Progress Week 8- Green Gifting Developments- Model Making Process

The first step in the model taking process was to mock up card model to scale

front

side

bottom

top

The Templates were drawn with Draftsight, printed straight onto card, cut with a blade and super-glued.

The second at perhaps most important step in the process was creating a MDF mould the exterior surface for the mug

MDF mould

The above result was achieved by cutting the profiles (shown in the card model) out of a rectangular block of glued MDF sheets. After each cut, the block had to be taped back together so that I was always cutting a flat surface. Once all the cuts have been made, the tape is removed and the result resembles the above image BUT a lot rougher. Lots of filing and sanding is then done to achieve the perfect mould for Thermo-Vaccuum Forming.

A couple of tests are done with thin polystyrene to ensure the mould is correct and the from is nicely finished.

Mould and thin styrene vac-forms

Once the testing is complete, thicker (1mm) polystyrene is obtained and vac-formed over the mould. To achieve desired thickness in the material and also to create a curved 'lip' surface at the opening, a second sheet of polystyrene is vac formed over both the mould and the initial sheet; this gives the entire formed polystyrene a thicker body and more realistic rigidity.

final model of porcelain insert (polystyrene sheets)

The two sheets fit together snug and so no glue is needed. The sheets are then cut away form the rest of the polystyrene and sanded to desired finish.

The next step in the process is to model the cork sleeve from recycled cork sheets.

A number of elliptical templates are drawn in Draftsight and stuck onto the square cork sheets which are 6mm thick.

These templates were then cut our roughly with a cordless jigsaw. every template was then cut more precisely with a cutting blade.

templates roughly cut

cordless jigsaw

final templates cut with blade

All the templates were then taped in layers on top of each other with reference points determining their exact positions.

taped cork layers (6mm)

Lots of sanding is then required to achieve the correct exterior surface (similar to the MDF mould).

sanded cork sleeve exterior

The layers are then separated

and the tape is peeled off the cork. CAD templates are again used chisel out a rough cut of the inside oval hole for each template. these layers are then PVA and super glued with reference points and allowed to dray. The result is a sleeve with a very rough inside surface.