Interlocking Link Jewelry via 3D Printed Mould Casting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for making jewelry items using 3D printing struggle to create pieces that are both strong and pliable, often resulting in items that are either too rigid or prone to separation.
Innovation Solution
A method involving 3D printing a prototype, creating a mould, and pouring a metallic material into the mould to form jewelry items with interlocking links that have complementary protrusions and recesses, ensuring strength and flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If 3D printing is used to manufacture jewelry items, then production speed and economy are improved, but the resulting items are either too rigid or prone to separation
Solution Approach 1:
The jewelry item is divided into multiple links with complementary protrusions and recesses. Each link is manufactured separately through 3D printing, then assembled together. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for both strength and flexibility while maintaining rapid production through automated manufacturing of individual units.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite construction by combining multiple printed links with interlocking geometric features. The complementary protrusions and recesses create a composite structure that achieves both rigidity for strength and flexibility for wearability, resolving the contradiction between these properties in 3D printed jewelry.
2Reliability
If links are made with complementary protrusions and recesses to prevent separation, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complementary protrusion-recess geometry serves multiple functions simultaneously: it prevents link separation, provides interlocking strength, and maintains flexibility. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional components or complex assembly mechanisms, thereby managing device complexity while achieving high reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection features (protrusions and recesses) are merged directly into the link geometry itself rather than being separate components. This integration simplifies the overall device by eliminating additional fastening elements while maintaining stable link connections through the interlocking design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method produces jewelry items that are both strong and pliable, with interlocking links preventing separation and allowing for flexibility and customization, while maintaining a fast and economical production process.
Implementation Method 1
pouring a material in melted state into the mould, and finally removing the object
Implementation Method 2
leaving such melted material to solidify
Data Source
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AI summary
Method for making a jewellery item, which comprises the steps of: making a 3D print of a prototype having the desired shape of the item (2), obtaining a mould from the prototype, pouring a material in melted state into the mould, leaving such melted material to solidify, removing the solidified material from the mould. The item (2) has an outer surface comprising a plurality of links (4) having a complementary shape and intersecting each other, wherein the shape of the links (4) prevents them from separating.