Custom MDF Cement Molds

Generally at CNCROi.com, when it comes to making custom cement molds, we use Corian but in this case, the client wanted something that was made using MDF to keep the price point lower.

The nice thing about Corian when it comes to cement, is that it doesn’t stick to it and it’s dense enough so that even small details come-out looking great in the finished application.

Due to the size and thickness of this chair though, Corian was going to cost a lot and as you can see from the shape in these photos, there really isn’t much way to optimize the design neither, so they decided to try another method to create their custom cement molds using MDF.

I’m not familiar totally with what the client used to make a mold using this MDF but I believe they put a few coatings of something to act as a barrier, so that the cement didn’t get drunk by the MDF during their one-off production.

You can see below what one of the custom cement molds will look like, there was a whole series of these that the client would put together, again, the details are a little scarce but this will make one solid chair!

Here’s what Corian cement molds would look like, though these are used more for inlays than an actual mold, the concept is the same.

Although I could have used our router at CNCROi.com to do this job within spec without a problem, it was busy doing other projects so the laser was a fine second choice cutting this half inch thick MDF to spec for the customer.

When it comes to making custom cement molds, we can make them to any design specifications using our router, laser or a combination of them to achieve the finished goal you have for your own needs.

Although it’s a slow process, laser cutting MDF isn’t an issue but I wouldn’t go much beyond half inch thick with the laser as the time becomes very cost ineffective, the router is a more efficient tool on thicker stuff, laser on thinner.

The main issue with the router is fine details, if you wanted sharp inner corners and very small details to be shown, the laser wins because CNCROi.com isn’t limited by the bit diameter while with the router, there is a two-way height feedback mechanism which means that it can do things faster and multi-layered that the laser can’t.

Cutting MDF is like any other material at CNCROi.com, regardless of the platform we use, the process is predictable and repeatable with a high level of absolute precision and accuracy.

Here’s a video showing that we can also make dimensional MDF (and by extension, Corian) molds or inlays as well for cement.

When it comes to thickness limitations, with the laser, this is about as thick as I’d want to go but if we were routing this out, we could go a few inches without a problem as the router doesn’t lose power the deeper the cut goes,  unlike our CNCROi.com laser.

Once one sheet of MDF is cut to spec, we load-up the next one and cut out the next design for the custom cement molds customer.

If we were doing this project using Corian, the density is too high for the laser cutting process, so the entire job would just be done using our router instead of the laser.

Cost-effective wise, half inch MDF is the best way forward for a one-off design but if multiple chairs were required, then the only way forward would have been making these out of Corian as that material is repeatable, while MDF is not.

Custom MDF cement molds can be made at CNCROi.com in any shape, size, or thickness – send us your digital drawing and we’ll have a look at what options you have.

We will then ship you the completed cement molds right to your door to begin your fabrication journey with!