The aroma of fire and metal is in the air in the jewelry lab at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design. Based in Ramat Gan, Israel, the lab brings the art of jewelry-making into the 21st century. Here, traditional craftsmanship methods meet digital fabrication and 3D printing to bring student creations to life.
It was in this unique setting that Formlabs organized a jewelry workshop for the Shenkar students. Yoav Roches, our Design Lead and a former Shenkar teacher, partnered up with university professors to teach a three-day workshop about jewelry design, 3D printing, and investment casting.
The lab has a Form 2 3D printer along with various industrial 3D printers. Eden Offer, the lab’s 3D printing manager, explains, “Our department consists of over 100 students, so every week, we have a lot of printing to do.” During this workshop, students learned how to 3D print directly on the Form 2, giving them hands-on experience in professional 3D printing for jewelers.
The students used Castable Resin to capture the intricate details and smooth surfaces of their designs. They attached the 3D printed pieces to casting trees so that they could cast many pieces at once. After the investment casting process, the students polished their jewelry designs by hand.
“I think every design studio should have a 3D printer. If I had a printer, I would want it to be the Form 2 because the quality and the way they work is just amazing.” — Student Guy Naor
Vulcanized rubber molds can be used to produce wax models in quantity for investment casting of metal parts such as jewelry, small industrial components, and gaming miniatures.
Student Katia Rabey was amazed with how desktop 3D printing gave her more control over her jewelry-making process. She explains, “You control it from the moment that you make your model in Rhino to the actual moment when you hold it in your hand.” Her classmate Guy Naor adds, “I think every design studio should have a 3D printer. If I had a printer, I would want it to be the Form 2 because the quality and the way they work is just amazing.”
Jewelry 3D Printing: Design, Supports, and Orientation
Download our free white paper to learn guidelines for digital design to achieve successful 3D prints and castings, plus how to successfully concept, design, orient, and support parts in the Form 2 3D printer.
