Jewelry! Yes, one of the most precious items worn by people, especially, by womenfolk. In both the traditional and online markets, the demand for jewelry is always at its peak. When it comes to 3D printed jewelry, it is also notching up massive popularity around the world. One of the reasons for this escalating popularity of 3D printed jewelry is its ability to design and print jewelry at a rapid pace with a 3D printer. With the passage of time, technology is advancing and allowing flexibility and innovation into jewelry designs. Compared to the conventional method of industrial production, 3D printing enables reduced lead time which makes it a perfect choice for producing jewelry.
Having said that, it is also a fact that the production process of 3D metal printing is intricate as it has to undergo the additive manufacturing process. In the additive manufacturing process, three-dimensional jewelry metals are created by integrating materials layer by layer from the 3D digital models. The job is not done after that rather it requires revamping the products as they are wearable ornaments. Thereafter, incorporating the jewels and stones further enhances the process of production. Even though 3D metal printing is a painstaking task, it is still the supreme and faster way to get the desired output.
Let us shed light on some of the indispensable 3D modeling tips for getting the best jewelry design in 3D printing.
Ensure Reasonable Resolution of STL Files: STL file is a type of file format that is used in 3D printing. For the 3D jewelry model, it is very pivotal that the resolution of the STL file is kept in good and acceptable resolution so that it can be transmitted in various online platforms easily and the triangles of a model also pan out smaller. This will smoothen the surface of the jewelry model disallowing any large and pixelated chunks. Failure to maintain a perfect resolution will allow pixelated chunks on the surface to produce large and pixelated triangles. This will roughen the surface of the 3D jewelry model spoiling the quality of the 3D printed jewelry. In addition, this roughness will also lead to extra gold, silver, platinum, or other costly materials to be used.
Make Sure Adequate Backup: It is ineluctable in the case of getting the supreme output in 3D jewelry printing to keep a substantial backup. To maintain perfection in the shape of the jewelry let it be a ring, earring, bangle, necklace, bracelet, or any other ornaments, sufficient support is essential. If you intend to design a ring, for example, you have to attach the top and the bottom parts of the ring with a piece of wire. Failure to connect two parts of the ring with a wire will portray the ring composed of two separate elements.
Focus on the Corresponding Size of the head prongs to the Stone: The premier reason to encounter difficulty in stone placement is the unbefitting size of the head prongs in comparison with the stone. Under normal circumstances, if the stone size exceeds 3mm, the head prong size should be 1.5mm at the top of the stone’s girdle. If the stone’s diameter is less, large prongs are not required. But if the prongs are larger and taller, you will undergo a tough time to install the stone. Hence, the size of the prong should be proportional to the stone to be used in the channel of the jewelry item.
Distinct Parts Should be Created if Polishing Brush is Unreachable to Different Portions: There is nothing uncanny for you to fluff to reach different portions of the models with the polishing brush. And if that happens, it is advisable to produce separate or isolated parts of the model. This is a very crucial part of the jewelry creation process. If you don’t follow the set of rules for creating a piece of jewelry model, the model may appear enchanting on the computer screen but in reality, it will look unflattering.
Go for the 3D Software that Meets your Needs: The quality of 3D printing is highly reliant on the features of the 3D software that you use for modeling. Generally, the 3D software can be classified into 2 categories for 3D printing. One type of software is designed with the features so that they assist uninterrupted 3D printing whereas other types of software help the designers materializing the ideas exceptionally. Now, you should pick the type of 3D software based on your specific requirements of the jewelry 3D design.
Focus on the Minimum Size of the Small Details: Another key point to be noted is the size of the tiny materials that you would use in the jewelry. Tiny materials can be the decorative parts that you would add to the ornament such as embossed or engraved text. The tiniest material that you would place in your item should be at least 0.35mm in diameter and 0.4mm in height. However, the longest material that you would supplement in the item should be at least 0.8mm in diameter. Otherwise, it may break at the time of casting.
Urge on the Thickness of the Model’s Wall: It is not uncommon for you to encounter printing drawbacks due to the inappropriate thickness of the model’s wall. If the jewelry model’s wall is thin, the printer won’t be able to print the smaller elements of the jewelry. It is very key to focus on the thickness of the entire design to ensure it doesn’t go below the printer’s capacity. On top of that, if the jewelry’s wall thickness is too large, that is also an issue as it can get shaky and disintegrate when pressure will be applied.
Emphasize on the Hollow Models and Avoid Grouped Models: While designing a piece of jewelry model, it is advisable to retain more than one release hole. In general, you should add at least 3 holes. And the size of the holes banks on the design and size of the model. But the size should at least be 1.5mm. On the other hand, the grouped model, meaning several objects in one file should be avoided as it will cause printing issues.
No Equipment is Required: One of the massive benefits of 3D printing is that it doesn’t require pricey and colossal inventory which don’t often get sold. You can model pieces of jewelry with 3D software at a swift pace as opposed to investing millions of dollars in inventory. It denotes you can handle the jewelry business virtually and create parts and products on order. Not only that even the sizes of these items can be tweaked and the numbers can be augmented in a short span of time.
Endless Opportunities to Design: Innovative approach in design is very crucial for the sale of any product including jewelry. This is where 3D printing comes into play as it offers limitless scopes to the designers to craft pieces of jewelry and unleash their creativity. Like conventional methods of jewelry design, 3D printing is free from any constraint in mold creation. This also opens up avenues for the designers to come up with groundbreaking ideas and concepts in their designs.
Shorter Marketing Time: A company can launch its promotional activities once it manufactures its products. The faster it produces its products, the earlier it can kick off its marketing campaign. The manual process of manufacturing is not only time-consuming but also costly. 3D printing, on the contrary, is budget-friendly and faster in production. On top of that, 3D printing enables the designers to modify and revamp their jewelry designs digitally for a better response from the customers.
Customized Design: Jewelry is a kind of ornament that people often aspire to have in a customized design. Customization can be adding their intended designs in different portions of the items or placing their preferred messages in the products. 3D printing technology is a one of a kind technology that enables the designers to model the products as per the requirements of the clients. Not only designing uniquely but also 3D printing allows the designers to upgrade the existing designs to meet the demand of the clientele.
Free From Complications: To manufacture any product, it is very pivotal to be efficient in order to ace in the design project both technically and financially. In the conventional method of production, jewelry is designed with the integration of different parts and pieces which enhances complexity. But in 3D printing, the finished design is possible to be created with a single part or piece. This, not only aggrandizes the quality but also saves a plethora of time by avoiding the merging process of traditional manufacturing.
The success of 3D printing is a foregone conclusion as technology continues to evolve with the advent of systems and applications. On top of that, technology has become more affordable for businesses to take advantage of. Along with prototyping, it also has the prospect of manufacturing mass customized products including jewelry. In jewelry production, it is assuredly one of the promising and reliable tools. With the investment of a substantial amount of money, jewelry production with 3D printing can be inspirational in terms of uptake and creative applications.