1995 - Rapid Prototyping 101

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1995.jpg

1995 - Rapid Prototyping 101

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Because of the nature of fashion, one of the most important ingredients in the recipe for the successful jewelry manufacturer is market timing. As in most other industries, the company with the first new widget on the market receives the majority of market share. Additionally true in the jewelry industry, if that new widget becomes popular, many renditions of it will find their way to retail outlets.

We have seen through earlier Santa Fe Symposia that Computer Aided Design (CAD) can be a useful tool in presenting new designs to the model maker. The model maker then uses his or her skill and artistry to convert the two dimensional CAD rendition into a three dimensional model. Depending on the jewelry piece, the master model can take up to several days to complete. In some cases production models must also be made, increasing the time required to get the finished jewelry piece to the consumer. Is there a faster way?

Rapid Prototyping (RP) is a new Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) technology currently being used in such industries as health care, automotive and aerospace to significantly reduce model making time. Does this new technology have application in the jewelry industry? This paper will explain the various RP systems and show where there may be application for the jewelry industry.

Author: Dennis B. Ledbetter

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