Mold MakingRSS Feed
Alginate is an important raw material made from refined seaweed which is used in a number of industries: Such as in a wide array of medical and clinical applications. It has a number of applications in the pharmaceutical industry. In the food and beverage industry, it is used as a thickener, softener and binder. Alginate is also used for a large number of industrial applications such textiles, printer and welding. In the leisure industry it is used as a beauty treatment.
Growing cartilage in alginate tubes
As manufacturers of a variety of skin-safe mold making materials formulated using alginate (processed seaweed), we are usually never surprised at alginate's myriad of uses. As alginates, in its various forms, are used across a wide range of industries, including the medical, pharmaceutical, food and beverage industries, industrial, crafting and special effects and even in the beauty spa. Yet here are the most recent new uses for alginates reported during the month of June 2016 that even surprise us. Please read on for three new ways this miracle material is being used:
Moulage is the French word for molding . But it is also the name for a popular reusable mold making product. It is made in part from agar agar, which is extracted from seaweed. Moulage brand mold making material is an old-timey formula evolved from a reversible hydrocolloid impression material. More importantly it is a reusable and skin-safe in which the solid material is heated until it melts and then applied to the skin or poured into a mold box. Agar agar formulas have been popular dental mold making materials for almost a century. It was developed in Austria in 1925, and has been used in dentistry until dental alginate impression materials became widespread.
Though polyurethane rubbers have been displacing latex as the material of choice for the molds for concrete castings, latex still has the longest library life of of any materials currently available today. Latex often lasts for many decades without losing mold details. Its abrasion resistant surfaces makes it an ideal choice when creating concrete garden objects.The advantage of polyurethane rubber is that it takes less time to create a mold. However, the big disadvantage is that it is more expensive than latex mold making rubber. A good latex mold requires up to fifteen or more applications to achieve an 1/8th inch mold surface, whereas polyurethane may require only three layers for the same thickness. In this example, we demonstrate how to make a two-part latex brush-on mold for casting garden ornaments. Please follow this link for a complete explanation in pictures
Injection molding is an extremely versatile method of producing products. It is one of the preferred methods for manufacturing parts because it has multiple advantages over other methods of parts molding. This manufacturing method is typically the preferred option for casting individual, thin-walled plastic parts.
German sculptor Paul Egan demonstrates the mold making and casting process for his latest sculpture, Quantum Tunneling, a limited addition in cold cast bronze, featuring a realistic figure breaking through a solid wall. The figure is less than life size and Paul takes us step by step through his mold making and casting process.
Researchers at Harvard's Wyss Institute have developed a method to carry out large-scale manufacturing of everyday objects -- from cell phones to food containers and toys -- using a fully degradable bioplastic isolated from shrimp shells. The objects exhibit many of the same properties as those created with synthetic plastics, but without the environmental threat. It also trumps most bioplastics on the market today in posing absolutely no threat to trees or competition with the food supply. The advance was reported online last week in Macromolecular Materials & Engineering.