Look out jewelry industry!
EnvisionTEC may have come up with the next big idea in 3D printing in what the company is calling the first direct light projection (DLP) printer that uses curable paste as a printing material.
The Perfactory WaxEra can easily create detailed, non-brittle wax models from digital jewelry STL design files, making it perfect for jewelry manufacturers.
The new printer’s E-Wax material is a wax paste with a photosensitive polymer binder for jewelry investment casting, enabling the printing of a light, curable paste.
Stereolithography 3D printing technology has been a growing trend among jewelers, but EnvisionTEC notes that using DLP SLA technology as an alternative to cure a wax paste opens up the possibility of investment casting of larger jewelry pieces of any wall thickness.
As a result, porosity can be reduced, in addition to wax melting more reliably than resins used in other casting systems.
“We are proud to deliver the very first Digital Light Projection technology-based 3D printer that can print with a paste material, opening up the possibility to 3D print using highly filled materials,” said Al Siblani, EnvisionTEC CEO in a press release.
“These new highly filled paste materials will allow EnvisionTEC to penetrate new markets, and deliver 3D printing solutions not previously available in the 3D printing space. Whether you want a highly filled ceramic part for high-temperature resistance or a highly filled wax part for direct investment casting, the WaxEra brings 3D printing into a new ERA by delivering innovative 3D printing solutions to an expanding selection of new markets.”
