3D Systems announced the Figure 4 Jewelry – a specially designed and optimized system for the 3D printed jewelry market. This market is expected to grow 26% over the next four years according to Technavio (October 2019). Figure 4 Jewelry delivers speed, high accuracy, fine feature detail and smooth surface finish for jewelry-specific production workflows: jewelry casting patterns, master patterns for molds, and prototype/fit check models.
3D Systems has incorporated two technology innovations into the Figure 4 Jewelry system. Non-contact membrane technology combined with exclusive MicroPoint support structures minimizes part-to-support interaction resulting in high speed and the smoothest sidewalls and finest resolution for jewelry applications. The company’s 3D Sprint software also includes proprietary print build styles developed specifically for jewelry, both for thin, delicate geometries, as well as thicker geometries, enable optimized jewelry prints with detail for settings, sharp prongs, fine mesh and more.
Figure 4 Jewelry offers a print speed of 16 mm/hr at 30 um layer resolution and projection-based imaging. It can print a full platform of rings at up to 4X faster than comparable printing systems. In addition, MicroPoint ultra-fine tip support structures enable easy support removal and smoother surface finish, reducing downstream labor costs and production time by minimizing polishing of support intersection points.
As an integrated production solution, Figure 4 Jewelry addresses three application-specific workflows: jewelry casting patterns, master patterns for molds, and prototype/fit check models. The jewelry casting workflow is available for manufacturing high-resolution jewelry patterns directly from CAD, and can be executed using 3D Systems’ Figure 4 JCAST-GRN 10 material. The material yields minimal ash and residue after burnout for easy casting. The complete solution – Figure 4 JCAST-GRN 10, Figure 4 technology, 3D Sprint – is for high productivity enabling jewelers to create prints ready for casting or molding in hours, not days.
3D Systems is planning general availability of additional materials specific for the master pattern molds and prototyping/fit check in 1H 2020. The master pattern molding workflow is intended to print detailed, fine featured master patterns for high volume, mass production. The prototyping/fit check workflow will be supported by specific 3D Sprint build styles and a high-contrast prototyping material developed to show fine detail for fittings and try-on, as well as accuracy and fidelity to ensure the final fit of stone settings.
Figure 4 Jewelry complements 3D Systems’ comprehensive portfolio of jewelry solutions, with both wax and plastic printers for investment casting patterns, including the ProJet MJP printer for jewelry and its line of Stereolithography printers and castable resins.
3D Systems
www.3dsystems.com
