Moldy

What is Moldy?

Moldy is a mold maker from the team behind VASE 3D, in beta. You bring an STL, OBJ, 3MF, PLY or GLB file up to 256 MB, or a piece designed in VASE 3D, and Moldy plans the parts you 3D-print to pour your own mold. For a silicone mold it makes a two-part case and a printed copy of your piece; for slip-casting it makes plaster molds of two halves and a base, with a printed case for each part. It checks first that each half lifts straight off, and if it cannot plan a mold it tells you why and shows where the piece catches.

The download holds the STL parts, a 3MF print plate, a print sheet, written step-by-step instructions, the settings and checks, and an estimate of the silicone or plaster needed. Parts are sized for your print bed, 256 mm unless you change it. Moldy also makes clay tools such as hump and press molds, jiggers, extruder dies, sprig molds and texture rollers. It runs in your browser and your file stays on your computer; the maker mentions a server-side option for more complex molds.

You need a free VASE 3D account, which gives 3 kit downloads a month shared with VASE 3D. Moldy checks molds on screen, not with a real pour, so print a small test first. It suits makers and potters who want to cast copies of a print without designing the mold themselves.

What you can make

• Printed cases for silicone molds
• Plaster slip-casting molds
• Hump and press molds, jiggers and extruder dies
• Sprig molds and texture rollers for clay

How to use Moldy

1. Open Moldy and sign in with a free VASE 3D account
2. Load your STL, OBJ, 3MF, PLY or GLB, or a VASE 3D piece
3. Set the size and pick a silicone or plaster mold
4. Download the kit and print the parts
5. Follow the instructions to pour, after a small test