3D systems has introduced a new 3D printer and material pairing for the jewelry market.
The MJP 300W 3D printer and VisiJet Wax Jewel Ruby material are the latest additions to the additive manufacturing (AM) pioneer’s jewelry making lineup and are designed to enable users to “achieve new designs with greater design freedom and improved surface finishes.”
According to 3D Systems, the MJP 300W is its most advanced and flexible wax 3D printer to date and is launching with two new printing modes, QHD and UHD. The QHD mode is said to provide more than 50% improved resolution in all axes (i.e. 2,000 dpi in finish and less post-processing) compared to the previous generation wax 3D printer. This makes it possible to print more complex designs that require polishing is not practical or possible. Alternatively, UHD mode on the ProJet MJP 2500W Plus offers twice the print speed of XHD, higher throughput and less labor for finishing and polishing. According to 3D Systems, the availability of four print modes (i.e. QHD, UHD , XHD, ZHD) improved flexibility in construction planning for both day and night shifts.
On the material side, VisiJet Wax Jewel Ruby is a robust, temperature-stable pure wax that offers the optimal combination of flexible material properties and good dimensional stability in high temperature environments. This makes it possible to retain the details of the most intricate jewelry designs during the molding process, reducing the likelihood of breakage or deformation. The company says samples made with this new material have greater thermal stability compared to the recently launched VisiJet Wax Jewel Red. It also allows stones to be preset to speed up the production of the end pieces.
Marty Johnson, Vice President, Product & Technical Fellow, 3D Systems, commented: “With the introduction of the MJP 300W and our new VisiJet Wax Jewel Ruby material, we are providing manufacturers of wax jewelry casting models with expanded opportunities to improve productivity and process reliability care for. 3D Systems’ complete systems integration of materials, printer, printing process and software, strengthened by our application expertise and global customer success team, enables our jewelry manufacturing customers to achieve new levels of innovation, quality and reliability. The latest additions to our end-to-end jewelry manufacturing solutions underscore our commitment to listening to our customers’ needs and achieving an unprecedented level of agility with ease of use that ensures high-quality results at any scale.”
The company says it has also made it easier to monitor printing progress with the addition of an industrial indicator light that can be positioned on the printer or an adjacent surface to improve visibility. 3D Systems also claims that reliability improvements through printhead and hardware modifications will increase uptime and reduce operating costs by reducing replacement frequency.
Shashidhar Kumar of Shree Rapid Technologies, a 3D Systems partner who had early access to the machine and material, said: “Our experience has shown that it is very easy to use and delivers patterns with improved strength and flexibility, so we “We can deliver higher quality, long-lasting patterns for our customers. Additionally, the material is best suited for pre-setting stones, helping our customers increase efficiency when producing pieces with intricate details.”
The MJP 300W and the VisiJet Wax Jewel Ruby are both scheduled to be available in November 2023.
Earlier this year, 3D Systems expanded its jewelry offerings with the introduction of the ProJet MJP 2500W Plus waxing system and later with the introduction of the Figure 4 JCAST-GRN 20 resin for its Figure 4 stereolithography platform. Last month, the company announced plans to expand production of its metal and to move polymer AM systems internally, which should enable more efficient production and shorten lead times.
