Making Silicone Parts with Laser Cut Acrylic Molds

[@Rich77UK]

As a mechanical engineer/designer, you Industial designers are usually the bane of my life. Airy fairy designs that cannot be made but according to I.D cannot be deviated from! However it's nice to see you are a different breed (dare I say its probably an age thing) as you understand manufacturing too, which in my experience is rare. Good, nice work.

[@EricStrebel]

Hahahahahahah.....I design with production in mind.

[@kwzon]

Love that you show the fails. That’s how we learn and get better.

[@ajbax96]

The Jets ranch bottle is peak Detroit

[@EricStrebel]

😀🤘

[@alejandrocastillo3142]

Love your videos! Have watched and rewatched so many of them and you’ve inspired me to get into resin casting. Not sure what my calling to make is just yet, but I know that laser cutting and resin casting to create or duplicate items is in my future for sure!

[@InteractiveDNA]

Very cool! I always tell creative people! Watch professionals doing working and your creative mind feels like candy, sweet candy that makes your ideas for creating anything endless. Great video! here is a tip for the overhead camera you flip Vertically and then Flip Horizontally in software/editor! By flipping it around the viewers will see like you and what you are doing like you do see. On my next live stream I will show you how is looks! So you have an idea before you fly your camera around or just try it. It makes a HUGE difference when we watch your amazing videos with a overhead shots.

[@mvadu]

Hi Eric, in one of your next video can you please explain when you will use platinum cured silicone and when you will not, basically a primer on different kind of silicone and when to use what.. I am looking for more parts from silicone itself (like the mat you made here) for high heat applications and would love to learn before I go too far.

[@EricStrebel]

No preference, just what happened to have. But personally I prefer tin cure and not platinum silicone. There are too many inhibition curing issues with Platinum silicone.

[@FullSpeed_only]

For this Use it’s no problem: PMMA ("Acrylic") can also be glued/bonded with MMA without the Issues a Solvent brings. Although a suitable Solvent is often already in the Workshop. The Monomers in the Glue will form PMMA themselves and don’t introduce Stress Cracking like Solvents.

[@EricStrebel]

Yeah, if you have some MMA it would work, I don't have any. Essentially MMA is a solvent based adhesive so it should work for glueing acrylic.

[@MyllerSWE]

Looks awesome with the Formlab orange! 🙂

[@EricStrebel]

Happy accident

[@MyllerSWE]

Sandblast the mold or use a matt plexi and then add vinyl lettering on it that are glossy! Could be cool :)

[@EricStrebel]

Good to have options

[@bob_mosavo]

Thanks 👍

[@andyb7754]

Very interesting and informative video, thank you. Too bad it wasn't 18" x 11" because Amazon sells the silicon puppy pads with a short sides for $15, that's what I got for my resin printer.

[@Brocknoviatch]

Silicone dog food mat large $9 from a local store. Love the process of creating one, but don’t have a lot of those tools.

[@bjbenterprises]

Eric, for technical knowledge moving forward with the TC-5150, was that original Red/Yellow pigment a urethane pigment or was it for silicone? We have seen some silicones cure ok with some of our BJB urethane pigments, but others experience weird issues like inhibition or gelling up too quickly. Our 8100-series silicone pigments work across the board with all of our silicones. Cool work pad BTW. The translucent orange looks OEM with the Formlabs 🤔😉

[@EricStrebel]

The first failed attempt was not a silicone specific pigment. It's a standard pigment that I use for resin casting. I did not think twice about using it, but I'm also not so used to platinum curing inhibition issues since I really don't use a lot of Platinum silicone.

[@kevinarne]

I've noticed that silicone mats I've made tend to attract hairs and lint. Is that something you've experienced and is this just a matter of the glossy surface finish of the molds (and thus mat)?

[@EricStrebel]

Silicone in general is easily static charged, this attracting things

[@iainmcculloch5807]

Nice job. That's going to be a great upgrade to the cart. If you wanted to attach the mat "permanently" to the cart, is there a preferred adhesive you would go for?

[@EricStrebel]

Nothing much bonds to silicone so, I don't have any options for you.

[@evanbarnes9984]

One option would be to overmold magnets into the silicone, or cast blind holes in the silicone that you can press fit magnets into later. Then match those up with magnets or metal in the surface it sits on. Or if you don't want magnets near your work, you might be able to mold metal snaps into the bottom of the silicone, like those you find on the closures of some shirts or jeans. But then you have to do some more complex mold making. I'm going to ask my coworker too, he somehow found some kind of PSA that he used to make an adhesive backed silicone part. Or you could mold little bosses like feet into the bottom of the silicone that could press into matched holes in the work surface.

[@crab0traps0now]

I've heard that it can help avoid curing issues like this to mix dye or ink in just one part - but I can't remember if it was the A part or the B part. Probably pretty important to do it in the right part for this tip to actually help!

[@EricStrebel]

It's just a Platinum silicone issue I'm not a big fan of the material.

[@scott9751]

I tried doing something similar once and had trouble with bubbles forming when I put down the plexiglass. I vacuum degassed the silicone and there were no visible bubbles until I placed the plexiglass backer. The process of placing the plexiglass seemed to trap bubbles. The bubbles weren't small ones that were entrapped during stirring or pouring - they were very large bubbles the were created when placing the plexiglass. I'm curious if you've encountered this and, if so, how you dealt with it.

[@EricStrebel]

Nope no issue like that, lay the glass slowly from one side to the other so you don't trap any air.

[@scott9751]

@@EricStrebel No matter how carefully I applied the plexi I got bubbles. Next time I might try gently rolling on a piece of thin plastic like mylar then placing the plexi on top to hold everything flat. I'm hoping the thinner material will give me more control with the ability to roll it on and push bubbles in one direction.

[@EricStrebel]

Yes, perhaps that could work

[@phpCypher]

Which acrylic cement are you using? I am doing a similar project and would love to know!

[@EricStrebel]

Weld-on 4 fast set

[@StasonKalbason]

Молодцом!

[@cecilomar]

Do you think that you could machine the acrylic on a CNC to be casted or would it be too rough? I'm thinking about engraving with a 90° v bit about 2-3 mm wide. I could also use HDPE (now that I think about it).

[@d.jeffdionne]

Can you find a suitable anti static (slightly conductive) silicone to make them from?

[@EricStrebel]

I have no idea, you should check with various silicone manufacturers to see if such a product exists.

[@LoremIpsum1970]

Hey, Eric. Not being a professional like yourself I can't afford Smooth On products in the UK, I found BBDINO Silicone Rubber Pigments to be quite good. Cheap enough to test, I guess.

[@joell439]

👍👍😎👍👍

[@Sp-wz8mk]

Comment for the algorithm. Regards

[@EricStrebel]

Thanks!

[@JGDeRuvo]

You could sell those!

[@EricStrebel]

I do! Follow the link in the description

[@gustavkusnir483]

I always wonder how people are going outside to do the messy job just to leave all the plastic and other debris outside to soak into nature instead doing it inside and cleanup.

[@EricStrebel]

My shop is not set up for that kind of dusty particle work, so we do it outside and then we sweep up afterwards.