Using Silicone Molds to Make EPS Patterns For Lost Foam | Page 3

According to the info at the Schundler link, their perlite structures have about the same insulating value as K23 IFB, but only 1/3 the density. The same info says it only has a service temp of F which is about half its melt point. That seems pretty conservative but that references an ASTM spec so it probably loses a lot of mechanical properties with heat, which probably doesn't mean much for insulation unless you're relying on it as a structure.

So not really sure what the actual service temp would be. IMO F would be very limiting for foundry use but I suspect F would still be safe for insulation use. On the plus side both Perlite and SS are very inexpensive and in most cases readily available which is a good combination for hobbyists. Just be advised, when folks have used perlite for insulation in home made refractory brews, especially for foundry furnace hot face, it often doesn't end well because it melts into a green glass and fluxes everything in contact with it.

Best,
Kelly

I do think the ability to make/mold a monolithic refractory structure from something that approximates properties between Moldable Ceramic Fiber & IFB would be very useful, depending upon how difficult it is to produce of course. There is a process for making/molding moldable ceramic fiber. Vacuum forming. Here are some examples.

https://www.unifrax.com/product-category/vacuum-formed-components/

If you search "vacuum formed ceramic fiber" you'll get a bunch of hits. It's quite common.

I concluded it was still a little too involved to make one structure like my furnace so I went the route I did for a one-off but when tube ovens are made, they literally mold the insulting cylinder with the heating elements in place.



Might be best to start a separate thread (or did you?) to further discuss molding refractory structures.

Back to molding EPS for lost foam patterns.

Not trying to discourage you (or maybe I am) from molding EPS patterns but it really depends upon what you're trying to make. Not sure I can add a lot to what I've already said in my previous posts to the thread, but short of already having a pattern for a very complex shape to pull a mold from, or wanting to make a lot of identical copies in a production environment, I think it's impractical for hobbyists. If you view the YouTube videos of the commercial lost foam process manufacturers, half of the content and complexity of the entire factory is controlling the EPS feedstock and molding. Without pattern consistency, you'll have no casting consistency.

A couple of advantages of making/machining the foam patterns:

1. There is no mold material cost or labor to make it, or needed place to store it. If molds are large, it gets worse.
2. You don't have to worry about the consistency of the foam pattern material. It's known. You just buy it and it's cheap.
3. I made patterns by hand for a long time. I'm about three months into using my CNC router to make patterns, and I have to tell you, it makes patterns fast, very accurately, and all the information needed to ever do it again is stored in a computer file, not a box on the shelf. So if I'm making one or a dozen patterns, it really doesn't matter.....same set up time, same program. But even before my CNC with hand guided router patterns it was still pretty darn good.

There's not much cross over for me where I would choose lost wax versus lost foam. For small intricate parts like jewelry or statuary/artwork, foam won't produce the detail or finish that wax (or other lost pattern materials like resins and PLA) will. When parts get larger the cost of investment and equipment to burn out and handle a large hot flask weighing a few hundred pounds or more can become quite an obstacle. By comparison, lost foam has almost no mold cost or mold labor........dirt cheap sand vibrated in place, no burn out or mold curing, dump on clean concrete to demold.

So for a guy like me that makes small quantities of automotive and machine parts, you can see why it's lost foam for me. Horses for courses.

Best,
Kelly

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