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how was this molded?

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Sneakers

Mechanical
Aug 4, 2005
24
Any ideas on how a toy such as this could be molded?
The toy is a very soft elastomeric childs toy. It is a spherical shaped toy with dozens of squiggly tentacles about an inch long all over the surface of the ball. The toy is hollow filled with air, when you squeeze it in your hand it bulges out between your fingers like a baloon.
The material is so soft that undercuts should not be much of an issue, but how could the mold cavity for each squiggly tentacle be created? The long thin squiggled shape could not possibly be chased by a cnc mill. I can only think of this done as a rapid protoype in wax and the mold is cast off the wax prototype. Then the part is injection molded? But how could the part be hollow and air tight if it is injection molded? I'm guessing the material is plasticized pvc. Could it be rotomolded?
Any thoughts?
Thanks
 
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At a wild guess I would say by a modified slush moulding or rotational moulded with highly PVC plasticsols, probably with some vacuum assist to draw the tentacles.

Regards
Pat
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