Free Skill: SALTGATOR Mold Maker
Free STL-to-injection-mold tool: turn any watertight STL into a working 2-part injection mold for the SALTGATOR desktop softgel machine — automatically. Funnel, gate, runner, vents, and locating dowels all get cut in for you. Point it at your part, run it, get back two print-ready mold halves.
Download
Download saltgator-mold-maker.skill (free)
Heads up: this is a Claude skill file, and it only works if you're running Claude in Cowork mode on desktop. If you don't already have that set up, it's free to grab — just won't do anything dropped into a random folder.
How to install it
- Download the file above.
- Open Claude desktop, go to Settings > Capabilities.
- Install the skill file.
- Drop in an STL and ask it to build you a mold.
Why I built this
Designing an injection mold by hand means picking a parting line that avoids undercuts, drilling a gate that actually reaches the cavity, adding vents so trapped air doesn't blow back at you mid-injection, and adding locating pins so the two halves line up the same way every time. This automatic mold design tool does all of that, checks its own work (watertight halves, connected solids, gate-to-cavity overlap), and tells you exactly what it decided and why in a build log.
Who this is for
Anyone running a SALTGATOR softgel injection molding machine who wants to go from a 3D model straight to a printable mold without hand-designing the parting line, gate, vents, and dowels themselves. If you can print an STL, you can use this to mold it.
FAQ
Does this work with any 3D printer? The mold halves themselves are just STLs — print them on whatever FDM printer you already use. The tool is specifically tuned for the SALTGATOR machine's gate and nozzle spec.
Do I need CAD experience? No. You provide the STL of the part you want to mold; the tool figures out the parting line, gate placement, venting, and dowels on its own.
Is it really free? Yes.
While you're here
If this saves you some time on the bench, consider grabbing some merch — it's the easiest way to say thanks and keeps this kind of stuff coming.