DIY Roto-molding machine

[mattybarbrey]

similar to what i work with but mine is on a much bigger scale lol

[chucks970]

is that thing made of legos? just asking.

[luistpuig]

Productivity is a result of Efficiency, and not energy efficiency like some are talking right now, but COMPLETE Efficiency...if you don't know the Baselines of your business how can you improve it?... if your Equipment isn't kept and operated properly how can you depend on it?...if your organization has no effective worker’s communication & training how can you get people to do the right things?...get it? Process, Equipment, Personnel, the core elements... get the Industrial Efficiency Triangle.

[GGmacD]

pure genius... thanks a million! now to build one big enough to rotomold a sea kayak! haha... wish me luck!

[mattybarbrey]

@GGmacD that what i do for a living

[rsqyou]

Quite clever and demonstrative.

Suitable as a classroom tool

[insylem]

There is a set of construx that comes with a drive motor. Hell used that instead of the Dewalt

[xINVISIGOTHx]

HOLY S*** !

[davetileguy]

AWSOME! don't pay attention to the moron's.

[sjh7132]

If the inner piece spins at 1:1 ration with the outside, isn't that just a diagonal rotation? I'd think you'd want some odd ration 1:1.1 or something like that so that all sides eventually end up at the bottom. Thanks for sharing.

[vcying]

This is incredible! So clever!

[monkey505boy]

Why the nasty comments? I guess it's easier to be snarky than to actually design and build something. Jerks.

[peggyzum]

very interesting! thanks for sharing

[86Ivar]

damn you are talking to much! impossible to hear whatr u r saying.

[JaasterMareel]

i think hes not talking to much but the sound is in bad quality, it is really hard to understand

[WaRuIuSaGi]

Great job! As someone who works in the industry, I thought that you did a fantastic job demonstrating the process.

[speedster1fast1]

video juice ran out?

give me a break, he just didnt want us to see his failed roto-mold process.

but i will admit, it looks like it would work.

[romansura]

why reinvent the wheel. so whats the NEW part?

[Treknologist]

Another ingenious use for construx. How do you set up the gears & pulleys to get the inner ring to rotate?

[scud180]

Ingenius idea to use construx to build it.

Only problem with Roto-moulding is it dosn't work so well for complex shapes, as some surfaces wont have as much material flowing over them, and you end up with thin spots.

Works great for simple shapes though.

In my old job, we used this proccess for makeing plastic water tanks, although we used plastic powder and heated it to 180c during rotation.

[vincent1230909]

Whats that for??

[BRUTUALTRUTH]

Ignore the ignorant remarks. This type of machine is good so that the mold is covered fully inside and no air bubbles occur. Well done and thanks for posting.

[FUTUREFIGHTER]

Why you need roto machine for molding--?---

[NickBlackDIN]

makes it hollow inside (lighter, less mateial, and no injetion flanges)

[csven]

Rotomolding is most often associated with really big plastic playground toys (Little Tikes and Step 2 come to mind), for some large car interior pieces, and for urban vinyl toys. There are a number of practical advantages (e.g. molds are relatively simple) and monetary advantages (e.g. it's a comparatively low-cost investment process).

[foxacoustics]

What is it made of? Looks like a Erector set!

[GirthMeatlog]

Construx.

[lammyjammy]

Yes, construx. The amazing building set that should not have been discontinued in the 80's.

[matt9741399]

So do you have any examples of parts you have made with this machine?

[hyggehund]

LOL!!!

buy a motor...

[lantzn]

@hyggehund

He did, it comes inside the drill. Some people just HAVE to find something wrong with what other people actually accomplish.

[vacuumformer]

My impression is that "rotational molding" or "rotomolding" usually refers to a process where heat is used to solidify the plastic against the mold.

You might want to call this "rotational casting" or rotocasting. (Or at least add a tag or two so that people searching for roto-casting can find it.)

[csven]

Good point. I doubt this could handle the heat necessary to melt resin pellets. Seems an erector set is required.

[greatspacegibbon]

I think you'll find he uses resin, which doesn't require heating.

[lantzn]

@vacuumformer

Rotational molding seems to be the term that covers it all.

wikipedia[DOT]org/wiki/Rotatio­nal_molding

[idareyou007]

Great job mate

[Gothiczartan]

would that be cool if they have or make products for casting rubber parts, flexible parts like for toys, rubber balls?

[crispy52]

What you have done here is nothing short of miraculous really!

I was wondering if you could PLEASE elaborate on the opposite end of the machine, the opposite of the drill.

Your voice can't be heard that well in what you're saying about it, at least to me.

If you would, that would open up a LOT to me, and probably others too.

I'm sure it's all 'easy' to you, but to me, what you've done is really something, and I'd like to make one.

Thank you!