The system is designed for jewellery and watch production, while Cooksongold will also provide consultation for a DMLS-driven design process and bureau service for production of bespoke precious metal parts.
“Utilising the power of 3D CAD design, DMLS technology will challenge a designer’s imagination and enable the creation of jewellery and watch components that previously would have been impossible to successfully manufacture,” said David Fletcher, European product manager at Cooksongold. “[Additive manufacturing] will change the economics of producing watch and jewellery products by offering a streamlined manufacturing process that dramatically reduces the time required from design conception to final part realisation. DMLS will also enable the production of design-driven pieces that are not limited by the restrictions of conventional production techniques such as lost wax casting, eliminating many process steps and costs that we normally encounter.”
The PRECIOUS M 080 has an 80 mm diameter round build platform with a working stroke of 95 mm (high, including building platform). It is equipped with a 100 watt fibre laser and a small spot size with improved detail resolution, making it possible to create very fine structures. The printer is designed to ensure maximum accountability of the precious metal powder used in the process.
Quick turnaround
The system also enables quick turnaround between jobs and materials via its cartridge based system, which includes an extraction cartridge for easy removal of powder. It will be used with metal powders produced by Cooksongold. Currently the system can build parts using a variety of gold alloys and future development of additional materials to meet customer requirements is planned.
