Vacuum casting finishes

With silicone molds you can get a good variety of finishes, as explained below. All described effects (except metallic ones) can be applied on a pigmented support or on a transparent base (colorless or colored). Unless otherwise agreed, the finish is only made on the aesthetic side. Exceptions are transparent pieces, which are nevertheless finished on both sides.

FLL - Glossy smooth finish

This type of finish is obtained by polishing as much as possible the master prototype. The pieces thus obtained have a glossy finish and, if the material is transparent, the effect is similar to glass. Caution: this finish is hard to get and very time consuming moreover, defects and scratches are very noticeable on the parts thus finished.

FLO - Smooth matt finish

This finish, characterized by a smooth but non-glossy surface, is one of the most used and versatile finishes, easily available on almost all geometries. If the casting material is transparent, the effect is that of mildly acidified glass.

FGL - Slightly rough finish

The FGL surface has a light roughness on it, which can have aesthetic purpose, but can also help hiding any irregularities that may occur in most complex prototypes. Also this is a very used and versatile finish. On transparent material, the effect is similar to sandblasted glass.

FGG - Very rough finish

In this finish the texture is more evident. In some cases, high surface roughness can make defect correction difficult and can also reduce the mold life.

FST - Structured Finish

A very special finish, characterized by a high roughness, which simulates a fibrous material. It greatly reduces die life.

FML - Polished metallic finish

This type of finishing is achieved by vacuum-vaporizing metal. The coating is a few microns and therefore has aesthetic and non-structural purposes. The vacuum metallization procedure increases production times.

FMS - Finitura metallizzata satinata

This type of finish is obtained by painting the parts with a matte metallic paint. Execution time and cost are lower than for vacuum metallization, but with this method you can not get the glossy effect.