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About Project

Forthetoys is a new design toy brand in China. The first product they sell is the magical girl with red and twist bunches, named “Shu Ni”. The little girl wears a pair of black-rimmed glasses, a flowing black wizard robe, and red wooden clogs. Her hair, eyes, robe, and shoes are all decorated with stars, indicating her magical power.

At the very beginning, only around 80 people pre-ordered the toys, so the designer just ordered 100 pieces from us, adopting our suggestion that urethane casting is the most suitable method for low-volume production.

Solution

• Step 1: Split the model into hair, face, robe and legs for the convenience of painting, then 3D print the master pattern with SLA Generic Resin. Printing such a garage kit is nothing difficult for SLA 3D printing, but a master pattern should be as precise as possible. So the post-processing becomes a big challenge, especially for her hair, the wrinkles on her robe and the connecting joints.
• Step 2: Polish the master patterns manually after cleaning and post-curing processes. Measure the parts and make adjustments until they can be smoothly assembled. Then apply the release agent evenly onto the master pattern and dry them.
• Step 3: Encase the master patterns in liquid silicone of A and B sides. After the mold cures, it is cut into distinct sections and the pattern is removed. The cavity formed is used for casting the end product. The cavity or void is filled with ABS-like resin material, which will cure and be removed from the tool.
• Step 4: As urethane casting cannot tint the perfect colors as required, our colorists painted all the paints by hand according to the appointed Pantone colors.