3D WERK
JEWELLER'S GUIDE
JEWELLER'S GUIDE
Practical guides for
printed wax and casting.
Guides from the 3D Werk team, in the order the job goes: from the first CAD model, through printing and post-processing your wax, to a clean casting. Start with the big picture, or jump straight to your stage.
11
practical guides
2
calculators for metal and cost
4
stages, from CAD to casting
A4
printable PDFs for the bench
WHERE TO BEGIN
The big picture
START HERE
How printed wax patterns fit into lost-wax casting, and what to weigh up before bringing wax printing into your workshop.
How lost-wax casting works, step by step
Choosing a wax printer, and what the specs mean
Printed wax or castable resin, honestly compared
In-house or outsourced patterns
8 short sections · 10 common questions answered
1
DESIGN
Before you print
Get the model right and every later stage gets easier: the software, the shapes that cast cleanly, and a ring that fits.
2
PATTERNS
Printing the wax
Choose the pattern material, decide whether printing in house pays, then clean your patterns ready for the tree.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Resin chars and burns out. Wax melts out. What really changes at the bench and in the kiln when your patterns are printed in wax.
Why wax melts out and resin has to burn out
No UV cure and no clipping off supports
Side by side, row by row
Where a resin printer still makes sense
7 short sections · side by side comparison
AFTER PRINTING
From the build plate to a clean, dry pattern, with every detail intact.
Release parts with gentle heat or cold, no prying with a scraper
Dissolve the support in warm IPA baths
Step the temperature down so the wax never cracks
4 steps · troubleshooting table · printable PDF
3
CASTING
From tree to metal
Sprue the tree, invest and burn out, and melt the right metal in the right amount.
BEFORE INVESTING
Sprue and attach your patterns so every piece fills and solidifies in the right order.
Sprue size, shape and where to attach it
Angles, spacing and flask clearance
Weighing the tree to work out your metal
4 steps · common mistakes · printable PDF
4
AFTER CASTING
Getting it right
Read the defect, then fix the stage it came from.
WHY THESE GUIDES
Clear steps, honest trade-offs
   Step by step
Each guide follows the job in the order you do it, with drawings for every step.
   Honest trade-offs
Where resin, outsourcing or hand carving is the better choice, we say so.
   Print and keep
Seven guides and the metal weight card come as A4 PDFs for the bench.
Questions about your wax patterns?
Our team is happy to help with printer setup, training and troubleshooting in your workshop.