Boot mold for Solenoid actuated slide rack lift

thingiverse

Human: 3D printed molds can be used to cast parts with many different materials. The molds themselves can be simple one-part molds or more complicated two-part molds. Inner void spaces like the inside of a silicone rubber "boot" can be achieved by using a removable inner "form" that fits snugly between the two outer halves of the mold. This 3D printed injection mold can be used to make a flexible silicone rubber "boot" for a solenoid actuated lift arm, or for a slide rack on an automated stainer. Adding pigment can color the end product, and adding a rigidizer or using different kinds of silicone rubber can get different tensile strengths for the boot. The design can be modified to shape many different kinds of outer contour and inner void space. Matching the inner and outer contours involves copying the outer, reducing its size, and then subtracting it from the original outer object. Subtracting a cylinder from the top and bottom surfaces yields a perfect match for the inner and outer contours. Using one-to-one mix silicone rubber (available at Micromark) and a 10 ml syringe (without the needle), the holes on the top can be used as fill and vent holes. Allowing bubbles to rise in the syringe before injecting the mold, covering the inside of the mold with talc or brushing crevices with liquid silicone rubber, then assembling and clamping the mold together is key. The mold is held together by two small clamps: one clamp holds the inner stem down against the bottom of the outer mold, while the other holds the two halves together. The inner form aligns the outer parts perfectly.