3D printing – the production technique whereby computer-aided machinery is used to create rapid-prototypes in resin or wax – has recently been much in the news and has been hailed as a revolutionary step forward in the making of many consumer items, not least jewellery, and as a way of bringing manufacturing back to Britain.
For Weston Beamor (WB) (Hall 17 Stand P44/Q45) the Birmingham casting house and forerunner in the field of 3D printing this technology is not new – indeed it has been an integral part of its service to customers for the past 13 years.
“We were a very early adopter of 3D printing and have invested heavily in new developments as they have come along.
We now own three state-of-the art machines made by Viper, Envision Tec and Solid Scape, one of which is not available elsewhere in the UK, and can offer our customers the chance to produce, highly complex, product prototypes, in a variety of materials and sizes.
We believe that some jewellers are still unaware of our expertise in this field and more importantly perhaps, do not fully understand the ways in which we can help and advise them to make use of this service in their own production processes, so we are making 3D our focus at this year’s show in Birmingham,” says WB’s Head of New Business Development, Glen Day.
Visitors to the stand will be able to see a selection of detailed models made for customers using the company’s various 3D printing machines and its expert team of advisors will be on hand to discuss particular production challenges.
Also on show will be Weston Beamor’s 3D, desk-top scanner which can be used to create a CAD file from which prototypes can then be produced.
The winning designs from the company’s annual competition for students in the School of Jewellery at Birmingham City University will also be on display. “The challenge this year is to create a design around a choice of differently shaped semi-precious stones and we anticipate some stunning results,” says Day.