How Exactly Is Jewelry 3D Printed?

In recent years, 3D printing technology has developed rapidly, and breakthroughs have been made in innovative applications in professional fields such as gold jewelry. The combination of 3D printing, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and other technological means has become the personality of the gold jewelry industry. Digitalization, digitization, and intelligence have created favorable opportunities. With the development of 3D printing technology in the gold jewelry industry, the use of digital technology to shorten the production process, broaden design inspiration, and make products present unprecedented artistic visual effects. 3D printing technology is gradually becoming the innovation engine of intelligent manufacturing in the gold jewelry industry.

Application of 3D printing technology

Gold jewelry sales is the integration of information in the design, display, interaction, sales, resources, technology, supply chain and other links. Traditional gold jewellery manufacturing processes need to go through multiple processes such as pattern lifting, mold pressing, waxing, and mold repair. Not only the procedures are complicated, but the cost of equipment, places, materials, labor and time is also very high. 3D printing technology is different from traditional manufacturing methods. It is a continuation of the digital manufacturing of smart jewelry design. Traditional manufacturing belongs to "subtractive manufacturing", while 3D printing technology is "additive manufacturing", which uses metal or plastic and other related materials to compose objects by accurately adding materials layer by layer according to computer digital models.

The progress of 3D printing technology in the gold jewelry industry has impacted the traditional jewelry production model. At present, there are two main technical solutions for 3D printing used in the jewelry industry:

One is the 3D printing technology that directly prints precious metal entities, that is, laser sintering technology. It is an additive manufacturing process based on 3D CAD design. It uses a 3D CAD file as a digital information source and energy setting, and uses a high-power laser beam to sinter a very small metal powder layer into a technical solution for a three-dimensional part.

The other is to use 3D printing wax model (Projet technology) and resin model (DLP/SLA technology), using lost wax casting process. This solution improves the speed and accuracy of the most critical wax mold making process in the traditional jewelry manufacturing process, and can achieve rapid mass production. Whether directly or indirectly used for jewelry manufacturing, 3D printing technology will simplify the current jewelry production process and promote the development of the industry to the direction of personalized, refined, and digital intelligent manufacturing.

3D printing precious metals (SLM technology/SLS technology) technology is mainly used in aerospace, high-precision and cutting-edge manufacturing and other high value-added fields. Directly using expensive precious metal 3D printers to print jewelry is cost-effective and not suitable for mass production .

Therefore, the current jewelry industry mainly applies 3D printing wax mold technology, using lost wax casting technology, the process accuracy can reach micrometer level, through professional 3D design software system, online interactive system, material library, model library, display platform, etc. , Use the database resources in the system to independently select and design jewelry, quickly generate product elements, after the product order is generated, use a high-scoring 3D printer to print into a wax model, and then use the lost wax casting process for production, which can restore the design style in the smallest detail. , Respond quickly to market demand.

The advantages of 3D printing in the gold jewelry industry

Digital production is exquisite and accurate, which solves the production problems of complex structures. Compared with traditional manufacturing, complex structures cannot be completed by hand, and 3D printing technology can make up for this artificial "fault". 3D printing technology uses computer technology to establish three-dimensional models, and import system digital production on demand and quantity. It can quickly produce high-precision and complex craft jewelry that cannot be achieved by traditional manufacturing, which is conducive to the development of advanced customization, seize the high-end market, and improve customer satisfaction.

Reduce labor and production costs. 3D printing omits prototyping, mold making and other related steps, greatly reducing the production period and material costs, and has the advantages of simple operation, rapid prototyping, high precision, saving materials, and reducing losses. At the same time, 3D scanning and CAD reverse design software are coordinated. The design efficiency is greatly improved, and it can also be iterated quickly to enhance product competitiveness.

Shorten the production cycle and quickly respond to the market. The traditional jewelry manufacturing industry is slow to respond to market changes. The supply chain usually takes 5 to 10 months to respond to market enthusiasm. The hot spots on the Internet are fleeting. Using big data and 3D lightweight browsing technology, customers can use online Customized platform system orders, through the establishment of a three-dimensional model, real-time modification of data deviations, confirmation of rendering effects, using 3D printing technology to quickly produce and market, and truly achieve zero inventory sales.

Significantly improve the intelligent production level of the jewelry industry chain. 3D printing technology reduces the compression of the flattened links in jewelry design and production, and reduces the cost of jewelry design and production time at the same time. At the same time, VR technology allows consumers to better experience jewelry. Through AR hardware sensors and human-computer interaction technologies, Realize the confirmation of samples through virtual try-on and rapid mass production of 3D printing.

The development prospects of 3D printing in the gold jewelry industry

In the gold jewelry industry, technology is still regarded as a powerful tool. It has a complementary relationship with traditional jewelry craftsmanship and jewelry design itself. The combination of jewelry and technology follows the three essences of digitalization of "openness, compatibility, and sharing". In principle, the future development of smart jewelry will be larger and larger with advanced technology combined with innovative materials to explore and research.

At present, the gold jewelry industry has entered the era of informatization and intelligent big data. With the in-depth integration and development of "big data + gold jewelry", the traditional gold jewelry enterprises' production and operation concepts have been improved, and the industry has developed more quality. A new chapter in the gold and jewellery industry is already overwhelming. A series of innovations brought by 3D printing to the design and production of gold jewelry have effectively stimulated the innovation potential of gold jewelry companies, enhanced innovation value, reduced innovation costs, and formed new competitive advantages. It is of great significance to the supply-side structural reform of the jewelry industry. , Will become a new driving force for the development of the jewelry industry, help jewelry companies to realize intelligent production, and lead the transformation and upgrading of the traditional gold jewelry industry.