Dawn Meaden-Johnson
Jul 3, 20141 min
3D Printing, often referred to as Additive Manufacturing is the process of designing by computer (CAD) and the conversion of an STL design file to enable a manufacturing process called Rapid Prototyping.
A machine produces and applies layers of material of varying thickness to create a 3D object, this is referred to as the additive manufacturing process.
The materials used depend on the capabilities of the printer.
The produced shape can then be used to product a model for casting in metal.
Using additive manufacturing or rapid prototyping an be a very accurate and useful way of reproducing many components.
Learning CAD (Computer Aided Design) is the starting point for designing a line of repeat production jewellery. By designing using specialist design software on your computer you can produce a CAD file which you can send to a specialist 3D Printing or Rapid Prototyping Bureau. Using their high tech equipment they can produce a metal model for you from your computer generated design.
COURSE | 3D Printing: A 1-Day Introduction
COURSE | An Introduction to Designing Jewellery with CAD : 1-Day