CAD design and 3D printing – our great grandfathers would never have dreamed of considering this route for manufacturing but, when times are tough, it definitely forces us small family business entrepreneurs to consider all options, which is something that my husband Juan and I have done.
We have been using CAD design combined with CNC (computer numerical control) machining since 2005.
This new technology scares most of us because it is unknown territory; however, having taken it one small step at a time means that we haven’t been overwhelmed and have actually found that it really isn’t as difficult as first expected.
Have you ever heard of a person being admitted to hospital because they’re overcome by technology? No. And yet we have heard of people losing family businesses, homes and livelihoods because they just would not change until it was too late! The reality is that we have to change the “recipe” in order to survive in this increasingly competitive market.
Embracing CAD design and CNC has made our small jewellery business very competitive, even with the mass-producing factories. We use Jewelry Cad Dream software and we’ve found CAD design gives us the visual tool to get the confident go-ahead for custom jobs. It enables the customer who cannot convey ideas clearly to ”see” a product that does not yet exist. It also cuts out misinterpretations of ideas and styles – “flat” can mean very different things to many different people, for example. CAD gives us the opportunity to tweak the design without re-making the actual item until the customer is completely satisfied.
Perhaps most importantly, CAD offers hope that our children will continue to be interested in the family business. After all,
they are our future, born into this technological world.
Speaking of younger generations, there is one concern that should be raised when it comes to this new way of making jewellery. It seems that every young person that knows anything about any old CAD design program now thinks they can become a jewellery designer but little do they know about gemstone setting, practical construction on the bench and all the other things that we had to learn the “hard” way.
We must therefore make it our responsibility to teach them such wisdoms before they get to a jewellery designer position.
What about 3D printing? Once upon a time we mostly used our CNC machine to manufacture waxes and occasionally made use of 3D-printing trade services; however, the more we used these services, the more compelled we felt to have a 3D printer on site.
The CNC machine was 100 times better than carving the wax model by hand but it still wasn’t perfect. Undercuts and intricate details became our limitations and we felt the need to break free. We finally bought a resin printer in 2012, which was affordable but posed casting issues – our 3D-wax prints for trade customers were not compatible with the procedures of the “big boys” in the casting industry.
It was for this reason that we went one step further by purchasing our own 3D wax printer in August this year. We now have no limitations. We can cast our own products, both resin and wax, and supply customers with their own 3D wax prints to send to their preferred casting supplier anywhere in the world.
For us, 3D printing surely makes life easy – smooth surfaces; accurate parts; no waste; easy to assemble; pre-cut seats for gemstone-set items. We’ve reduced gemstone-setting costs by about 80 per cent, which is huge for our business.
Don’t just take our word though. Visit the online forums and blogs to read comments from other jewellers across the world before investing in software and 3D printers. Such comments provide an uncensored view of the available brands as well as whether there is a good or bad after-sales support, which is important.
Feeling overwhelmed? New technology can be scary but I’m positive anyone can master the techniques in no time. Our industry isn’t what it used to be and we need to investigate new ways to survive. The question is whether we’re brave enough to change the game.
Jean-Thereze Steenkamp, managing director of Jeanco Jewellers, Auckland, North Shore, New Zealand, Years in the industry: 15