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Resins are the new wax

Photopolymers for jewellery casting

Photopolymers have been around for decades, in use for a wide variety of manufacturing, prototyping, jewellery, and for many years the HD Pattern high definition system has provided Indian manufacturers the finest resolution casting patterns.
Expensive and proprietary resin-based 3D printers are in use with some of India’s largest manufacturers, and some outsource printing of CAD files to 3D printing bureaus.
With the recent advent of low-cost open SLA (stereolithography) systems, Indian jewellers have more power than ever in controlling and adapting the process for their specific needs, and many are experimenting with foreign and domestic systems.
Jewellery casting with resins has been a hot topic at the Santa Fe Symposium as well.
The B9Creator is leading the jewelry industry in this regard, with its complete-burnout resins and high resolution (30µm xy, as thin as 6.3µm z) printer. Resins from other makers work with the B9 printer as well, and experimentation is encouraged and shared on the B9 Forums, the center of learning about use of the B9.
With the release of the new v1.2 B9Creator and v1.7 software, at least one new resin is expected to be announced. Jewellery makers are already getting prints exceeding their casting needs with existing resins and mixes.
Once the resin is fully cured, it’s time to cast it, and that will take some new investment material and procedures. Many tips are shared on B9 Forums and a recent article appeared on the subject in MJSA online.

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