Sculpteo has announced that it has added a seventh class of material type to its offering. Joining the already available thermoplastics, resins, sterling silver, alumide, ceramics and multi-color gypsum powder, the newest material, Brass, is being offered in several different finishes for just about any budget.
Jewelry and brass objects made by Sculpteo are actually created using the lost wax casting process. Your object will be 3D printed on an extremely high-detail 3D Systems Projet 3500 CPX HD wax 3D printer capable of resolutions as fine as 0.025mm. It will then have a mold made around it and have the wax burned away leaving the mold empty so the brass can easily be cast. Sculpteo uses a brass composed of 82% copper and 18% zinc, which is almost identical to the types of brass commonly used in traditionally manufactured jewelry.
Brass will be made available in three different finishes. Rough or raw brass will only be given a very quick sanding process in order to remove any impurities or flaws. While the rough brass could be worn on the body, unfinished brass tends to tarnish quickly when exposed to air. This is the option to use if you want to plate, polish or finish your own jewelry.
The Mirror Polish will produce a highly reflective shine and glimmer. This would be the ideal finish for inexpensive jewelry or decorative designs. The polishing process that Sculpteo makes uses a method called Subtractive Polishing in a tribofinishing machine. This process smooths the surface and eliminates any remaining striation that is still visible. You may lose some of the small details using his method, so design accordingly.
And the final brass option is the 22k Gold Electroplated brass material. Virtually any brass object can be gold-plated, and in fact most of the inexpensive “gold” jewelry that is purchased in stores is just a gold plate over a solid brass core. Because it involves real gold being used for the plating, this is one of Sculpteo’s more expensive 3D printing options.
