FFIM Molds?

MK3Brent

MK3Brent

Very expensive....
Aug 1, 2005
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Has anyone thought of making FFIM molds and either doing cast aluminum or epoxy casting?


The latest 2J intake manifold got me interested, so I started making some models.

p1138342_1.jpg


p1138342_2.jpg


p1138342_3.jpg


p1138342_4.jpg



The mold would be expensive, depending on what material it's made out of... so that's when I thought maybe to do them in a 2-part epoxy or urethane.


Anyway, just some thoughts...
Has anyone ever done molds with shells?
I've only ever done solid molds where a core is encapsulated in epoxy or urethane.
 
MK3Brent

MK3Brent

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Okay, got it down the material I'm going to use to make the molds... I might even make the blank core out of the same silica... but basically it needs to be something that can disintegrate away after casting.

I need to get some dimensions on the 7M plenum flange, as the ones in the models above are just estimations.
The core will be bolted in securely to a base plate and the injection port will be somewhere on the right planar face.

Here's an estimation:

p1138594_1.jpg


and a little closer look:

p1138594_2.jpg


The core will be .125" undersized to compensate wall thickness.
 
WhtMa71

WhtMa71

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Apr 24, 2007
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Thats pretty cool. I would like to see a cast 7m manifold. Maybe if you made so many they could be cheaper than a custom made welded manifold.
 
NJBoostin

NJBoostin

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Dec 29, 2007
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Thats very cool ! what program did you used to create those models Pro Enginer or Desktop ? Just curious as imm taking class now on tech drawing and CAD and using both programs. Will this be cheeper that the custom welded ones being made now ?
 
MK3Brent

MK3Brent

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Price should be minimal after recovery of mold purchase(s)... I'll probably make 2 or 3.

I'm going to do some material analysis of HCEP epoxy we mold with at work... such as pressures, heat exchange, and strength... (I only have access to ash testing, and TG glass transition analysis.)


My plan is to get time on the 3D printer where I'll make one complete mold, apply acrylic to seal it, then run some prototypes. It's going to be a while... I just don't have the free time anymore :(
 
Boosted Supra

Boosted Supra

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Apr 7, 2005
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Very nice Brent, good idea as well.

If you want to know what to use for casting your FFI then I suggest watching
"How's It's Made". They used some type of sand mixed with a bunch of chemicals to make a mold for an engine head or block. The mold breaks away after casting. I know this probably won't help, but I tried :)
 
MK3Brent

MK3Brent

Very expensive....
Aug 1, 2005
2,878
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Boosted Supra;1138774 said:
Very nice Brent, good idea as well.

If you want to know what to use for casting your FFI then I suggest watching
"How's It's Made". They used some type of sand mixed with a bunch of chemicals to make a mold for an engine head or block. The mold breaks away after casting. I know this probably won't help, but I tried :)
Click to expand...

Hey Manny,

Thanks for posting help.
Yes, the silica mix we have is basically how I'm making them.
The machines I have access to in our rapid prototyping area is a 3D printer, it'll lay out layer by layer... which then I'll apply a high temperature stable acrylic to seal the porous sand.

NoMad: Thanks for the invite, if there are any questions I can't find answers to I'll PM you.

The molds MUST be reusable, so that's why I'm going with a epoxy/urethane media.
Basically what I plan on doing it making a mold of the negative space which is undersized to the mold by about .125", then fixing it to a mold base that aligns it within the mold.

I just didn't know what material to make this core out of... the lost wax may not work with the temperatures the epoxy pours at and post cures(70 c pour and with this volume, up to 90 c exo-therm... urethan doesn't react like epoxy in terms of post curing, but is more malleable.

I'll definitely look into those two IJ, I'll let you know what works.


For those interested, the software I use is Pro-E and Solidworks.
 
FullNelson

FullNelson

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Sep 17, 2007
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Is that the design of the actual intake or just a loose sketch to work out the molding process? What kind of flow numbers are you aiming for? Also i would guess this would be a medium runner length, something everyone can agree on so you only have to use one mold, Or would you be doing long runner and a short runner model?
 
MK3Brent

MK3Brent

Very expensive....
Aug 1, 2005
2,878
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Keep in mind, I don't plan on selling these per-say... but yes, that's an extremely loose model which will only be one style.

I still need to get tolerances for all the 7M plenum bolt holes and outlets before definite models are finalized.

As for right now, I'm just getting the basics as far as materials... then I'll concentrate on design.

If anyone here does solid-modeling PM me with ideas and we can work together for fun.
 
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