There are two methods of making textured mold surfaces.
Considering the customers’ needs and specifications, the best way to mold a part is to make compression molds from either epoxy laminate or aluminum, creating the best tilt and parting line for the process.
Have experience with making tooling to process vinyl, “PVC,” high-density polyethylene, “HDPE,” and polypropylene, PP. Aluminum tooling will have cooling lines plumbed to a manifold, vacuum holes drilled, a back plate, and a vacuum connection.
Vacuum molds can also have a texture placed on the surface to the customer’s specifications. The customer would supply a texture master, and then we would use this to develop the textured surface on the mold.
We make molds and patterns from wood or lightweight foam based on models. We construct them using epoxy/fiberglass layers, taking into account the customer’s material shrinkage and aluminum shrink factor. In addition, we factor in expansion to compensate for customer material shrinkage and aluminum shrink factor.
Patterns may be designed and made to allow machining the aluminum casting or just to be cast without machining.
Miscellaneous Patterns: Wood Patterns/ forms used for fiberglass housings.