3D Systems introduces new jewelry printer and wax material

3D Systems recently announced the MJP 300W and VisiJet Wax Jewel Ruby — two additions to its portfolio of end-to-end solutions for jewelry manufacturing. The company’s new MJP 300W is the most advanced and flexible of its wax 3D printers, capable of addressing a variety of jewelry manufacturing workflows with enhanced productivity, efficiency, quality, and design freedom. Additionally, 3D Systems’ new 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 jewelry designs during the molding process, reducing the likelihood of breakage or distortion to enable a flawless final piece. The combination of this print platform and material is allowing producers of wax jewelry patterns — from high-volume manufacturers to custom jewelry makers — to more efficiently achieve new designs with greater design freedom and improved surface finish.

The MJP 300W wax printer is part of 3D Systems’ next-generation jewelry manufacturing solutions that introduces two new print modes, which further enhances the platform’s flexibility to deliver higher levels of productivity and quality. Image courtesy of 3D Systems.

The use of 3D printing in the jewelry industry is anticipated to accelerate throughout the decade. According to a report released by Contrive Datum Insights in March 2023, the total addressable global 3D-printed jewelry market was more than $8 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach more than $22 billion by 2030. 3D printing has the potential to play an increasingly important role in jewelry manufacturing, enabling efficient design and production of unique patterns that are not possible to produce with conventional methods. This allows for mass customization by jewelry makers to meet consumers’ specific requirements in a rapidly changing marketplace. 3D Systems’ wax material portfolio, combined with its industry-leading 3D printing portfolio and software integration, is well-positioned to play a pivotal role in accelerating the adoption of the technology.

New wax printer model enhances resolution, boosts efficiency

With the introduction of the MJP 300W, 3D Systems is unveiling two new print modes, QHD and UHD. QHD mode enables more than 50% improved resolution in all axes (2,000 dpi in X, 1,800 dpi in Y, 2,900 dpi in Z) and 9.5 µm layer thickness as compared to the previous generation wax 3D printer. This delivers a premium quality surface finish allowing designs to be produced with less finishing required. QHD also enables the printing of more complex designs where polishing is not practical or impossible. UHD mode offers 2x faster print speed than XHD on the ProJet MJP 2500W Plus, introduced earlier this year. UHD offers significantly increased throughput and reduces the labor required for finishing and polishing. The availability of four print modes (QHD, UHD, XHD, ZHD) offers improved flexibility in build planning for both day and night shifts to match the level of speed, geometric complexity, and surface quality required by all design styles.

The company has also made it easier to monitor a print job’s progress through the addition of an industrial stack light. This easy-to-see light can be conveniently positioned for the greatest visibility on the printer or an adjacent surface such as a desk or a cabinet. Additionally, reliability improvements through print head and hardware modifications increase the uptime by decreasing replacement frequency and lower the cost of ownership.

New 100% wax material delivers optimized mechanical properties

3D Systems’ VisiJet Wax Jewel Ruby is the company’s most advanced material to deliver durable patterns that help create flawless final pieces. Patterns produced with VisiJet Wax Jewel Ruby have increased thermal stability as compared to the recently introduced VisiJet Wax Jewel Red. Additionally, patterns created using VisiJet Wax Jewel Ruby exhibit durability that enables them to resist breaking through normal handling and maintain their dimensional stability through shipping. This latest material also enables pre-setting of stones to accelerate the production of the final piece.

VisiJet Wax Jewel Ruby is a medium softness wax that offers material flexibility and dimensional stability in high-temperature or humid environments. It also delivers improved capability for the presetting of stones. Image courtesy of 3D Systems.

According to Shashidhar Kumar, partner, Shree Rapid Technologies, “We were pleased to have early access to this material for our jewelry manufacturing applications. 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.”

Further expanding the extensive range of addressable designs, VisiJet Wax Jewel Ruby complements 3D Systems’ currently available wax materials — VisiJet Wax Jewel Red and VisiJet M2 Cast — which can also be used in conjunction with the MJP 300W.

“One of the greatest benefits of additive manufacturing is providing unlimited design freedom, which is especially important to unleash the creativity required by skilled artisans,” said Marty Johnson, vice president, product & technical fellow, 3D Systems. “With the introduction of the MJP 300W and our new VisiJet Wax Jewel Ruby material, we are providing producers of wax jewelry 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 jewelry manufacturing customers to achieve new levels of innovation, quality, and reliability. The latest additions to our end-to-end solutions for jewelry 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.”

The MJP 300W and VisiJet Wax Jewel Ruby are both planned to be available in November 2023. Anyone who is attending the Istanbul Jewelry Show and would like to learn more is invited to stop by 3D System’s partner, Luka Teknik Malzeme Pazarlama Ltd.’s booth (1F30). For more information on 3D Systems’ portfolio of end-to-end jewelry manufacturing solutions, please visit the company’s website.