The 3D gold printer revolutionized the jewelry industry. With the digitization of the gold and jewelry industry, its value is expected to reach 5.5 billion dollars by 2026.
Making jewelry in the traditional way, although very precise, is a time-consuming process and requires great skill and expertise. Therefore, jewelers were always looking for easy solutions to produce jewelry. Additive manufacturing and 3D printing, as one of the attractive manufacturing and production options, has greatly helped the activists in this field.
There are many options in the market for buying a 3D printer, however, choosing the best 3D printer is a difficult task. Resin 3D printers that use cast wax resin to make jewelry are the best option for this.
Before introducing and reviewing the best 3D printers in the jewelry industry, we would like to remind you of the advantages of entering this field:
It is necessary to know that when talking about 3D printing of gold, it is not meant to 3D print your jewelry with precious metals. Although this technology is developing rapidly and is definitely possible in the not too distant future, most jewelers do not use 3D printers in this way because it is not economically viable.
Therefore, goldsmiths use 3D printers to print wax models or patterns in combination with traditional casting. In this method, a wax model is encased in a plaster-like container, and after it hardens, it is heated to melt the wax. The mold is then filled with molten precious metals. So instead of hand carving wax in the traditional way, jewelry is 3D printed in wax. These 3D printers make it possible to create a wax model with precise details.
Unlike traditional jewelers who start with a design on paper, digital jewelers create their designs in CAD file format in digital software such as Mudbox, RhinoGold Basic, and SketchUp .
Advantages of 3D printing of wax models
- Increased speed: with a 3D printer, a model can be produced in a few hours. It is easy to make any changes in this method because you can change the digital file and create another version of it.
- Application of complex designs: using 3D printing, very complex geometries can be produced. In this way, creating complex designs is available even for people who do not have engraving skills.
- Customization capability : The desired design is saved as a CAD file. Therefore, it is possible to make changes and modifications according to the customer’s needs.
- Mass production : Depending on the capacity of the 3D printer, it is possible to print dozens of wax models at once.
- Possibility of reproduction : old and broken jewelry can be scanned using a 3D scanner and the digital file can be reconstructed and sent to the machine for printing.
- Reducing the cost of consumption : the volume of the material consumed with this method is very small, so it is possible to save a lot on the cost of consumption.
- Quick prototype creation: To ensure the complete fit of the final product with the design and customer satisfaction and approval, it is possible to create a pre-made prototype of the model
Essential tips while buying a jewelry 3D printer
- Used technology : The most important point in choosing a printer is knowing the technology used in it. Jewelers often use resin-based SLA or DLP printers due to their high resolution and availability of wax resin.
- 3D printer resolution : Another point when buying a gold 3D printer is its resolution. The more details a printer can print, the better it is for jewelry making.
- Printing speed : When it comes to speed, 3D printers take the lead. It is better to look for a device that provides fast, albeit less detailed, prototypes.
- Compatibility with materials: Try to use a printer that is not limited to using one material and a wide range of materials can be printed with it.
- Price of 3D printer : When buying a printer, not only the price of the 3D printer, but also the cost of its maintenance and materials should be considered
In the following, we reviewed some of the best resin 3D printers for gold and jewelry, taking into account its features and price, which fall into two categories of cheap and expensive printers.
The best 3D jewelry printers
Cheap jewelry 3D printers
Creality LD-002R
Creality LD Company launched its resin-based 3D printer named Creality LD-002R in China for the first time in 2019. This printer with 75 micron accuracy has very high resolution and speed. Therefore, it is considered an ideal printer for the jewelry industry.
