Fashioning Tech
  • Home
  • Fashion
    • Fashion

      Kinetic Couture: Introducing the Butterfly Dress

      January 25, 2017

      Fashion

      Kate Spade Brings Whimsy to Wearables

      August 29, 2016

      Fashion

      Aerochromics: Pollution Monitoring Garments Aim to Become A Sixth Skin

      August 17, 2016

      Fashion

      ‎BODYSONG‬./Glitchaus GLITCHJK Jacquard Bomber Jacket

      February 27, 2016

      Fashion

      3D Print and the Jewellery Industry: An Overview

      December 11, 2015

  • Fitness
    • Fitness

      Biomimicry and Sports Apparel

      August 15, 2016

      Fitness

      Bring A Little Bling To Your Workout with Misfit’s Solar-Powered Activity Trackers Made From Swarovski Crystals

      January 6, 2015

      Fitness

      Wearables in Contemporary Ballet

      November 18, 2014

      Fitness

      Fibers Software Transforms Your Fuelband Data into Art

      August 19, 2014

      Fitness

      Adidas Reissues Micropacer OG

      August 14, 2014

  • Healthcare
    • Healthcare

      Fashionable therapy brightens winter SADness

      July 30, 2015

      Healthcare

      Lightwear: An Exploration in Wearable Light Therapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder

      February 4, 2015

      Healthcare

      Vigour — A Gorgeous Wearable For Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy

      December 18, 2014

      Healthcare

      Space: What to wear?

      June 7, 2014

      Healthcare

      E-textile Pillow for Communication Between Dementia Patients and Family

      November 5, 2013

  • Wearables UX
    • Wearables UX

      Moff: Wearable Smart Toy For Kids

      August 21, 2014

      Wearables UX

      Temporary NFC Tattoo

      July 29, 2014

      Wearables UX

      Wearable Tech Guide to SXSW

      March 7, 2014

      Wearables UX

      PixMob’s LED beanies light up the SuperBowl by turning the crowd into human pixels

      February 3, 2014

      Wearables UX

      Cadbury Joy Jackets

      January 16, 2014

  • Interviews
    • Interviews

      Interview with Davide Vigano of Heapsylon

      April 30, 2014

      Interviews

      Make It Wearable Video Series by Creators Project

      April 3, 2014

      Interviews

      Interview with Sparkfun’s Dia Campbell

      March 26, 2014

      Interviews

      Interview with Julia Koerner

      March 20, 2014

      Interviews

      Interview with Akseli Reho from Clothing Plus

      March 17, 2014

  • Materials
    • Materials

      Conductive Tattoos Turn Your Skin Into An Interface

      August 24, 2016

      Materials

      Biofabrication: The New Revolution in Material Design

      August 23, 2016

      Materials

      Aerochromics: Pollution Monitoring Garments Aim to Become A Sixth Skin

      August 17, 2016

      Materials

      Biomimicry and Sports Apparel

      August 15, 2016

      Materials

      Smart Fabrics Conference May 11 – 13

      April 27, 2015

  • DIY
    • DIY

      Techno Textiles – Concordia University

      January 18, 2016

      DIY

      Smart Fabrics + Wearable Technology 2015 Review

      July 8, 2015

      DIY

      Explore and Learn from the Students of the Wearables Class at CCA

      April 19, 2015

      DIY

      Make It Wearable Winners

      November 4, 2014

      DIY

      JPG Data Knit Blanket Series from Glitchaus

      September 22, 2014

  • About

Fashioning Tech

for fashion futurists & wearable tech enthusiasts

  • Home
  • Fashion
    • Fashion

      Kinetic Couture: Introducing the Butterfly Dress

      January 25, 2017

      Fashion

      Kate Spade Brings Whimsy to Wearables

      August 29, 2016

      Fashion

      Aerochromics: Pollution Monitoring Garments Aim to Become A Sixth Skin

      August 17, 2016

      Fashion

      ‎BODYSONG‬./Glitchaus GLITCHJK Jacquard Bomber Jacket

      February 27, 2016

      Fashion

      3D Print and the Jewellery Industry: An Overview

      December 11, 2015

  • Fitness
    • Fitness

      Biomimicry and Sports Apparel

      August 15, 2016

      Fitness

      Bring A Little Bling To Your Workout with Misfit’s Solar-Powered Activity Trackers Made From Swarovski Crystals

      January 6, 2015

      Fitness

      Wearables in Contemporary Ballet

      November 18, 2014

      Fitness

      Fibers Software Transforms Your Fuelband Data into Art

      August 19, 2014

      Fitness

      Adidas Reissues Micropacer OG

      August 14, 2014

  • Healthcare
    • Healthcare

      Fashionable therapy brightens winter SADness

      July 30, 2015

      Healthcare

      Lightwear: An Exploration in Wearable Light Therapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder

      February 4, 2015

      Healthcare

      Vigour — A Gorgeous Wearable For Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy

      December 18, 2014

      Healthcare

      Space: What to wear?

      June 7, 2014

      Healthcare

      E-textile Pillow for Communication Between Dementia Patients and Family

      November 5, 2013

  • Wearables UX
    • Wearables UX

      Moff: Wearable Smart Toy For Kids

      August 21, 2014

      Wearables UX

      Temporary NFC Tattoo

      July 29, 2014

      Wearables UX

      Wearable Tech Guide to SXSW

      March 7, 2014

      Wearables UX

      PixMob’s LED beanies light up the SuperBowl by turning the crowd into human pixels

      February 3, 2014

      Wearables UX

      Cadbury Joy Jackets

      January 16, 2014

  • Interviews
    • Interviews

      Interview with Davide Vigano of Heapsylon

      April 30, 2014

      Interviews

      Make It Wearable Video Series by Creators Project

      April 3, 2014

      Interviews

      Interview with Sparkfun’s Dia Campbell

      March 26, 2014

      Interviews

      Interview with Julia Koerner

      March 20, 2014

      Interviews

      Interview with Akseli Reho from Clothing Plus

      March 17, 2014

  • Materials
    • Materials

      Conductive Tattoos Turn Your Skin Into An Interface

      August 24, 2016

      Materials

      Biofabrication: The New Revolution in Material Design

      August 23, 2016

      Materials

      Aerochromics: Pollution Monitoring Garments Aim to Become A Sixth Skin

      August 17, 2016

      Materials

      Biomimicry and Sports Apparel

      August 15, 2016

      Materials

      Smart Fabrics Conference May 11 – 13

      April 27, 2015

  • DIY
    • DIY

      Techno Textiles – Concordia University

      January 18, 2016

      DIY

      Smart Fabrics + Wearable Technology 2015 Review

      July 8, 2015

      DIY

      Explore and Learn from the Students of the Wearables Class at CCA

      April 19, 2015

      DIY

      Make It Wearable Winners

      November 4, 2014

      DIY

      JPG Data Knit Blanket Series from Glitchaus

      September 22, 2014

  • About
Fashion

3D Print and the Jewellery Industry: An Overview

written by Kabir Raja December 11, 2015

3D printers are a type of Rapid Prototyping technology, positioned as a design tool for producing inexpensive models early in the process of design. The physical models created by the 3D printers make it possible for the design team to review the concepts. In turn, this guarantees the manufacturer better feedback. As you can guess, this results in superior products. 3D printing offers the manufacturers a scope to realise real-time teamwork on a global scale. In recent times, the use of 3D has enhanced drastically with several industries adopting this technology.

First invented in 1984, 3D printing is now capacitated to produce human limbs and organs, NASA rocket engine parts, 5 storey concrete houses, bionic ear, car chassis and more. The possibilities presented are absolutely mind boggling.

Use of 3D Print in the Jewellery Industry

The jewellery industry is not an exception. It was one amongst the very first industries to utilise 3D printing in their ‘investment casting’ process. Instead of using metal printers, wax is used here; this means that the piece of jewellery is sculpted or printed out of wax. Till date, this is the basic process the independent jewellers have been using. 

The design world has cottoned on the possibilities of 3D printing, using it for creating everything, right from lampshades to crockeries while the watchmakers used the accuracy it offers for the creation of intricate mechanisms and entire watch cases. Though several jewellers are championing its usage, there are some critical about its use.

There is no reason of being critical about it. The technology is here for printing directly in precious metals, using the 3D printers which fire out fine layers of gold dust for structuring a solid object. There is a problem here. It is quite expensive. Quite commonly, the jewellers use the 3D printers for producing resin or wax moulds of models. These are created using CAD or Computer Aided design and then cast in precious metals.

This technology allows the designers create pieces that are almost impossible to manufacture by hand. The 3D printer facilitates the creation of joints that are stronger, formed of a continuous piece of metal rather than multiple pieces soldered together. Moreover, it facilitates the introduction of new 3D shapes. CAD is presently a part of the jewellery design curriculum in various colleges though the very idea of ‘casting’ frightens the more traditional jewellers.

3D Printed Jewellery Advantages

What if there has been a fight with your partner and you want to make that up quickly with a piece of customised jewellery? Since technological advancements have made it possible to print jewellery directly from precious metals, this can be an option very soon. 

3D technology is a real help in interpreting complicated designs like an intricate clasp or a symmetrical piece. It can also be used to produce multiple interpretations of a given handmade design.

The appeal of 3D printing lies in the opportunity to produce unique pieces, that too, fast.

3D Printed Jewellery Roadblocks

Remember that jewellery design is not yet a seamless process. A designer may submit a design that is not possible to print as presented. It needs to be adapted. It is not possible to print absolutely anything. After a design is agreed upon and then produced, it needs to be polished and finished professionally.

Another roadblock to adopting this technology is the cost. Moreover, the companies also need to redefine their strategy of working. People are always sceptic of new technology and the jewellery industry is not an exception either. The traditional jewellers prefer to think “We have been doing this for the last 500 years. Why will we change?” People have a romantic vision of everything that’s made by hand. A part of this romance is taken away with the availability of 3D printing technology in jewellery design. A lot of people believe that the key to luxury is craft and history. Some brands are afraid of using a technology that will allow things to be made faster.

The attitude towards 3D technology has its base in the traditional industry’s fear of the new. Things that were once new are now traditional. This is simply a response to new technology. Given the advantages, we hope that very soon more brands will welcome usage of 3D technology in jewellery.3D printers are a type of Rapid Prototyping technology, positioned as a design tool for producing inexpensive models early in the process of design. The physical models created by the 3D printers make it possible for the design team to review the concepts. In turn, this guarantees the manufacturer better feedback. As you can guess, this results in superior products. 3D printing offers the manufacturers a scope to realise real-time teamwork on a global scale. In recent times, the use of 3D has enhanced drastically with several industries adopting this technology.

First invented in 1984, 3D printing is now capacitated to produce human limbs and organs, NASA rocket engine parts, 5 storey concrete houses, bionic ear, car chassis and more. The possibilities presented are absolutely mind boggling.

Use of 3D Print in the Jewellery Industry

The jewellery industry is not an exception. It was one amongst the very first industries to utilise 3D printing in their ‘investment casting’ process. Instead of using metal printers, wax is used here; this means that the piece of jewellery is sculpted or printed out of wax. Till date, this is the basic process the independent jewellers have been using. 

The design world has cottoned on the possibilities of 3D printing, using it for creating everything, right from lampshades to crockeries while the watchmakers used the accuracy it offers for the creation of intricate mechanisms and entire watch cases. Though several jewellers are championing its usage, there are some critical about its use.

There is no reason of being critical about it. The technology is here for printing directly in precious metals, using the 3D printers which fire out fine layers of gold dust for structuring a solid object. There is a problem here. It is quite expensive. Quite commonly, the jewellers use the 3D printers for producing resin or wax moulds of models. These are created using CAD or Computer Aided design and then cast in precious metals.

This technology allows the designers create pieces that are almost impossible to manufacture by hand. The 3D printer facilitates the creation of joints that are stronger, formed of a continuous piece of metal rather than multiple pieces soldered together. Moreover, it facilitates the introduction of new 3D shapes. CAD is presently a part of the jewellery design curriculum in various colleges though the very idea of ‘casting’ frightens the more traditional jewellers.

3D Printed Jewellery Advantages

What if there has been a fight with your partner and you want to make that up quickly with a piece of customised jewellery? Since technological advancements have made it possible to print jewellery directly from precious metals, this can be an option very soon. 

3D technology is a real help in interpreting complicated designs like an intricate clasp or a symmetrical piece. It can also be used to produce multiple interpretations of a given handmade design.

The appeal of 3D printing lies in the opportunity to produce unique pieces, that too, fast.

3D Printed Jewellery Roadblocks

Remember that jewellery design is not yet a seamless process. A designer may submit a design that is not possible to print as presented. It needs to be adapted. It is not possible to print absolutely anything. After a design is agreed upon and then produced, it needs to be polished and finished professionally.

Another roadblock to adopting this technology is the cost. Moreover, the companies also need to redefine their strategy of working. People are always sceptic of new technology and the jewellery industry is not an exception either. The traditional jewellers prefer to think “We have been doing this for the last 500 years. Why will we change?” People have a romantic vision of everything that’s made by hand. A part of this romance is taken away with the availability of 3D printing technology in jewellery design. A lot of people believe that the key to luxury is craft and history. Some brands are afraid of using a technology that will allow things to be made faster.

The attitude towards 3D technology has its base in the traditional industry’s fear of the new. Things that were once new are now traditional. This is simply a response to new technology. Given the advantages, we hope that very soon more brands will welcome usage of 3D technology in jewellery. 

Information share By Architecturalrendering.co.uk

3D Print and the Jewellery Industry: An Overview was last modified: July 8th, 2016 by Kabir Raja
0 comment
4
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Kabir Raja

previous post
Cute Circuit Designs Illuminated Uniforms for Airline Easy Jet
next post
Techno Textiles – Concordia University

You may also like

Flare – A Wind-sensitive Electronic Dress

The Next Black Documentary — The Future of Fashion

Tron: Quorra Costume

Kate Fletcher – Fashion & Sustainability Interview

iPhone Purses

Kinetic Mechanical Skirt

Hussein Chalayan Spring Fashion Film

Fluid Dress

DressUp: 3D Digital Draping

FLUTTER at ISWC 2012

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube
  • Email
Footer Logo

© 2016 Fashionging Tech. All rights reserved.


Back To Top