How small can a mold be produced?
- This topic has 1 reply, 2 voices, and was last updated 3 years ago by .
Hi Everyone!
I’m curious if it would be possible to use the machines to produce beads that would go on a bracelet? It would need a 5mm diameter hole with an outer diameter no bigger than 11mm, with an ideal width between 3-5mm.
If it’s possible? How would I find someone interested in creating this?
I’ve just stumbled across this concept and am excited to learn more!
Thank you,
Candace 🙂
Hi @candacek
Yes, I’ve done some of this, there’s a few different ways to make holes in parts. You can of course drill the holes afterwards, but it’s also possible to make them inside the mould. In the pic below, the black peg has a hole running along it’s length, this was produced by a removable pin inside the mould, the hole is 3mm diameter and the peg is 10mm diameter. The red part (this is half of a spring-clip) has two types of hole, the small hole in the side is produced the same way, with a pin, this is 2.4mm diameter. The larger hole in the top is produced by a peg that is part of the mould, this hole is 5mm diameter and 4mm long, this method is best for ‘short’ holes as the plastic will shrink onto the peg and it can be difficult to remove the part from the mould.
(These parts where made from melted down flower pots and my injection machine is similar to the PP one but much smaller)
Beads could be made in a similar way, you could make multiple beads with one mould which could be either all the same or of different types. Moulding one bead at a time would probably be quite laborious!
If you already have an injection machine, or are near to somebody you could collaborate with (look on the map) I can create a mould for you.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.