Editor’s Note
This article highlights Formlabs’ launch of a specialized 3D printing resin for jewelry casting at CES 2021, validated through a partnership with industry leader Rio Grande Jewelry.
At the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), American 3D printing technology manufacturer Formlabs introduced “Castable Wax 40 Resin,” a resin designed for casting in the jewelry sector.
This resin is compatible with the company’s SLA printers, which use the principle of photopolymerization to create 3D models from a UV-sensitive resin. To validate its new material, Formlabs has signed a partnership with the American company Rio Grande Jewelry, one of the world’s largest suppliers of jewelry, tools, and equipment.
This 3D-printable resin, composed of 40% wax, is used in the jewelry casting process. It allows for the creation of a model that will then be used to make a mold. Formlabs claims the material behaves similarly to traditional wax, which is used in a process known as “lost-wax casting.” Traditionally, the model of the jewelry to be reproduced is made of wax, allowing it to be melted during mold creation. However, achieving precise details is very complicated because wax expands as it melts. Formlabs aims to overcome this issue.
Indeed, the model made from Castable Wax 40 Resin shrinks in the mold as its wax content melts, which introduces oxygen and accelerates combustion while counteracting the expansion that causes casting defects. This is particularly interesting for large volumes of engraved and set jewelry, such as lockets.
Beyond precision, the contribution of additive manufacturing to jewelry also lies in the ability to quickly create models using computer-aided design (CAD). There is no longer a need to create a pattern, then create wax pieces, and then make the molds. Jewelers can directly 3D print the piece to be cast.
Castable Wax 40 Resin is Formlabs’ thirtieth material and the twelfth introduced in the past year. This highlights the company’s long-term strategy: to invest more in materials than in hardware. Indeed, innovation applied to printers is much slower and requires larger investments.
The year 2020 was also notable for the American company for its participation in combating the shortage of medical equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was one of the first to be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to 3D print parts to convert sleep apnea machines into ventilators during the first wave.