Mold making and Casting products through EnvironMolds, LLC

What is the negative image of a model called that you will make before making a positive replica? What are the holes on the top or bottom of a mold called? Know the terms that go with molds and casts right away!

• Mold – It is a negative impression of the model, usually in the form of a hollow cavity.
• Cast – This is a positive duplicate of the model which can be in any other material or color as desired.
• Cold cast – This is a faux cast – it is made of resin but can duplicate the look of metal, stone or wood.
• Life cast – The three-dimensional representation of a live person – it can be the face, hands, feet, torso or entire body.
• Pot time – Also known as working time, this is the time on hand to work with a material – it includes the mixing and application time - before it will start to set. After this, the material will not work properly.
• Cure time – This is the time that the material will take to get completely cured. It can range from just a few minutes to hours or even a few days.
• Shelf life - The period of time a material can be stored and remains suitable for use.
• Mix ratio - The proper proportion (either by weight or volume) of material and catalyst (oftentimes referred to as Parts A and B) to be combined.
• Shore hardness – This is a measure of the hardness of a given material or how resistant it will be to permanent indentation.
• Release agent – A material applied in a thin layer to the surface of the model or mold so as to allow the subsequent mold or cast to be demolded easily.
• Sealer – Another material that is applied on porous models to seal the pores and prevent the mold making material from getting absorbed.
• Demolding – The process of removing a model or casting from a mold.
• Parting line – A marking line which denotes where the parts of the mold should meet.
• Keys – These are created at the ends of multi-part molds to join the different parts together to form a complete mold.
• Spues – These are the small holes which will help release the air trapped inside the mold.
• Pour hole – This is created as an opening to allow the casting material to be poured into the mold.
• Viscosity – This is the thickness or thinness of the material and will dictate how easily it will flow. Less viscous materials are thinner and flow easily.
• Pressure pot – Resins are usually cast under pressure that will compress the trapped air to miniscule size.
• Vacuum chamber – The rubber mix is usually churned using a vacuum pump with vacuum chamber. The vacuum chamber will suck out the air and not allow bubbles to appear on the rubber mold or cast.