Turn your STL into a plaster mould for slip casting
OnePour works out how many pieces the mould needs and where they split, checks that each one comes out, and gives you a single case to 3D print. You fill it with plaster once.
Private beta. It opens after the first test pours.
| Item | Part | After the pour |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Side A, Plaster | pulls straight out sideways |
| 2 | Side B, Plaster | pulls straight out sideways |
| 3 | Drop-out base, Plaster | drops out of the bottom |
| 4 | Printed case, PLA, 2 printed sections | peeled off after the pour |
| 5 | Spare, Space above the mouth | fills with slip, trimmed off the cast |
- Drawing
- Bellied vase, section through the axis
- Form
- 200 mm fired, 227 mm in the mould
- Mould
- 2 sides and a drop-out base
- Plaster
- 9.52 kg, with 6.66 kg water
- Case
- Ø224 × 303 mm, PLA
- Drawn by
- mouldgen 0.1.0
How a mould gets made
The same vase at every stage, drawn from the engine's own geometry.
1Send the outer form
Export the solid outer shape in millimetres, standing on its base, with the mouth closed off flat. Not the hollow pot: the shape you would turn as a plaster model.
2OnePour plans the pieces
It tries every direction a piece could come out and picks the fewest pieces that release cleanly. This vase needs two sides and a base that drops out, pulled the way the arrows point.
3Print the case
One case holds the vessel shape, the thin walls that split the plaster, the registration keys and the spare. If it is bigger than your printer bed, it comes in sections that pin together.
4Pour the plaster once
Fill the case to the rim. As the plaster sets, the thin printed walls divide it into the mould's pieces.
5Peel the case, open the mould
Peel the plastic away and pull each piece out the way it was planned. Let the mould dry, and it is ready for slip.
Plaster for this mould
Every plan comes with the weights for its pour, worked out from the volume of the pieces, so you mix once and fill the case to the rim.
- 16,660 gWaterInto a clean bucket first
- 29,520 gPottery plasterSprinkle it onto the water and let it slake for 2–3 minutes
- 32–3 minMixUntil it is creamy, then pour into the case in one go
- USG No.1 Pottery Plaster or similar, 70 parts water to 100 parts plaster by weight, with 10% extra for waste.
What it won't do yet
- Nothing has been poured yet. The first test pours will show how PLA copes with the heat of setting plaster, whether layer lines print onto the cast, and whether the seams leak.
- Seams are flat. A form with a handle or a spout needs those parts cast separately and joined.
- A closed sculpture is cut once, flat, into parts that you cast separately and join with slip.
- Plaster gets warm as it sets. For pours over about 4 kg, OnePour suggests printing the case in PETG.