invention manufacturing problem 1

[entrepreneur]

Aloha everyone. I have a product that I would like to produce myself initially so that the testing/evaluation can be done privately. I have a so-so prototype, but would like to make this closer to the finished product. My question is this- are there any reasonable ways to mold plastic at home? With a small amount of assistance, I am certain that I could make this at home. Expensive solutions are not an option yet. Thanks to all who respond.

 

[tcampbe1]

Machining is one way of making prototypes out of plastic. I have found harder plastics like nylon or Delrin machine well.

Molding gets a little more serious, since you need a mold. You will need to use a liquid resin that can be poured and that has either a catalytic (two part mixture) or heat induced cure. Common resins are urethane, which has grades that can be quite hard; polyester, such as in fiberglass boats - you might find this locally available right there in Kansas ; and finally there would be epoxy resins, the strongest. Glass fibers could be added to any of these to increase strength. Be careful of the fumes, particularly with urethane.

 

Slow response here, but for the creative independent R&D, try your local hobby store or art supply store. Depending on the type of plastic there are suitable materials for protoype development.

 

[roadkill]

Hiya,

It's hard to tell, from your description, how large your product is.

If it's on the larger side you may want to considder fabricating in from a thermoplastic like CH2 (polyerithyne).
You can weld it fairly easily with a gass touch if your on a budget or you can buy a hot air or ultra sonic welder.

If you want an impact resistant artical that you can clean up/model with a knife easily go for a low density grade.
High dencity on the other hand is harder, more brittle and slightly more challenging to weld.

If you want to make a showpiece of it. When you are finnished you can gloss the surface with a quick intence blast of heat. This will melt the very surface and remove many of the filemarks/weld marks and give you a radiussed glossy look.

Note: I am recoveering from a head injury sorry 'bout the spelling

best of luck
Myles

 

[RotoUSA]

send me details.if it fits rotomolding prototype, i use FRP molds & this can end-up to least esxpensive solution to your problem. info@rotousa.com

 

[wljohnson]

It is not clear how large or what shape the part is which may make a difference in the technique you can use. Take a look at these websites to see if they are helpful.

http://www.polytek.com,

http://www.artstuff.com,

http://www.synair.com.

They describe some mold making techniques and other how-to info.