5-axis machining comes to jewelry?

[mitch]

the wave of the future?

http://www.ottofrei.com/Merlin-Mill...1&spJobID=360999488&spReportId=MzYwOTk5NDg4S0

 

[Marrinan]

Wow, The price will come down pretty fast I think. Remember the first auto cad programs were $25000. Or the first laser printers at $4000 and color laser printers at $ 8000 or desktop PC at $4000? I sure do, got them sitting around upstairs. Fred

 

[don hicks]

If I had all the money I spent on now obsolete computer equipment since 1984 I would be able to buy Merlin and have lots of change leftover.
Cheers
Don

 

[Southern Custom]

I"m smitten! I'm as old school as they come in my shop but toys like this sure speed up the process.
Layne

 

[Brian Marshall]

Maybe someday they will be able to connect those things up in such a way that they can duplicate what is in your mind?

The finished products I have seen all have that "machine made" look about them. Most German jewelers I know love 'em... they like those sharp edged geometric designs.

I've not seen one yet that can carve an animal figure any faster, and certainly not better looking than can be done by hand carving. It'll come, no doubt. But not quite there yet.


Those old Texas Instruments calculators were $400 or $500... now you get a better one at the 99 cent store. And it needs no batteries!


Brian

 

[vilts]

I wonder if this supports simultaneous movement of all axes. Demo video doesn't show it. If it has just "indexed" movement, then that is not so hot on that price level.

 

[Marrinan]

Brian, The time I spent on my senior trip to Southeast Asia, forty years as a 1%er you would not want to see what is in my mind jewelry or not. Fred

 

[mitch]

I wonder if this supports simultaneous movement of all axes. Demo video doesn't show it. If it has just "indexed" movement, then that is not so hot on that price level.

i wondered that myself. if it had that capability you'd think they would show it. i've seen videos of real high end 5-axis machining centers, with both tool & part moving in complex paths simultaneously, and they are truly a wonder to behold.

 

[Willem Parel]

Check out this blog of Chris Botha, an Australian guy who does magnificient things with a tool like this. ( I think he uses only a 4 axes machine)
He is active on Steve's blog and also does engraving..

http://digital-jeweller.blogspot.nl/2011_05_01_archive.html

http://digital-jeweller.blogspot.nl...00+11:00&max-results=20&reverse-paginate=true

 

[dogcatcher]

I have a head start, I already have the Sherline chucks. LOL

 

[Donny]

I figure right about the time I'm good enough to make money steady .......They will have a computerized engraving machine to put me outta business

Donny

 

[Ron Spokovich]

This subject was touched upon before. I have no worries that a 3, 4, or 5 axis machine is going to put engravers out of business any time soon, or even at all. Why? While those machines have their place, they cannot render the fine detail, blending, shading, sculpting, and a raft of other techniques to a piece of work. . .the tool geometry won't permit it. They may be great for knocking out most of the cuts for a wax mold, but not all. Also, customers want something fairly soon, and you can knock out a monogram fairly quick while a guy with some machine may have a backlog, not to mention the price he'd charge for such work. What if his machine breaks down? If your graver 'breaks down', just pick up another one. Also, a lot of people do not want automated work. . .they want the hand made item. The craftsman won't be disappearing anytime soon, unless it's because of old age.

 

[GTJC460]

In today's jewelry market, if you don't have a mill AND a 3d printer, you won't be around very long. I own both and use them to augment the hand work I do.

Long story short...I originally learned all the cad/cam stuff to create "engraved" jewelry designs. Ultimately I learned the graver skills to do the decorative engraving and the advanced pave work.

Today I use cad to basically create the rough designs with pilot holes to mark stone placement. Everything else is done by hand. Cut down, setting and engraving. It's a great tool to have when you do high volume custom jewelry. Anyone servicing trade accounts as a custom jeweler must have it as a starting point.

Sure I could hand make everything but I'd go out of business. No one wants to pay me to work a whole week on one job. CAD lets me work on dozens of pieces simultaneously. I make a fair living blending old and new. There's certainly plenty of hacks out there that can't do squat unless the machine made it. Their work speaks for itself.

There's nothing wrong with using this tech. It's no different than picking up an air assit graver vs a burin.

 

[BrianPowley]

Talk about old school.... I have no idea what "vectoring" is. Corel??? AutoCad????
I'm still using a Dixon #2 pencil, a Pink Pearl Eraser, and some tracing paper, but only if I feel like it.
I must be lucky----they do pay me to work for weeks, even months on one job.

 

[Gemsetterchris]

GTJC460..I totally agree with your post...It's the way forward & saves a lot of time for some things but not a replacement for everything.
Just to add, a lot of images in magazines are in fact only rendered CAD images of fancy jewellery waiting for an order..saves spending anything out up front.