Jewelry 3D printers primarily use wax, photosensitive resin, and metal powder as printing materials. Wax and resin are mainly used for creating casting models, while metal powder is used for directly printing precious metal jewelry.
Depending on the process, the specific material selection is as follows:
Casting wax and photosensitive resin: This is currently the most common application in jewelry manufacturing. High-precision wax models or castable resin models are created through 3D printing, and then the models are transformed into finished products of precious metals such as gold, karat gold, and platinum using the lost-wax casting process. These materials are characterized by high precision, low shrinkage, and good ablation properties, making them suitable for reproducing complex details.
Common colors include purple, blue, green (for casting), red, gray, and transparent (for prototype evaluation).
High wax content resins (50%-80%) balance printing performance with casting requirements. Some machines support 100% pure wax printing, such as bright red flexible casting wax and deep purple durable casting wax.
Metal powders: Used for direct 3D printing of precious metal jewelry such as silver, gold, and platinum. The main technologies are DMLS (Direct Laser Sintering) or SLM (Selective Laser Melting). This method is suitable for high-end customization and small-batch production, enabling the creation of complex structures that are difficult to achieve with traditional processes.
Common materials include 925 sterling silver powder and gold alloy powder. Specialized metal printers are required, and the equipment cost is relatively high (starting at approximately $100,000).
Companies such as Desktop Metal, EOS, and GE Additive have launched industrial-grade 3D printers that support silver materials.
Other auxiliary materials: Such as water-soluble support resins, used for printing complex suspended structures. These resins can be automatically peeled off later to avoid damage to the main body.
