Shrinkage in silver

#1

Dear fellow makers and i.materialise support team.

I would like to print a 3d model of small sized earrings or pendants in silver.
This model contains some premade seats (holes) for gemstones.

My problem is: should I scale up my model before printing, maybe something like 1-2%?

I would like the gemstones to fit perfectly into the holes.

Does some shrinkage occur after a casting?

Did anybody encounter the same problem?

Thank you

Best regards

martina

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#2

Dear Martina,

Thank you for contacting us. Here you can find a link where you can fine more information about the shrinkage/finishes of the silver we offer.
https://i.materialise.com/en/3d-printing-materials/silver/design-guide#anchorFinishingandItsInfluenceontheLevelofDetail8
Greetings,

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#3

Thank you.
I found something also in other forums.
I think scaling the models up to 101.5% should be fine.
Fingers crossed.

Best regards

#4

Did the 101.5% trick work? I’m thinking about something similar, need precision on the hole size for gemstones. The generic datasheets with ±5% accuracy (written by a lawyer?) are not super helpful.

#5

Hi,
I haven’t tried imaterialise yet, but I tried to scale with another online 3d printing service company. I upscaled my models to be printed in sterling silver by 2.5%, and it worked fine. But please consider two things: my gemstones were very small (1.5 mm and 2.25 mm); my 3d models were not rings, but pendants or earrings (it gets trickier with ring sizes). I sent my 3d printed jewelry and gemstones to a professional setter, and he didn’t have any issues. My guess is that upscaling everything by 2% should be ok. However, I don’t know if i.materialise staff does this extra guessing themselves, so they think you want your model in the exact size you uploaded it and compensate for the shrinking themselves. Cheers

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#6

Hello Martina,

For i.materialise it’s not possible to predict what the shrinkage will be. A model is considered good as from the moment that the accuracy is within ±5% (with a lower limit of ±0.35 mm). You can read more about the design specifications and a design guide on https://i.materialise.com/en/3d-printing-materials/silver

Please keep also in mind that we measure these tolerances on the outer dimensions of the entire part and we can’t guarantee that the gemstones will fit perfectly into the holes.

Kind regards Lizy