foundation mold format Langstroth

Advantages of the new fan-cooled foundation mold

The foundation mold consists of two silicone honeycomb molds that are mounted on warp-proof aluminum plates, to which powerful 240 V fans are attached for cooling. The silicone skirt is attached to the bottom of the wax outlet.

Short set-up times thanks to air cooling
The special compressed air nozzle allows the mold to be easily opened and the middle wall removed, thus ensuring 100% yield
Excess wax flows directly back into the melting pot via the silicone apron
time savings
No cracks or breakages in the middle walls due to soft cooling
Easy removal of the wax from the silicone parts
No distortion of the mold and therefore evenly thick middle walls
The thickness of the middle walls can be changed by turning the adjustment screws
The cell size is normally 5.4 mm, but molds with a cell size of 5.17 mm are also produced
As the wax cools, it shrinks slightly, which naturally makes the finished foundation sheets a little smaller
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By the way, water-cooled molds are no longer up to date, are cumbersome to handle and expensive to purchase and repair.

How it's done
The mold is fan-cooled, the lower fan pushes the air through channels directly onto the lower aluminum support plate. The upper plate is cooled in the same way, so very short cooling times are achieved. All parts that come into contact with wax are made of silicone. During casting, the wax runs over a drip edge onto the silicone apron and back into the wax pot. There is no honeycomb breakage, the yield is 100%. The thickness of the middle walls is adjustable.
To make it easier to remove the middle walls, the silicone embossing plates should be lightly sprayed with household methylated spirits before each casting process.
The ladle filled with wax can be moved over the lower pressure plate and poured out without leaving drip marks on other work surfaces. Wax is poured into the middle of the mold in one go until the mold is completely filled with wax.

When the mold is closed, excess wax runs directly back into the wax melting pot via the silicone apron.

To open the mold, first blow compressed air (max. 4-6 bar) between the upper pressure plate and the middle wall using a special compressed air nozzle (included in delivery). This allows the mold to be opened without any effort.

Air is then blown under the middle wall so that it can be detached from the lower pressure plate without contact and then removed.

After finishing the work, you peel off the remaining wax layer from the silicone apron and melt it again. The mold is then cleaned, it's that simple.

A good 50 perfect foundation sheets of top quality can be produced per hour.

work instructions

To ensure that the foundation comes off the mold easily, take some spirit in a standard spray bottle and spray it lightly onto the silicone mold before each pouring process. This will make the foundation come off even easier.

Regarding the wax: it should not get too hot, the best option is an electrically heated preserving pot (15 litres) with a thermostat (temperature approx. 80 – 85 °C). To fill the wax into the mould, it is best to use a 0.7 -liter ladle with pouring spout, then you can fill the mold completely with wax in one step, excess wax flows back into the melting pot and therefore does not need to be liquefied again.

And another special feature: The thickness of the middle walls can be changed by turning the adjusting screws on the hinges and applying the appropriate pressure when closing the mold.

With the help of the compressed air gun, the foundation sheets can be removed practically without contact, meaning that the foundation sheets are not bent when removed.

The molds can be manufactured in all common center wall dimensions up to 426 mm long and 300 mm high.
Advantages of the air-cooled mold: Short set-up times, no water consumption, energy-saving because the excess wax does not have to be re-melted, wax runs directly back into the melting pot, so there is no water in the wax, no holes in the foundation walls and no drip marks on the work table, 100% yield, the honeycombs remain smooth and even when removed, the thickness of the foundation walls is adjustable. The lower support plate consists of an aluminum hollow profile with high thermal conductivity. Air flows constantly through the hollow ribs, which means very short cooling times are achieved.
Affordable price, the molds are about 30% cheaper than the water-cooled molds.
The molds are of very high quality, the surface is very smooth because no welding is used during production.