Plastic Concrete Moulds

The task was to manufacture a series of plastic moulds for casting concrete paving elements.

In addition to the basic mould shape, the tool had to reproduce an irregular relief texture that would be transferred to the surface of the concrete element after casting.

Because the requirement was a limited run of 100 pieces, the tool construction and manufacturing method were matched to the specific quantity and project application.

A purpose-made MDF tool was produced for vacuum forming.

The geometry and relief were not CNC-machined; they were formed by hand modelling to create the irregular surface structure required for the appearance of the finished concrete elements.

Once the basic form and texture had been defined, the tool was prepared for vacuum forming the ABS sheet.

The final moulds were manufactured from 1.2 mm ABS.

The material was vacuum formed over the prepared MDF tool, transferring the relief geometry that defines the surface of the concrete element.

This produced plastic moulds intended for repeat casting of the required concrete paving elements.

Once the geometry had been confirmed, a production run of 100 plastic moulds was manufactured.

The project — from tooling preparation through to manufacture of the complete quantity — was completed and delivered within three days.