Hi, today I had a go at sand casting a 3D printed name plate. The plate is only 80x14mm 4mm deep with letters 2mm high. I am using sand and clay mix. Even with brushing with baby powder, the sand is sticking between the letters. Is there a better method to make the mould, or cast the plate, thanks, michael
I presume your pattern has sufficent draft for the letters? Bits like the dimple in a "A" can be trouble, I sand and primer to fill in the gaps between layers in printed patterns and hit it with a couple coats of paint to reduce the chances of sand clinging...doesn't always work, but seems to increase the odds.
Upload a Photo of the pattern. We can give you some pointers. But lots of draft (slope on the sides of the letters) is step 1.
auto body filler rattle can paint works super well in this application, there are two applications, light fill and heavy fill, dont sand it, steel wool it , 00 works for most anything V/r HT1
Seems like the letters are way to tall to get any amount of draft on them for sand casting. I would reduce them to 1mm high and make sure you have some draft on them.
Lettering gets pretty tricky to pull. Softening internal corners and areas prone to capture is key. Of course we want "sharp and crisp" but we might have to dial back our expectations a bit. The condition of the sand, rapping technique, etc all come into play as well. If your letters are shallow sometimes the pattern will drop right out cleanly as you lift the drag off the bench. At any rate sometimes you might have to try it a few times and roll the dice. Pete
In addition to above comments, care must be taken in avoiding excessive rapping prior to drawing t he pattern. I have learned I can shear off green sand lettering by being too rough with the rubber hammer especially with horizontal raps as opposed to vertical raps. On some patterns with sharp lettering I barely rap in a horizontal plane at all. For me, Silicate bound sand renders the crispest letters most consistently. These are green sand 5/16 letters: Denis
