Casting cost from scratch?

[Zentrandude]

Any of the casters here know what would the cost of building a custom made model about the size of a 1/48 yammy?

I figure might cost me like couple hundred from sending my 3d file to some company to make a prototype so I can make molds from it.

Also how would make it that its hollow so it won't use up as much resin?

[Gundamhead]

You might want to brace yourself for some sticker shock on having a custom model built. Something that size is almost certainly going to be more than a couple hundred. It also depends on the company you go to and how complex your item is.

The hollow parts are usually designed that way from the masters.

If you have a 3-d file why not print it out, and build it yourself?

[Less than Super Ostrich]

This is a very interesting topic. Can you have a 3-D image fed into a machine that will sculpt the item?

It sounds silly, but I've seen a couple of those Motorcylce shows (American Chopper?) on Discovery where they have a machine that carves wheels into certain designs... I would assume you could do the same for kits, but perhaps the models are too delicate to use in that type of machine.

[HWR MKII]

there are machines that can carvr the design out of acrylic or compress it out of a fine plastic powder that sitcks together. some machines can even make 2 or 3 piece assemblies that are moveable. 3D printers rule i got the chance to use one at my college in ft lauderdale. one was even used in JP3 where they make the sound cavity for a raptor. these things can make almost any shape solid or hollow.

[cobywan]

Any mechanical prototype machine produced part will need cleanup. Lots of it. And hand prototyping will take at least a couple hundred hours of work to do. So the short answer to your question is at least $3000. For a simple form. It really depends on the complexity of the original.

For hollow parts...get a slow setting resin and tumble the mold until the resin sets.

[onezero]

Any of the casters here know what would the cost of building a custom made model about the size of a 1/48 yammy?

I figure might cost me like couple hundred from sending my 3d file to some company to make a prototype so I can make molds from it.

Also how would make it that its hollow so it won't use up as much resin?

Sterolithography can take pretty much any shape from a file (Autocad or similar, not an image like a JPG) and make it solid. As coby stated, it ain't cheap and the result still needs a lot of clean up (the computer "draws" the form in increments so you don't get a smooth line, but rather a series of steps). The resin used is extremely hard and extremely brittle and is a major league pain in the butt to sand smooth.

Then there's the production costs. What'll kill you is the amount of rubber needed to make the molds, as that's the most expensive component. $65 US/gal for the stuff I used, just as a comparison. When I send my 1/1000 Enterprise conversions out for casting I generally spend $500-800 to have 25 made. Those are small kits, much smaller than your 1/48 Valk.

A shop with a rotocaster can make the parts hollow, using a special type of resin. Otherwise, it's a person tumbling the mold until everything sets (which means it can't be pressure cast). Alternatively, you make the parts in two halves - but that ups your rubber cost as you need more molds.

[Zentrandude]

Hmm thanks for the price they usualy cost that will certainly help decide if I should jump in the water or not.

Figuring the prices might take me till summer save enough to get ready to build since I will be paying off the bills from xmas, pay Mr.IRS if i have to next year, and normal cost of living. Most likley if I do jump in the waters I'll make just one unit and store the molds in a nice place till I need to make another.

That will give me enough time to finish the 3d file.

if your curious heres a picture of it but im still finishing the legs and arms and i forgot the radar detail from the previous files.