Tips for heat curing

Doing the curing steps in a 60-70 °C oven can greatly shorten fabrication time (cure steps become 30 minutes long instead of overnight) but there are some extra considerations.

At these temperatures, the 3-D printed themoplastics that the molds are made of get very soft. Therefore, any rubber bands or clamps on the outside of the molds must be removed prior to being placed in the oven, otherwise they will dent and deform the softened molds.

If possible, leave the molds standing at room temperature, with the clamps or rubber bands attached, for at least an hour after pouring before placing them in the oven. This will greatly decrease the risk of leakages by giving the elastomer time to begin curing.

If it is not possible for you to wait an hour before placing your molds in the oven, place the molds upright for the first 5 minutes of oven curing, then lay them on their sides to complete curing (again because molds will sag at these temperatures and start leaking).

It is strongly recommended that the outer skin coating step is still done overnight at room temperature

Instead of prying with a screwdriver, molds can be peeled open easily by hand while they are still warm and pliable. They can be straightened out later by heating them in the oven, then letting them cool on a flat surface.