Zinc piston cast in ABS

thingiverse

Another zinc casting in an ABS mold that works really well! See more info about my other metal casting projects here! Instructions: Update 5-31-16 The original cast part broke at the top of the stem where a hole has been drilled. This happened even after using over 500 pellets and pushing it quite far. The casting process itself has some inherent weaknesses due to large crystal structures. Metal solidifies in crystals and zinc has really big ones that can be quite brittle, especially when found near holes like this one. Maybe the cast part should have been heat treated after casting to re-crystallize the metal and make it stronger? I might try another attempt with different methods if this happens again! The end. This is a great project in which 3D printed molds really shine. A practical use of 3D printed ABS is right here in this mold that created this functional piece.