Dlp 3d printer for jewelry


5 Best 3D Printers For Jewelry 2022 (All Price Ranges!)

3D printing jewelry rarely means 3D printing actual wearable pieces made from filament or resin, but instead using a jewelry 3D printer to create high-resolution wax models of the eventual gold or platinum design, used to create a mold that is burned out and cast via investment casting or lost wax casting.

  • We also have an article ranking some of the most beautiful 3D printed jewelry.

In fact, much jewelry is now created this way. There are entire factories of resin 3D printers set up to create castable wax resin models to be molded and then melted to create high-end jewelry.

However, owning your own jewelry 3D printer gives you more control over your production, and saves you money compared with paying someone to print your own molds. Castable resin molds can be produced for rings and other jewelry pieces for just the cost of the resin used, perhaps a dollar or two, whereas you could end up paying $25+ for someone to print it for you.

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NameBuild volume (mm)PriceWhere to buy
Elegoo Mars 2 Pro129 x 80 x 160$250Elegoo here
Peopoly Phenom276 x 155 x 400$1,999Matterhackers here
Formlabs Form 3145 x 145 x 185$3,499Dynamism Store here
Solidscape S3256″ x 6″ x 4″QuoteGet a Quote here
EnvisionTEC D4K Jewelry148 x 83 x 110QuoteGet a Quote here

The Jewelry 3D Printing Process
  1. CAD File: Either design your own jewelry piece on CAD software, pay someone to design your desired piece, or pay for an existing jewelry STL file online and download it.
  2. Slice & Prepare: If not already an STL or other compatible file, export it as one. Then import it into your 3D slicer and slice it for printing.
  3. Print the model: Use a castable wax resin designed for jewelry model 3D printing.
  4. Molding: Pour your molding material over your wax jewelry model, and leave it to harden.
  5. Melt the wax: Heat your new mold so that the original wax model melts and evaporates, leaving a hollow empty space inside with the exact dimensions of your planned jewelry piece. 
  6. Casting: Pour melted liquid metal e.g. gold, silver or platinum into the mold to cast it.

What are 3D printers for jewelry?

Resin 3D printers are considered the best 3D printers for jewelry. They are used with specialized castable wax resins, which rather than going from solid to liquid when heated, transition directly into a gas from their solid state.

Though prevalent, FDM 3D printers are very rarely used as 3D printers for jewelry. They are not capable of the same resolutions, crisp surface finishes or accuracies required for intricate and delicate jewelry pieces. Jewelry 3D prints need to be incredibly highly detailed and accurate — an inaccurate mold will create inaccurate and unimpressive jewelry.

Additionally, the better the jewelry 3D printer quality, the less finishing the resulting jewelry piece will need to perfect it.

What do jewelry 3D printers make?

Usually they 3D print wax jewelry molds, for example of ring designs before any stones are set, or individual chain links. 

However, they can also be used to create like-for-like “fitting pieces” for testing the fit of an as-yet unmade ring for a client’s finger. Though making the final ring would be expensive and take time, an exact replica can be made on a jewelry 3D printer in just minutes to test the sizing.

This saves the trouble of creating a piece just to find it doesn’t fit properly. Whereas for jewelry molds specialized castable resins are required, for these fitting pieces standard resins can be used.

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The best 3D printers for jewelry

1 — Elegoo Mars 2 Pro

  • Jewelry 3D printer price: $250 — Available at Elegoo store here / Available on Amazon here
  • Build volume: 129 x 80 x 160 mm

Featuring a 6-inch monochrome LCD screen offering HD 2K resolution, the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro offers precise jewelry printing for the price. Rather than DLP or SLA, the Mars 2 Pro uses LCD printing to cure entire resin layers at once, quickening print speeds and able to print at 30-50mm/h.This is the detail we achieved when using the Elegoo Mars 2 pro – enough for fine jewelry pieces.

Other 3D printers for jewelry on this list offer better quality, but for the price the Mars 2 Pro is a great option. It is sturdily built with its CNC-machined aluminum structure for better stability, and the mono LCD is upgraded for improved lifespan to save you money over the long term. It’s one of the best 3D printers for jewelry under $500.

The Elegoo Mars has Z-axis resolutions of up to 0. 00125mm, XY-resolutions of 0.05mm, and weighs 6.2kg. It also supports 12 different languages, so if you’re not a native English speaker you can choose your own language.

The video below even shows, from start to finish, how accurately you can make wax models for gold jewelry using a standard Elegoo Mars. Even this standard version produces good quality wax models, and the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro comes with several upgrades on the original.Printing on our Elegoo Mars 2 Pro – read our full review here.

2 — Peopoly Phenom

  • Jewelry 3D printer price: $1,999 — Available on Matterhackers here
  • Build volume: 276 x 155 x 400 mm

The Peopoly Phenom offers truly enormous printing volumes, almost unheard of for a jewelry 3D printer. For jewelers looking to produce many rings or other pieces simultaneously, this larger volume provides space for dozens of wax jewelry models. If you’re in demand for jewelry and want to make as many as possible then this larger build volume is crucial.

With its 4K high resolution projection quality using MSLA technologies, the Phenom produces crisp, accurate and consistent jewelry molds. MSLA takes elements from both LED and LCD technologies, the result being fast, accurate and repeatable jewelry 3D printing.

  • The even larger version, the Peopoly Phenom L, is available here.
  • For faster print speeds, the premium Peopoly Noir is available here.

The Phenom uses Chitubox resin 3D slicer, useful if you’ve previously used it previously on another printer. Overall, it’s one of the best 3D printers for jewelry, and a great choice for people looking to make large numbers of castable wax jewelry models.

3 — Formlabs Form 3

  • 3D for jewelry price: $3,499 — Available on Dynamism here
  • Build volume: 145 x 145 x 185 mm

Seen as the gold-standard in professional resin printing, the Form 3 is capable of fantastic precision, with its new custom Light Processing Unit (LPU) using lenses and mirrors to accurately print jewelry models.

For the price, the Form 3 offers 25-micron resolutions and very consistent and repeatable printing. For those looking for a 3D printer for jewelry able to produce the same design flawlessly again and again, or for producing custom intricate designs, the Form 3 can handle both without issue.

Formlabs make their own castable wax resins designed for jewelry with “crisp settings, sharp prongs and smooth shanks.” Within the Formlabs workflow therefore is a complete jewelry production process for wax models, though the Form 3 also excels as a dental 3D printer and in other industries, too.The Form 4, and several jewelry wax models it 3D printed.

4 — Solidscape S325

  • Price: Requires a quote
  • Build volume: 6” x 6” x 4”

Soliscape make specially designed jewelry 3D printers, so any Solidscape printer you buy is optimized for jewelry printing. Whereas other printers like the Form 3 are designed to excel in a number of industries, the Solidscape S325 is designed with jewelry wholly in mind.

The S325 is the cheapest of Solidscape’s jewelry 3D printer range. It offers great accuracy, material jetting wax models for the precise and effective investment casting of precious metals. Solidscape stress that all their models are castable in gold and platinum, and do not expand or shrink during the investment casting process.

The S325 is capable of 0.001-inch layer thicknesses, with accuracies of 0.005 inches. Overall, as a specialized 3D printer for jewelry, Solidscape have a rich history in jewelry 3D printing and can be trusted to deliver high-quality and precise ring wax models, time and time again.

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5 — EnvisionTEC D4K Pro Jewelry 3D printer

  • Jewelry 3D printer price: Requires a quote
  • Build volume: 148 x 83 x 110 mm

Described by EnvisionTEC are the highest resolution professional-grade desktop 3D printer, as well as claiming to have the fastest speed, the D4K is well suited to jewelry 3D printing. Speed and accuracy are key to jewelry production, with the printer’s 4K UV DLP projector able to create crisp wax models at speed to be cast into stunning jewelry pieces.

EnvisionTEC are the originators of DLP 3D printing, having pioneered the process more than a decade ago. Now, their advanced D4K Pro can produce accuracies of up to 25 microns in the XY resolution, and 1 micron on the Z axis.

The jewelry 3D printer works well with EnvisionTEC’s WIC100 Series wax material, used to then burn out and investment cast precious jewelry. Though it’s an industrial 3D printer costing over $10,000, larger jewelers will find the D4K one of the best 3D jewelry mold printers.

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*One of our trusted partners will be in touch following a quote request.

Advantages of owning a jewelry 3D printer

  • Saves money long term: rather than paying a 3D printing service $20+ to print your mold for you, you can print your own wax jewelry molds for just a dollar each.
  • Control your own jewelry production: with the ability to print jewelry in-house, you control your own workflow and apart from resin shortages, cannot be slowed down by supplier failures. Your order will always be top priority.
  • Fast: going from CAD model to a piece ready to be investment cast is quick, especially when you can print and cast everything in one place.
  • Very accurate: precise, smooth and intricate jewelry is not an issue for jewelry 3D printers, some able to print with below 10-micron accuracy to capture your ring’s most delicate and beautiful features.
  • Repeatable and scalable: 3D printers for jewelry can create potentially dozens of identical or customized ring molds at once, perfect for scalable jewelry production.

6 Best 3D Printers For Jewelry Making & Casting (2022 Update)

  • Last Updated: November 4, 2022

Whether you’re starting a new hobby or a new business, 3D printing jewelry is an exciting project to take on.  

A few clicks and some resin, and you magically get a completely customized piece of fine jewelry – it’s like alchemy is finally real!

At this point you want to make your dream a reality. We’re going to take a dive into the different printers you have as options, and then we’ll get into some things you need to know about jewelry making so you’re well-equipped to print your first piece.

Anycubic Photon

3D Printing Technology: MSLA

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Phrozen Sonic Mini 4k

3D Printing Technology: LCD

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Peopoly Moai

3D Printing Technology: SLA

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Table of Contents

  • Top 3D Printers For Jewelry At A Glance
    • 1. Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K (Best Choice)
    • 2. Formlabs Form 2 (Best High-End)
    • 3. Peopoly Moai (Premium Choice)
    • 4. Anycubic Photon (Best Value)
    • 5. Creality Ender 3 Pro (Best Budget FDM)
    • 6. Solidscape S370 (Professional 3D Jewelry Printer)
  • How Does 3D Printing Jewelry Work?
  • Process of Jewelry 3D Printing
  • Alternative 3D Printing Processes
  • Pros and Cons of Each 3D Printing Method for Making Jewelry
    • FFF / FDM
    • SLA
  • Why 3D Print Jewelry?
    • You Have Complete Freedom Over the Design
    • Pieces Can be Made That Seem to Defy Physics 
    • For Some Pieces, There is No Alternative 
    • Prototyping is So Much Faster
    • The Cost is So Low
  • Conclusion

Top 3D Printers For Jewelry At A Glance

We’ve researched over 10 different 3D printers for jewelry making for our own business and below are our top 6.

  1. Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K (Best Choice)
  2. Formlabs Form 2 (Best High-end)
  3. Peopoly Moai (Premium Choice)
  4. Anycubic Photon (Best Value)
  5. Creality Ender 3 Pro (Best Budget FDM)
  6. Solidscape S370 (Professional 3D Jewelry Printer)

1.

Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K (Best Choice)

If you want exceptional print quality without breaking the bank then the new and improved Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K is for you.

Compared to other affordable resin 3D printers like the Anycubic Photon S and Elegoo Mars 2 Pro, we found the printing quality superior in the former. The XY layer resolution of the Mini 4K is 35 microns vs the 50 microns of those two printers. 

As you know, in the world of television and mobile phones, 4K screens produce high-quality images. Similarly, thanks to the 4K LCD screen with the Mini 4K, you’ll get a better print resolution.

In all fairness, the differences between prints from the three printers weren’t pronounced. But in detail-packed jewelry, you’ll notice the power of the 4K LCD.

The Sonic Mini 4K also prints faster – one layer in 2 seconds fast (although the newer models of the Photon and Mars are keeping up).

If you want a beginner-friendly resin 3D printer for jewelry, then the Mini 4K is for you. It’s that easy to use. Just plug in, level, and start printing. The default settings in Chitubox work without any adjustments although you’ll have to tweak it for certain designs.

In terms of printer noise, the Sonic Mini 4K is a bit noisier than the original Sonic Mini. The noise mainly comes from Mini’s Z-axis stepper motor during the changing of layers. 

All in all, for 3D printing jewelry and miniatures you can’t go wrong with the Sonic Mini 4K. It excels where print details are a must.