{ Wildcard Week }

It was a free week, where we had to design and produce something using digital manufacturing processes, some examples could be compositions, textiles, biotechnology, robotics, folfding and kitchen.

In our fab, we decided to create some jewelry, so in class we were taught a process that involves digital fabrication with casting techniques.

So the first step was to determine what piece of jewelry to make, in my case I decided to create a pair of rings.

The first step was to take the measure of ring that my finger needed, fortunately I already had rings with my measurement, so with the vernier I took the measurements of height, width and depth. However, there are certain special rules that jewelers use to get the exact measurement.

Then I designed my first ring, which I wanted to make in the shape of a skull / helmet. Looking for images on Pinterest I found a ring that I liked a lot so I downloaded the image to try to reproduce it.

The CAD software I used was Maya 3D, at this stage of the fab, I have learned many CAD softwares but thanks to this I have been able to find the advantages that each one has for the different types of design that you can imagine. In this case, being a more organic model, I was able to design it in Maya.

To make this design, place the reference image in a plane to try to trace the main vertices and then modify my initial object, a cube.

Since it is based on a skull, and we take into account that it is symmetrically vertical, I concentrated on only designing one half for when it was finished, only mirroring and joining symmetrically.

In the end it was only to adjust certain vertices to be able to give a final finish.

One problem I had was that the design was pretty good but on a single axis, that is, the skull was flat, as if it had been crushed. So I had to change the vertices to achieve a curvature, adapted to the reality of a skull and the circumference of the ring.

After better adapting the curvature, soften the design so that it does not remain so "lowpoly".

The detail of the eyebrow was created also from a cube that I was deforming and softening, in the end I adjusted it where I had to go and using a Boolean I managed to create that detail.

The ring placed so far was simulation, that is, it did not have the real measurements but it facilitated the creation.

Finally, export the model in .OBJ format, which is a fairly compatible extension between several CADs.

One point to consider is that when designing in Maya you do not have real measurements, only units.

So then I use Rhinoceros CAD software where I design 2 circumferences with the measurements of my ring that I previously obtained. Extruded and then mesh my ring.

Import the model of my skull and adjust the dimensions to tie the measurements with the ring created in Rhinoceros since this one does have the real measurements.

Finally, remove the fake ring created in Maya and adjust the skull to the real ring. Export the model in .STL format to be able to print it.

In addition to this ring, I made another slightly simpler, a simple ring with the initial letter of my name. Design the letter R in Adobe Illustrator and export to rhino and extrude the details to create a highlight effect on the surface of the ring.

To make the impression we use a 3D printer different from the ones I normally used in the fab. We are talking about a castable resin printer.

Next, a little information about it.

The castable resin was designed to capture precise details and smooth surfaces. It burns cleanly and without waste, allowing jewelers to move directly from digital design to 3D printing suitable for casting.

Using the traditional method, a model or "pattern" is made in wax, a plaster mold is created around the wax model, and then that mold is baked in an oven. The wax is burned or "lost" to allow the metal pieces to be molded into the resulting mold. This same technique is now used with complex parts printed in 3D.

In the case of 3D printers, they use a resin similar to wax as a printing material. After completing the pattern assembly, the entire assembly is dipped several times into the suspension. The coating is allowed to dry and solidifies forming an outer layer on the pattern.

It is placed inside an oven and the original resin structure melts. Then, the final casting material is poured into the mold and allowed to cool and solidify. Finally, the exterior mold is eliminated and the castings go through traditional jewelry finishing techniques.

Next, I show the series of steps to make jewelry with this technique.

Next, teacher a video of the casting process.

The result of the rings is seen in the following images.

Then, the rings are placed in an acid solution for a few seconds and then in water.

The next step is to polish the rings, for this we use a small machine that rotated them for 1 hour.

Finally, it is only necessary to give it the final finish, this is a very traditional process and it ends until you feel satisfied with the result.

• { anillobien. }
• { AnilloBien.stl }
• { AniloBienCalaveraV2.stl }
• { AniloBienR.stl }
• { AniloBienRRV2.stl }
• { AniloBienRV2.stl }