Okay Guys. Here's a challenge. Can we design a bath bomb press, similar to, but not necessarily the same, as the one shown here, but out of Openbuilds parts? I should be able to get some parts 3d Printed where needed. I think we can, and for a lot less than the sample supplied, which costs $550. I will have a go at designing one in Sketchup, but would be greatful for any ideas or suggestions in this area. Cheers Gray
Y'all don't have Harbor Freight do you? But seriously, what you're seeking is not all that difficult. You will probably want to dumb-down the screw a bit. I would probably go with a standard M8 thread. And keep the side supports in tight. This will take bending of the top and bottom rails out of the equation.
Here would be my suggestion. Not fully detailed but you get the idea. Provide a threaded nut just inside the top plate of the double'd C-Beam ram.
Wow! Just googled "bath bomb." I never knew such an industry existed. When I read the words "Bath Bomb" in the title, I was thinking somewhere along the lines of a lit M80 firecracker being flushed down the toilet. I was curious as to where the "Press" part of the title came in.
Giarc. Just don't say, "Bath Bomb", and "Unicorn" in the same breath, or you can't help making money!!! Gray
I found this post because I was looking for a way to make a bath bomb press for my business. I have been looking at this Electra Press. I like that it doesn't need a compressor and that it's fairly compact. I have a small area near my bedroom where I work. I can't have something huge or loud. I was going to wing it like I do with most things, but I didn't even know where I could find whatever that part is in the middle that does the actual pressing. I'm very interested in learning how to make a press like this or better. Many in my business or in thw hobby would be very interested. It would be great if it went a bit faster and if it could do a few tiny bath bombs at once for use as embeds to put in the bigger bombs to shoot colors. What kinds of machines, materials, or tools might I need? I'm a total newbie at all of this. Thanks so much.
Apart from Rick's contribution, there has been no further progress at the moment. You will need SketchUp to view the design supplied by him. It was just something I tossed into the pot to see what would come out. It is something I will be investigating in 2018, as "she who must be obeyed" is looking at spending a lot of money on what is really a simple machine. Gray
I'm so glad you're looking into this further. There is a big need for this machine, and I'm glad your partner or spouse knows all about bath bombs. She will know the features that makers are looking for. I hope it will be more cost effective than the other available presses. It looks simple, but I haven't actually built machines besides very simple ones in kits with my kids when they were very young. I don't know what the parts are called to make one, but I do think I can learn. The molds seem more difficult because they're made with very strong plastic or aluminum. I suppose I could make sure to make the machine work with the molds already being sold if I saw how they attached. I'm using a Nash Deliverance bait ball maker for most of my bath bombs now. It's great, but eventually I get tired of pushing the mold together. I'm so glad I found this website. I'm looking into making a vacuum former for making my own plastic soap and lotion bar molds. I saw that somebody made a post about it with a video.
The trouble is, it's the molds that cost a fortune. It could be the case of finding someone to CNC you a mold out of a hard plastic. I'm sure if you supplied the design in SketchUp, which is free, someone would make it for you, at a reasonable price. It is something else I will get into when I've built my new machine. Molds would be easy enough to make, even as the first stage towards a silicon mold. You could design your own personal molds with your hobby name in the soap. Well, that's what the wife wants. Gray
Forgive me if I have oversimplified this subject but have done some research as I’d like a press of my own and am about to embark on this route in hopes of achieving this. The website www.wildwoodbathco.com has quite a selection of 3D printed molds very reasonably priced, avg $25 and this glorified can crusher appears to provide the leverage needed for compression.
Thanks Jane. I'm gonna Bookmark this site, I don't think my other half has seen it. But Shoosh about the press. She is into soaps, and Shower Vapours, as more people have showers, than baths, these days, so the pressure is off with the bath bombs for now. Thanks for the tag though. Please keep us informed on how it goes. Gray
A gadget called a mooncake press, lots of gram sizes, does fantastic for shower steamers but the pressure will be back on for a press as the idea of shampoo bars strikes her...I am experiencing the same tribulations as your other half...Thanks for the encouragement! I’ll keep posting on progress. Jane
I've been scribbling around with this idea? Light weight frame, metal or plastic? The mould trays could be nylon/plastic? It could be quite light weight so easy done with a manual lever type mechanisms? 3D printer might do the mould? Size wise - about 48 cm x 36 cm x 5 cm for mould trays? Ideally would fit on a bench What do you think ?
I've posted one idea on this thread or a large model, I saw this for exorbitant price for single press?
The problem with trying to do 12 at a time is that it requires 12 times the force of just doing one. This can quickly get out of hand. The other problem is spreading the force across the entire sheet and not allowing the sheet to flex. If the sheet flexes it would decrease the force on some of the cells resulting in lower compaction.
Indeed, the amount of pressure required to squeeze the two parts of just one bomb together is quite high, and the idea of squeezing perhaps more than 2 would be making great demands on a material unlikely to be able to take the stress. I would imagine the idea of producing multiple bath bombs, at one go, has been looked into and is why we still see machines for making just one at a time. I do agree that the amount of money demanded for what is, a simple device, is extreme and is still on my lists of things to do. The Christmas rush for soaps and the suchlike has, I'm afraid to say, diverted all my free time to marketing and producing catalogues. A New Year adventure I think for this subject. Gray
What's wrong with a cheap arbor press? This site gives a PSI number on their pneumatic unit: https://soapequipment.com/bathbomb/EZwayBathBombPress.htm 200psi over what, maybe 10 square inches on their larger molds? is still less than a ton. Buy a one or two ton arbor press, bolt it to a work bench, add a little cheater bar if she needs the help, and boom done. It's cheaper than the electric toy, it's a hell of a lot more bulletproof, and it's almost certainly faster production. With a 20 ton air over hydraulic pack, an ultra-quiet compressor (~65dB), and a proper mold material (MIC-6, D3, whatever) you could crank out 12 or 15 at a time. If this is a real commercial thing rather than a pocket money hobby, the ROI on a simple bolt-together unit like that would be pretty rapid in a pre-existing market.
Sounds good, although I don't understand most of it .... What materials would you need to make the frame? Thanks I was thinking of a hard plastic/nylon material for the moulds ? They have something similar in USA where they use an air compressor?
This is only available in USA, they use a compressor and charge in excess of $8000!! https://soapequipment.com/acutter/MultiPressVideo32.files/MultiPressVideo.mp4
See post #2 above. As far as pistons to compress you'll need to replace the single piston shown with two to get a more uniform distribution of pressure. You could always go with a pair of 12 Ton Air/Hydraulic Bottle Jack but as they are still basically fluid hydraulic they will be rather slow. You'd be better off to find a pair of air hydraulic rams. Similar to what he has shown would be fine. The key though is the steel frame he has around the molds.
Did this ever go anywhere? I really want to make my own - the prices for the ones being sold are nuts right along with them being sold bare bones and you have to spend one million and one more dollars to have a full setup
No, I'm afraid my wife has to content herself with doing it by hand at the moment. Plus, we are spending more time making shower vapours recently, because more people have showers than baths over here. So it's on the back burner for now.
