14 DAY TRIAL // 3D printing things out of metal is hard enough, but gold makes things even more complicated, which is why no one really bothers. Instead, 3D printing technology is used for casting.
Which is to say, 3D printing technology is used to make casts where gold or other materials are poured. It allows for a greater shape variety and higher detail than conventional methods.
Of course, this was not the case until a few years ago, but after three decades of research and development, 3D printing has finally come far enough to allow this.
Solidscape has just made its entrance on the jewelry 3D printing industry. It has released the Solidscape MAX 2, which uses the company's own technique, called Smooth Curvature Printing, or SCP for short.
There are four main assets that the MAX 2 has to show for itself. One of them is the ability to make casts with high enough detail level that even the honeycomb/grainy textures can be applied to rings, pendants, brooches, etc.
Another, though tied with the first, is the use of Solidscape 3ZModel and 3ZSupport materials, which produce very smooth wax parts, which “accurately reproduce the most intricate of geometries while eliminating the need for manual post-production refining processes.”
That means that there shouldn't be much need for finishing or solvent baths, since there is no ash or residue, or even thermal expansion.
A third advantage of the 3D printing process is that the manufacturing time is much less than it would be with normal jewel crafting methods.
Finally, and this is the fourth asset, the whole thing is automated. The MAX 2 3D printer even has a touchscreen that lets you tell the software what to do. It means that the skill level of operators doesn't have to be all that high anymore. Just make the 3D file in whatever CAD software you prefer and voila! One-touch cast production.
For those who want numbers, the resolution is this: 5000 X 5000 dots/inch (197 X 197 dots/mm) in X/Y, 8000 dots/inch (315 dots/mm) in Z.
Sadly, the 3D printer is in no way cheap. The price is of $55,650 / €40,484, really high to be sure, especially compared to the sub-$1,000 / €1,000 ones. Although, admittedly, consumer 3D printers only make plastic figurines and the like.
Nevertheless, even the high-end, expensive 3D printers usually stay below $20,000 / €20,000, or at least $30,000 / €30,000. Clearly, Solidscape designed the MAX 2 as a potentially business-changing investment for jewel-making experts, not as a random curiosity.
