: The template contacts vertical walls at a more perpendicular angle. But the disadvantage is that the trailing edge of the template hits the outside edge of the lip on taller shapes. The pointed bolts hold the arm securely and their tightness enables varying the friction of movement. They have enough length to also position the arm horizontally. We 3D print templates and block masters for making working molds that drop into the cuphead.

Shimpo Jigger attachment drawing

Available on the Downloads page

Made from 1/2" x 3" flat steel, this frame is heavy and very strong and solid. The two larger 3.5" long bolts are custom-made from 5/8in-11 threaded rod, they have a 45-degree cone tip and locking nuts. The small vertical stopper-bolt is made from 3/8" rod. It is 2" long with 1" dia washer welded on top and a locking nut. The small bolt setting determines the bottom point of arm travel. The pivot sockets on the jigger arm are 1" long and made from 1" steel rod, each has the 45-degree recess machined into it. The arm can be moved left or right and its tension set by adjusting the two larger bolts. The weighted collar on the back of the arm employs two pieces of 1" thick flat steel, it is heavy (important for convenience-of-operation). The triangular notch enables the arm to be lifted higher. The weight colar needs some sort of set screw to hold it in place. A number of corners need to be rounded or rubber-padded for safety reasons. If you would like this 3D file in Fusion 360 and STEP formats, it is available in the Files manager in your Insight-live.com account (click the link below to go straight there).

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Glossary	3D-Printing Standard 3D printing technology (not printing with clay itself) is very useful to potters and ceramic industry in making objects that assist and enable production.
Glossary	3D Design 3D Design software is used to create dimensionally accurate objects by sketching 2D geometry and transforming it using tools to rotate, extrude, sweep, etc. The software generates the polygon surface.
Projects	Nursery plant pot mold via 3D printing
Projects	2019 Jiggering-Casting Project of Medalta 66 Mug My project to reproduce a mug made by Medalta Potteries more than 50 years ago. I cast the body and handle, jigger the rim and then attach the handle. 3D printing made this all possible.
Typecodes	Mold making using 3D printing An ordinary consumer 3D printer has many exciting possibilities for making many types of molds, it is a place where people having both artistic and mechanical abilities can get a double the dopamine!
Media	Design a Triangular Pottery Plate Block Mold in Fusion 360 Lilly will take you step-by-step through the process of parametrically drawing a triangular plate with curved sides and rounded corners, for 3D printing to pour a plaster working mold.

By Tony Hansen
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