Hi Octane Jewelry

Whilst searching for references towards my B-tech, I stumbled upon this website called Hi Octane Jewelry. Whilst most of their jewellery seems to be handmade, I think its really cool to see someone else manufacture jewellery using automobiles as their inspiration.

The website is http://hioctanejewelry.com/store/ 

Let there be light!

After a very long wait, the curing station in my printer has finally been fixed. Hoping to get going with my printing and manufacturing towards my B-tech....

The fine line of light between the two doors shows that the curing station is now working. 

Modifying the Dehydrator

I've recently noticed that if  I leave my resins in the dehydrator for a shorter amount of time, only one side gets cured. This is due to the light only being at the top off the box and not underneath the piece. Having a look at the curing station inside my printer, I noticed that there was a lot of mirror which reflects the UV light. This gave me the idea of adding a piece of mirror into the dehydrator. Hopefully this will give me a more even cure.

Printer Finally Back!

After sending my printer away to be fixed almost a month ago, I have finally just taken delivery of it. The problem with the curing station is still not fixed and the delay was caused by the 3D systems not sending the required part down (So I'm told). The technician should be here on Wednesday to resolve the issue at my premises.

The Kilns first burnout

Just as I thought, the new kiln made a huge difference. It was also a lot less time consuming not having to go constantly check  on it like the older one. The FTX  Cast results were superb! by far the best casting. the FTX Green resin on the other hand was not  that great.

FTX Cast

FTX Green

Despite the FTX Cast,working so well, there are a few disadvantages to printing using this resin such as it being very brittle and breaking very easily as well as it taking double the amount of time to print. I am finally seeing some light at the end of this tunnel.....I am hoping to get the FTX Green resin to the same finish as the FTX Cast.

New Kiln

I have just purchased a new Kiln, its a whole 2.1kw more powerful than the older one. This means that I will be able to get to the required temperatures a lot faster. This kiln is also programmable so I am able to preset the required temperatures/times giving me a more accurate result. Cant wait to try it out!

Inaccurate casting results

After weeks and weeks of casting, I feel that my results are inaccurate. This is due to me using an older manual Kiln that isn't able to 'hold' at specific temperatures for the required period of time.
Initially I felt that the old kiln would suffice as the workshop does its fair share of lost wax casting and it worked perfectly, however I now feel the need to purchase a new as resin casting needs requires a more accurate burnout.