New Tool Makes 3D Printed PCBs, Fast

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://hackaday.com/2026/02/19/new-tool-makes-3d-printed-pcbs-fast/

New Tool Makes 3D Printed PCBs, Fast https://hackaday.com/2026/02/19/new-tool-makes-3d-printed-pcbs-fast/
#PCBHacks #3Dprintedmold #Pcb #PrintedCircuitBoard #Prototypeboard

PLA Mold To Plaster Bust, No Silicone Needed https://hackaday.com/2026/01/23/pla-mold-to-plaster-bust-no-silicone-needed/
#3dPrinterhacks #3Dprintedmold #PlasterCast #Plasterofparis

PC Watercooling Uses Everything But CNC Machining https://hackaday.com/2025/12/26/pc-watercooling-uses-everything-but-cnc-machining/
#Computerhacks #3Dprintedmold #Acrylic #Lasercut #Siliconecasting #Watercooling

Casting Concrete With A 3D-Printed Mould https://hackaday.com/2024/07/01/casting-concrete-with-a-3d-printed-mould/ #3dPrinterhacks #3Dprintedmold #castconcrete #TPUmold

3D Printed Cookies, Sort Of https://hackaday.com/2024/01/05/3d-printed-cookies-sort-of/ #AutodeskFusion360 #3Dprintedmold #cookinghacks #siliconemold #chocolate #silicone #cookies

Making Custom Curved Mirrors at Home

Generally speaking, creating custom mirrors is a complex task that involves a lot of careful grinding, and isn't something to be taken lightly if you need precision results. Just ask the folks who provided NASA with a wonky mirror for the Hubble. But assuming you're not working on an orbital space telescope (or even a ground based one, for that matter), [volzo] has recently documented some techniques for producing single and double curved mirrors of reasonable quality using common workshop tools.

The first step is finding something that's a bit easier to work with than glass. After testing various reflective materials such as PVC foil and painted PETG sheets by comparing the reflections of projected test patterns, [volzo] found that laminated polystyrene gave the most accurate results. If you just want to make a simple bent mirror, he shows how you can pop one of these sheets on a CNC router, make the appropriate cuts, and fold them into shape.

That part might seem a bit obvious, but what about a more complex shape? Here, [volzo] points to how the thin sheets of polystyrene also lend themselves to vacuum forming. As demonstrated in the video below, all it takes is a 3D printed plug and some basic equipment to rapidly produce mirrors in arbitrary shapes.

Now obviously the optical properties of such mirrors will leave something to be desired, but depending on your application, that might not be such a big deal. As examples [volzo] shows off a few projects using these custom mirrors, such as a tabletop camera that captures both sides of the table simultaneously and a circular projector. Laminated polystyrene could potentially even be used to create low-cost variable mirrors.

#parts #3dprintedmold #curvedmirror #mirror #polystyrene #vacuumforming

How to Make a Collapsible Container Without Breaking Down

How hard could it be to make a collapsible silicone container? Turns out, it's really, really hard -- collapsible containers have rigid guidelines. Just ask [Eric Strebel], who failed dozens of times before finally getting it right (video, embedded below).

[Eric] started with an SLA-printed two-part mold and a silicone formulation with a Shore durometer of A 40 -- this is the measure of hardness for silicone, polymers, and elastomers in the sense that the piece will resist indentation. The first twenty-four attempts all came out looking great, but not a single one of them would collapse and stay collapsed.

Eventually, [Eric] went back to the drawing board and played with the angles of the flex points, the thickness of the living hinges, and the wall thicknesses, which have to be strong enough to stay collapsed.

For attempt #25, [Eric] took the part out of the mold about three hours in and tried curing it in the collapsed state. Persistence paid off, and the part finally collapses and stays that way. Get yourself some popcorn and check out the fail-fest after the break. You know what we always say -- fail fast, fail often.

[Eric] has made many molds both from silicone and for silicone. Some of them are really big!

#3dprinterhacks #mischacks #3dprintedmold #3dprintedmolds #collapsible #durometer #shoredurometer #silicone #slaprinting