getmorecaffeine

Hi there! This is my first day posting, let me know if I should be posting somewhere else or if you have any advice! I have a unique variation on a coffee mug and I’d like to find someone who can slipcast and glaze 100 units per month. I have the plaster molds, design, and recommended parameters already developed. Bonus points if they can package, ship, and manage a small inventory to help with lead times. Double bonus points if they can have fast lead times and adapt the glaze colors to match customer requests or their own inspiration. Does anyone have experience with where to look for something like this? Am I best off looking for hobby artisans? Independent shops? Small factories? Is it often best to go this route or to have one place do the manufacturing and another do the warehousing/fulfillment?

Hi everyone! I recently discovered something really cool about this topic. Challenges with FDM printing a PLA box: 1) resolution of the layers creates a rough texture that makes everything harder. 2) the PLA has high enough stiffness that it can't flex to release only one small area at a time as you remove the mold. That's like pulling a piece of tape directly off a surface instead of peeling one little corner at a time. Our theoretical goal for the best master mold is a mold that is stiff when the plaster is curing and then flexible when you want to remove the plaster. For this reason, silicone master molds are a great choice, especially with a removable plastic support band that can help hold the shape of the outer walls while the plaster pours and cures. Silicone master molds require quite a few steps which is great if you have a skills, equipment, and tolerance for messes. Alright, so how do we get around these issues? My recent finding is that there is a new type of 3D printing called Multi-Jet Fusion (MJF) and you can print using a rubber called TPU88 and use a technique called vapor smoothing to create an excellent production-ready surface finish. Plus, there are printing services where you can submit a CAD model and someone else can print the parts as a service since these printers are capital-intensive. I just tried this method on a part and I don't have it quite right yet, but it shows promise. I think this is an important and interesting problem to work on. What if doing this well could move forward the whole slipcasting industry? What's the impact if you can go straight from a CAD file to a rubber master mold in one week with no mold-making skills/equipment/mess? I can post some pictures at some point if that is beneficial. Any interest from anyone in learning more or talking about this?