Some people ask, how to make fiberglass mold? This can’t be explained in one sentence.
First of all, to understand what the customer wants the effect? What is the post-product molding process? How many fiberglass parts do you need to make? We can only determine those mold materials and mold opening methods by understanding the needs. On the premise of meeting the process requirements, we can manufacture guaranteed fiberglass molds at the lowest cost.
But, if it is sample development, only 1-2 trial parts are needed, then there is no need to open the mold. Based on the ground and polished original model, it is most economical to directly reproduce the product, such as a substitute wood, plaster, or original wooden model. If you want products with precise dimensions and durable molds that can be produced in small batches, then FRP mold making requires you to pay extra.
Generally, glass fiber reinforced resin molds can achieve satisfactory performance requirements and manufacturing costs. It should be noted that shrinkage is the primary consideration in mold manufacturing, and it is related to the trade-off between fiberglass mold performance and cost.
A typical fiberglass mold structure usually consists of three parts:
- Surface layer: vinyl gel coat;
- Transition layer: vinyl resin (surface felt as reinforcement);
- Structural layer: vinyl resin, zero shrinkage resin, or unsaturated, even polyester resin;
Relatively speaking, most hand lay-up or vacuum (non-autoclave) fiberglass molds are made in this way. For epoxy molds with high-temperature resistance requirements, the surface layer (epoxy gel coat) and the structural layer (epoxy Resin + glass fiber) are composite-based. Even the mold of small parts, it can be made by mixing glass fiber resin directly on the original mold, and of course, a gel coat surface layer can be made in advance.
Note that the appropriate glass fiber and treatment method should be selected between each lamination of the mold to improve the surface effect and structural performance of the FRP mold. How to make fiberglass mold? In this question, we need to understand the final requirements first, and then we can define where to start!
