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the cnc machine used has 6axes machining... but i dont even have a drill press man... i want to be able to make this thing and order it, then add clay... PLUS if i add the hardened pins it will add metal to the equasion and i really wanna avoid metal

i could order an acrylic rod and cut it myself with a dremil... and use super glue to put it together... but i will check costs for all this

Acetal dowel pins are available for ~$3.50 per 50 in 0.1875"
Acrylic balls are ~$15 per 250 in 0.25"

where... (now were talking about saving a shit ton in production costs)

Acetal Pins:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#plastic-dowel-pins/=8vijav

Acrylic Balls:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#acrylic-balls/=8vijss

Of course using the balls means you'll have to lose the knife edge or at least leave a flat area for the ball and recess.

u rock... only up to 1/2 inch tho... have to work with that...

So what software are you using to do the nice pictures in 3D ??

it's called solid works, it's a 3D drafting and testing software
I can draft and design all day with this thing... Stupid exspencive but worth every penny, if you know how 2 draft this is by far the best software available. I wouldn't call it simple 2 use but once you get the hang of it, anything can be created

i dont know what you meen bleed holes... those are holes to allow for vent... y would you trace a line all the way down to the single opening when you could have opening s along the sides just for his purpose...

the holes on the bottom are for removing the clay when finished... although these can be removed... i think i will remove them

well i drafted your peg idea first... again things can be moved and updated as consensus comes in but the price is 60 a piece... GREAT IMPROVMENT 120 for the whole clam then add the rods

these holes do not go all the way through but this is done on a cnc machine and not a drill so it will likely need to be reamed with a drill anyway to make the bottoms the same size as the tops of the holes...
now making it have 3 holes instead of 4 and making them different depths will not change the price enough to worry about so any changes can be made any time
(buying in bulk will cut the price down considerably)




then i had an awsome idea

the corners are extruded or cut in... this will not take many more cuts of the blade and will give the desired results... i could even cut triangular pieces out instead of the L shapes and likely save more money...
this one is 5 bucks cheaper... and using triangles is 3 bucks cheaper than that...

of course the more i buy at a time the cheaper they are... so the more people that want one the cheaper they can be... i think 30 bucks a part is doable if we get 15 people wanting one (thats 30 total)

this is milling

Injection Molding:
if i can get 50 orders at 50 bucks a piece (25 per part) ill have enough to make the mold and begin the process... injection molding will garuntee 50 bucks pet unit with no chance of the price raising or lowering. it will also make available lower prices for larger orders (milling wont go much less than 30 bucks a part even if 500 people want one)

comments please

Those holes you have along the sides won't work I'm sorry to say. If they acted as vents the metal will just pour out like filling a glass with water that has holes in the side.
By using a wire, or just scraping into the clay a vent from the key tip to the top of the mold, the air trapped by the incoming molten metal escapes at the top and the vent is partially filled with metal, which is easily nipped away from an area that is not critical. If the vents are on the sides as you have them, if the metal managed to stay in the mold the vents will also fill with metal, and the vents may be in the bitting of the key you are copying, making an accurate dupe impossible.

you would still have 2 scrape the hole like you did, just no need 2 scrape it all the way to the front you can send it to one of the side holes... It's the same design as the first image in this thread, you won't have a gaping hole, just run a line through one of the side openings that is closest to the tip of the key (but of course not past the tip)

I havnt wrothe all the instructions down but there will be instructions w each one

I would imagine triangles would be cheaper, as it would take more operations to make those sharp corners in the "L" shape with just an end mill. Also, does it cost more because you'd have to start out with a thicker plate? Or is the difference insignificant?

Oh, and I know you were trying to avoid the whole metal thing, and this wouldn't really work costwise...but too bad you can't buy a bunch of these and machine them whenever you want. These blank fishing moulds go for around $35.00

you cant use pegs on a hing like that, the pegs will fall at an angle due to the rotation of the hing, especialy if the pigs are locks, and cleaning clay outta the hole would be a bitch, the triangles or the dimples are the only way to go. the triangles will be easier to clean, and comform better and have a tighter fight than anything else.

im charged by how many cuts the machine needs to make, so cutting an L shape is atleast 4 cuts... tht triangle is only 1 cut...

those are cool lol

this is the final draft of this product, its asthetically pleasing and gets the job done (keep in mind im no animation expert)


the final product will be made form a black nylon product made by zytel that can withstand well over the heat requirments of the fimo

it may look like this design will cost more as i am charged by how many duts the machine will make, BUT when dealing with injection molding the machine is cutting the mold and not the product, so instead of starting with a square material and cutting the edges round it is making a rounded cut into the mold which is less cuts than trying to make a sharp corner in the mold... so this design is not only awsomer looking but cheaper to get started.

in order to save costs there will be no finish on the exterior of the clam shell but for practical purposes there is a smooth finish put on the inside sothat the clay can slide out easier... if you want a nice finish on the outside do it yourself.