whatever s in your mind, make it real.

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1 in partnership with whatever s in your mind, make it real. Cooksongold Direct Metal Laser Sintering Design Guidelines DMLS design guidelines 203x290_English_AW.indd 1

The Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) technology speciﬁcally developed by Cooksongold and EOS to meet the needs of the jewellery and watchmaking industries frees designers from the constraints of

milling paths. This process facilitates the building of more cost-effective hollow pieces, along with parts that cannot be cast from a mould and links that are already joined. 1: Beneﬁts of DMLS.

Pieces for which it s impossible to make a casting mould, such as designs with undercuts, This shape appears solid apart from one small hole at the top, which can be filled in later.

The hole is there to allow the powder inside to be removed after building, while the wall angle removes the need for supports inside. Scaling.

CAD design. hollowed out sections, multiple links or the most delicate detailed or highly complex shapes, can all be built using DMLS, with the process repeated as many times as required. Links.

Individual links are built attached to a base platform but not attached to each other, which means that, once removed from the platform, the end result should be completely ﬂexible.

5mm must be left between parts to ensure that the two links do not accidentally fuse together in the course of the build. Infinite numbers of the same CAD design can be built in different sizes.

For example, when building extremely small parts any sharp angles or corners may appear slightly rounded. Edited versions. CAD files can be slightly modified to personalise or customise the piece.

2 The Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) technology speciﬁcally developed by Cooksongold and EOS to meet the needs of the jewellery and watchmaking industries frees designers from the constraints of conventional manufacturing technologies by creating complex and beautiful, ready to ﬁnish parts from precious metal powder, formed layer by layer without wax models, moulds, casting, special tools or milling paths. This process facilitates the building of more cost-effective hollow pieces, along with parts that cannot be cast from a mould and links that are already joined. 1: Beneﬁts of DMLS. Un-castable parts. Pieces for which it s impossible to make a casting mould, such as designs with undercuts, This shape appears solid apart from one small hole at the top, which can be filled in later. The cross-section, however, reveals that the shape is actually hollow and therefore considerably lighter. The hole is there to allow the powder inside to be removed after building, while the wall angle removes the need for supports inside. Scaling. The same design can be reproduced direct from the metal in different sizes and as many times as required at the touch of a button, facilitating production of a range of pieces using the same original CAD design. hollowed out sections, multiple links or the most delicate detailed or highly complex shapes, can all be built using DMLS, with the process repeated as many times as required. Links. Pre-linked chains, meshes and hinges can all be built by the DMLS process. Individual links are built attached to a base platform but not attached to each other, which means that, once removed from the platform, the end result should be completely ﬂexible. It is important that the two links intertwine without touching. A gap of at least 0.5mm must be left between parts to ensure that the two links do not accidentally fuse together in the course of the build. Infinite numbers of the same CAD design can be built in different sizes. Small details and thicknesses. The DMLS process can currently achieve a fine detail resolution of approximately 0.25mm. However, this is part specific. For example, when building extremely small parts any sharp angles or corners may appear slightly rounded. Edited versions. CAD files can be slightly modified to personalise or customise the piece. Each piece can be reproduced as many times as required without the need for moulds. Links are individually attached to the base platform by supports. Once supports are removed, links will be connected to each other but free to move. Hollowing. Hollow forms, or those with internal surface detail, can also be built through the DMLS process. To make a hollow part, you ll need at least one small hole of at least 0.5mm in diameter (this can be filled and soldered afterwards) to remove powder accumulated during the build, along with a wall thickness of at least 0.5mm. This can dramatically reduce the amount of metal required, and the associated cost, while still providing all the appearance of a solid piece. Slight variations on the same design can be built to create a collection of unique or personalised pieces. George W Hart. Spheres on Build Platform, Spheres 18ct Red Gold. Photo Credit: Cooksongold DMLS design guidelines 203x290_English_AW.indd 2-3

Surface finish. DMLS can achieve a surface finish comparable to that of a cast part.

The PRECIOUS M 080 machine has been specially developed to work with Cooksongold Advanced Metal Powders.

wire or tube and combined with other parts to create finished pieces as required. Light weighting.

This can be achieved through the hollowing out of the 3D geometries internal volume.

The finished piece can be significantly lighter than the original design providing significant precious metal cost savings.

To avoid any problems with the process, make sure that all of the areas inside the part are properly joined into one solid piece.

Building takes place on a base platform with supports to anchor the pieces. Dimensions.

Some areas of a piece may need supports: thin walls of gold built alongside the part to keep it upright, anchored and ensure an accurate

Horizontal areas and edges angled below 30 o from the platform base will need a support, otherwise the edge of the piece will start to

3 Surface finish. DMLS can achieve a surface finish comparable to that of a cast part. The surface will need to be finished by hand if a highly polished effect is required. Alloy. The PRECIOUS M 080 machine has been specially developed to work with Cooksongold Advanced Metal Powders. All of the metal powders used with our DMLS machines can be soldered, hallmarked and worked in exactly the same way as any alloy sheet, wire or tube and combined with other parts to create finished pieces as required. Light weighting. DMLS technology enables parts to be light weighted without compromising the design. This can be achieved through the hollowing out of the 3D geometries internal volume. Lattice support structures can also be used to ensure the design maintains strength and stability. The finished piece can be significantly lighter than the original design providing significant precious metal cost savings. 2: CAD files for DMLS. Internal surfaces. To avoid any problems with the process, make sure that all of the areas inside the part are properly joined into one solid piece. A Boolean function will achieve this in most CAD packages. 3: Building your design. Platform. Building takes place on a base platform with supports to anchor the pieces. Dimensions. Parts can be produced up to 75mm diameter x 90mm high. Supports. Some areas of a piece may need supports: thin walls of gold built alongside the part to keep it upright, anchored and ensure an accurate build. Horizontal areas and edges angled below 30 o from the platform base will need a support, otherwise the edge of the piece will start to sag into the loose powder below and the surface will be very rough or even fail to build at all. 30 o minimum angle from platform. The overhanging edge on this piece is under the 30 o minimum angle from the platform. WRONG intersecting surfaces. Supports must therefore be added to enable a successful build. RIGHT parts joined into a watertight solid. CAD format. Cooksongold advises that files should be saved in an STL format. Most CAD software packages can save or export the design as an STL file for production. To ensure the best results, files should be clean and watertight with no bad edges. Mini Magics from Materialise is free downloadable software which you can use to detect any bad edges in your designs, view a cross-section and check angles to ensure the design is suitable. This horizontal surface would require supports all the way along.

Supports are constructed so that they can be easily removed from the finished part.

may, however, need extra hand finishing which means that awareness of exact location and made

ease of access for cleaning are crucial.

do. Adding radii and designing pieces with angles of under 35-40o from the platform usually

The more upright the wall, the better the surface finish.

This supported surface could be changed to a greater angle which will not need supporting.

in the angle more gradual or reduce the angles involved.

4 Support removal. Some designs may need support when built in one direction but not when built in another. Supports are constructed so that they can be easily removed from the finished part. They While it s not necessary to determine the orientation, awareness of how your design will be may, however, need extra hand finishing which means that awareness of exact location and made could improve results if you do consider the possible support positions. ease of access for cleaning are crucial. Everyday hand tools such as pliers, files, emery paper and burrs can be used to remove supports. Self-supporting angles. Overhangs or angled walls that do not need supports will achieve a better result than those that do. Adding radii and designing pieces with angles of under 35-40o from the platform usually eliminates the need for support structures. The more upright the wall, the better the surface finish. This cylinder alone would be built upright as there would be no need for supports. This supported surface could be changed to a greater angle which will not need supporting. It s possible to achieve this by chamfering corners or rounding off edges to make sudden changes in the angle more gradual or reduce the angles involved. But, as part of a more detailed piece, it would need to be built on its side and would need supporting. Any circular holes with a diameter of 4mm or less will be capable of supporting themselves. Any larger diameter holes will need the inside support as shown above or modified as shown below. Removing horizontal edges and making the angles steeper removes the need for any supports DMLS design guidelines 203x290_English_AW.indd 6-7 Changing the shape of the internal hole to remove horizontal surfaces means fewer supports are needed.

5 in partnership with Support from Cooksongold and EOS. Cooksongold and EOS provide the jewellery or watch case designer with a comprehensive service package that includes machine sales, powder production and sales, maintenance and repairs, bureau service and finance options. This e-manufacturing package, created specifically for the jewellery and watchmaking industries through the partnership of Cooksongold and EOS, is unique in the market today, providing the designer with an end-to-end solution with endless possibilities and making the impossible possible. Quality assurance and certified reliability. With a quality management system certified in accordance with ISO 9001, an environmental management system in accordance with ISO and an occupational health and safety management system in accordance with OHSAS Cooksongold has a worldwide reputation for high standards of quality and expertise. Quality assurance is an integral part of our certified quality management system. Cookson Precious Metals Ltd., Vittoria Street, Birmingham, B1 3NZ, United Kingdom. For more information or general enquiries Tel: +44 (0) lasersintering@cooksongold.com or visit: Making the impossible possible. Cooksongold part of the Heimerle + Meule Group

Progress in Direct Metal Laser Sintering for the Jewellery & Watch Industry

Progress in Direct Metal Laser Sintering for the Jewellery & Watch Industry By David Fletcher Topics Abstract DMLS An Introduction emanufacturing User Interface File Cleaning File Encryption Part Orientation