3D Systems MJP 300W wax 3D printer
3D Systems has introduced a new 3D printer and material pairing aimed at the jewellery market.
The MJP 300W 3D printer and VisiJet Wax Jewel Ruby material are the latest additions to the additive manufacturing (AM) pioneer’s jewellery manufacturing line-up, and are said to allow users to ‘achieve new designs with greater design freedom and improved surface finish.’
According to 3D Systems, the MJP 300W is its most advanced and flexible wax 3D printer to date, and is being introduced with the addition of two new print modes, QHD and UHD. QHD mode is said to enable more than 50% improved resolution in all axes (i.e., 2,000 dpi in X, 1,800 dpi in Y, 2,900 dpi in Z) and 9.5 µm layer thickness compared to the previous generation wax 3D printer, meaning better surface finish and less post-processing. This makes it possible to print more complex designs where polishing is not practical or possible. Alternatively, UHD mode offers 2x faster print speed than XHD on its ProJet MJP 2500W Plus, increased throughput and reduced labour for finishing and polishing. 3D Systems says the availability of four print modes (i.e., QHD, UHD, XHD, ZHD) offers improved flexibility in build planning for both day and night shifts.
On the materials side, VisiJet Wax Jewel Ruby material is a tough, temperature-stable pure wax that provides the optimal combination of flexible material properties and good dimensional stability in high-temperature environments. As a result, it is possible to maintain details of the most intricate jewellery designs during the moulding process, reducing the likelihood of breakage or distortion. The company says patterns produced with this new material have increased thermal stability compared to the recently introduced VisiJet Wax Jewel Red. It also enables pre-setting of stones to accelerate production of final 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 producers of wax jewellery casting patterns with enhanced capabilities to improve productivity and processes that ensure reliability. 3D Systems’ full system integration of the materials, printer, print process, and software which is strengthened by our application expertise and global customer success team is enabling our jewellery manufacturing customers to achieve new levels of innovation, quality, and reliability. The latest additions to our end-to-end solutions for jewellery manufacturing reinforce our commitment to addressing our customers’ needs to gain unprecedented levels of agility with ease of use that ensures high-quality results at any scale.”
Wax jewellery patterns 3D printed in VisiJet Wax Jewel Ruby
The company says it has also made it easier to monitor print progress through the addition of an industrial stack light, which can be positioned on the printer or an adjacent surface to enhance visibility. 3D Systems also claims that reliability improvements through print head and hardware modifications will increase the uptime and lower the cost of ownership, by decreasing replacement frequency.
Shashidhar Kumar at Shree Rapid Technologies, a 3D Systems partner which had early access to the machine and material said: “Our experience has shown that is it very easy to handle, and delivers patterns with improved strength and flexibility, enabling us to provide higher quality, durable patterns to our customers. Additionally, the material is best suited for pre-setting stones, which is helping our customers improve efficiencies when creating pieces with intricate details.”
The MJP 300W and VisiJet Wax Jewel Ruby are both planned to be available in November 2023.
Earlier this year, 3D Systems expanded its jewellery offering with the launch of the ProJet MJP 2500W Plus wax system, and later through the introduction of Figure 4 JCAST-GRN 20 resin for its Figure 4 stereolithography platform. Last month, the company announced plans to bring production of its metal and polymer AM systems in-house which is said to be enabling more streamlined production and a reduction in lead times.
