Fwd: [OpenSCAD] OpenSCAD Casted Metal Parts

[Kevin Crowley]

Totaly awesome.!!  I am so jealous.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jeshua Lacock <jes...@3dtopo.com>
Date: Sun, Sep 23, 2012 at 9:22 PM
Subject: [OpenSCAD] OpenSCAD Casted Metal Parts
To: open...@rocklinux.org



I LOVE OpenSCAD! Thank you!

This web page describes the process I used going from OpenSCAD to casted aluminum parts:

http://3dtopo.com/lostPLA/


Cheers,

Jeshua Lacock
Founder/Engineer
3DTOPO Incorporated
<http://3DTOPO.com>
Phone: 208.462.4171

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[Adam Cohen]

That is really awesome. We could totally make that happen..and we should.  I have a project in mind that I might try it out on.

[Bret Daniel]

ok, so here is where we are.

We can cast Aluminum using propane

if you want 1-off castings, then best way would be to use the router-cnc to carve the item out of the pink foam that is in excess at the ms.

we will pack that into the petrobond, which is now on site

and pour it.

I have 1 propane tank at the ms. if anyone has any extra propane they want to donate, that would be good too. starting next week, we can begin mold making tutorials.

i am convinved that the diesel will require a new atomizer, which i am working on, but the propane can do the job

if interested, planning on this thurs to pour

bret

[Pete Prodoehl]

So... is it possible to use PLA or ABS from 3D prints?


Pete

[Kevin Crowley]

Yes that what the guy did here.
http://3dtopo.com/lostPLA/

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[Pete Prodoehl]

I know it's possible...

I'm asking Bret, as the expert casting guy, if we can do it.

If he is against it, or hasn't done it yet, or is dying to do it... (or if someone else has done it using our equipment) that's what I'm after. :)


Pete

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[Royce Pipkins]

Frank did a lost ABS casting with the kiln and spin-caster. You are limited there to less than 3"x4" and whatever amount of metal you can stuff into the crucible.

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--
The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do.
B. F. Skinner

[Pete Prodoehl]

Great... I know absolutely nothing about the casting process, but learning is good!

Which makers know casting? Perhaps I can team up with one to work on a print we could try...

I've not seen Frank around lately, but I can certainly email him.

Also, if we've got any great casting stuff we can show off at Gallery Night, can someone coordinate?



Pete

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[Kevin Crowley]

I did a lot of small castings, plaster molds with lost material,  in the late'70s and early 80's.  clay,silver, lead, copper, and brass. I made a gingery lathe '93? that required a lot of aluminum casting in green sand.  Have not worked with petrobond.  My proposal to artmilwaukee requires three castings with a total weight of 30lbs.  pink foam positives.

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[Bret Daniel]

we can try, foam is the best for instant burnout. but hey, we are all about the try. you build it and we can burn it.

the method tested was a basic investment casting. do they make a wax version of the feed material of the 3d printer? wax easily melts in a burnout process

my suggestion would be to make it, set in refractory investment (aka plaster and playground sand), let it fully cure, burn out the abs in a kiln, then pour into the void.

if you can make it out of pink foam, then fo sure it will burn as u pour

cookin on thurs night for those interested

bret

[Pete Prodoehl]

I understood like 8% of this email.


Pete

[Matt Czapar]

Pete,

See the link below about how a guy was able to use a 3d printer to cast aluminum.  That may help you understand more.

http://3dtopo.com/lostPLA/ 

Good luck,

Matt

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[Brent Bublitz]

I know we have already done at least one burnout using PLA from the
printer. They do not make any wax media for the printers at this time.
We also had someone do a lost wax using dead cicadas. That worked
amazingly well.

Brent

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[Ron Bean]

>We also had someone do a lost wax using dead cicadas.

Lost bugs?

[Have Blue]

Stratasys used to make investment casting wax filament (ICW-05 and
ICW-06, along with the matching support material), but as you say,
there's nothing available at this time (other than the odd spool of it
that shows up on Ebay).

I'm guessing it either wasn't popular, or was really finicky to deal
with - the Nylon and elastomeric filaments that they had at one time
suffered the same fate as the wax.

[Brent Bublitz]

For the most part, we have had very good luck doing CNC on the regular
router with casting wax.

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