[Carolin]

Hello,

Im making a sculpture for an art class involving very complex mathematical curves I couldnt possibly sculpt by hand, and I need to do it in some sort of transparent material. I have access to a 3D printer through my university and Im wanting to design molds in 3D modeling software for the pieces of my sculpture and have them printed out so I can then cast them in transparent resin. I havent been able to find much on the internet about using hard plastic (I think its ABS?) for resin casting, though I have seen release spray for sale. The molds arent going to be very complicated themselves, kind of like slices of the surface of a hollowed-out sphere for the most part. So would this work? Id really like to know before I invest the time in designing the molds only to find it wont work! Thanks yall.

[Katherine Swift]

Carolin,

If you want your castings to be very hard, then I suggest either a polyester or polyurethane resin.

I am a bit unclear though, do you want your final molds to be hard or the castings they produce? 

[Tammy]

 I own a 3D printer, I
really dont think 3D printing material (ABS or PLA…maybe other less common
material) would do well for making molds. Anything thin enough to flex would be
too weak. You could use it as a template to make a mold in things such as silicone
putty etc, or just poured the resin in and dont expect to get it out for a
custom bezel. Though the 3D printer is great for making custom inclusions.

[Author]

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