Way to stabilize the size of filigree castings -3D printing wax mold process control

Filament jewelry has slender lines, staggered hollows, and complex structures. It is difficult to maintain stable batch consistency by relying on traditional manual wax injection molding. Wax mold undergoes deformation and dimensional deviation, which are directly transmitted to the casting, causing a series of problems such as misalignment of the finished product contour, uneven hollow gaps, and assembly matching failure.

3D printing wax molds provide an efficient path for rapid pattern making and batch replication of complex filigree styles. However, the shrinkage characteristics and deviation patterns of different molding equipment and printing consumables are different. Without targeted process compensation, batch quality hazards are easily generated in the subsequent casting process.

01 Accuracy characteristics of different wax mold forming methods

Forming methods of jewelry wax molds are different, and there are also significant differences in size performance. Production selection needs to be based on product requirements:

Medium temperature injection wax mold: with outstanding molding stability, size deviation mostly concentrated in the range of 0-0.10mm, uniform shrinkage performance, suitable for mature technology and large-scale production of filament styles;

Photosensitive resin printing wax mold: extreme error is small, but the deviation distribution is scattered, suitable for rapid sampling and structural verification;

PS powder printing wax mold: Proportion of large deviations is higher, with nearly 30% of the area deviation reaching 0.20-0.40mm. It is necessary to focus on deformation compensation and use caution in fine filament parts.

Dimensional deviation of the wax mold itself accounts for 10% to 70% of the total deviation of the final casting, and is an essential pre control point that cannot be ignored in precision casting.

02 Yihui 3D printer

Yihui 3D printer is specifically developed for jewelry filigree, hollow out, and inlaid products, distinguishing it from general industrial 3D printers and meeting the needs of factory sampling and mass production

Precision Optical Forming Unit

Equipped with high-precision optical machine, micrometer level exposure control, printing layer thickness can be selected from 0.025mm~0.1mm, fine filaments are not easy to break, and the printed contour edges are sharp and clear;body is integrated with a constant temperature forming chamber, which maintains a constant temperature loop and isolates the interference of environmental temperature differences, reducing the internal stress and warping deformation of the wax mold, which is difficult to achieve with ordinary desktop models.

Suitable wax consumables for casting

Equipment is specifically designed for the debugging and matching of Yihui low ash meltable wax resin. Consumable has sufficient roasting and decomposition, with extremely low combustion residue, and is not easy to form carbon slag or pitting on the surface of the casting; The thermal shrinkage rate of the material is stable, and the corresponding shrinkage parameters can be directly used for size compensation before printing, suitable for different precious metal alloys such as K gold, silver, and gold.

Mass production and parameter memory capability

Mass production version supports one-time layout and printing of multiple wax trees, with automatic layout optimization;Printing parameters, compensation plan, and layout files can be saved as independent formulas, which can be easily accessed with just one click during the production of the same filament product. This ensures that the wax mold size is consistent for each batch, improving the pain points of manual plate making and large batch fluctuations for ordinary printers.

03 Key points of process compensation for 3D printing filament wax molds

Fine filaments have thin and well supported walls, and are prone to warping during the degreasing and static stages. When using the Yihui 3D printer, the risk of deformation can be reduced through three-step control:

Basic scaling: Set the global scaling factor in the software based on the shrinkage rate of the selected precious metal alloy;

Local reverse compensation: separate deformation pre compensation for long filaments and multi-layer interwoven structures;

Post processing efficiency: After printing is completed, let the constant temperature chamber stand for 2-4 hours to fully release the internal stress of the wax mold and prevent slow deformation during storage and tree assembly.

After printing, the tree can be directly assembled, and the wax mold surface has a high smoothness, greatly reducing manual wax repair time.

04 One stop solution

Precision casting of filigree stems from wax molds. 3D printing completely frees up the styling limitations of filigree jewelry, allowing for the rapid production of multi-layered interweaving, irregular winding, and complex hollow filigree designs that are difficult to achieve with traditional handmade wax. 

Yihui Casting 3D printer achieves stable conversion from digital drawings to printed wax molds and precious metal castings, making it the preferred solution for digital production of filigree jewelry.

Yihui Casting was established in 2003 and has been deeply involved in metal casting for over 20 years. It is a national high-tech enterprise that integrates research and development, production, sales, consulting, installation, and training. Our products cover metal casting equipment, casting wax, graphite and quartz products. We have independently developed automated vacuum casting machines, vacuum wax injection machines, and 3D printers, breaking the long-term monopoly of imported high-performance jewelry equipment and exporting to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, the United States, and other regions.