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Shapeways
Shapeways Wax Casting
2 of 2
Shapeways
Shapeways wax now available
The 3D printing of jewellery is, as we all know, big news. Whether it be plastic homemade pieces made on a desktop 3D printer or works of art made in 14k gold the technology has opened up doors for wannabe designers across the globe who felt restricted by traditional manufacturing processes.
Shapeways like to mix bleeding-edge technology with traditional manufacturing techniques especially in the realms of the ever growing custom jewellery sector. They 3D print wax casting moulds and then use traditional casting techniques to make their metal and precious metal products. The problem, for many, is price, if you wanted to produce a sample product to display on a market stall you’re looking at $28 per cm3 + a $45 dollar handling fee for Shapeways silver. The handling fee includes the casting process and takes both the wax and the silver material into account, a premium silver ring could set you back well in excess of $200.
But what if you could just have the wax printed? What if you could do the casting process yourself and use any metal/material you want? Shapeways are running a trial of the just the wax material until July 30th, at just $8 per cm3 plus a $10 handling fee it could prove to be very popular amongst new and old jewellers alike.
Wax ships in less than ten days so you can get moulding at a pretty rapid rate. The wax casting 3D printing allows designers to use any casting house you choose and be as perfect with your model as you wish rather than letting Shapeways take total control.
