Best 3D Printers for Castable Resin Printing
3D Printers for Jewelry: Nova3D Gem3 and Gem3 Max – Excellent Quality at the Right Price
It's a common question we get: 'What's the best 3D printer for our castable resins?' Honestly, there's probably no single right answer. When it comes to DLP printers, you'll often see Asiga and Solus mentioned as top contenders. But with LCD printers, it's a much more crowded market. There are tons of models at all sorts of price points, and they can all do a great job printing our resins, as well as other jewelry designs.
Over the past fifteen years, we've had the privilege of testing hundreds of resin 3D printers for jewelry, supposed to be the best for the castable resins. This experience taught us something important: manufacturer-provided technical specifications frequently don't reflect reality. Seemingly promising machines, even 16K printers with extremely high resolutions—perhaps beyond the actual needs of the goldsmithing sector—disappointed during practical tests. They showed significant limitations, including low LCD screen contrast or insufficient Z-axis build quality.
Recently, it was Nova3D printers' turn. They launched the Gem3 and Gem3 Max on the market. Both are open and ready to print various castable resins. This includes the latest BlueCast series.
What makes Gem3 ideal 3d printers for jewelry?
The manufacturer declared them specifically designed for jewelry and castable resin 3D printing. What immediately struck us about both models was their robustness. The Z-axis features a ball screw with a metal nut. It is equipped with two industrial linear guides. The motor ensuring its movement is equally powerful. The entire system is fully enclosed. This guarantees unusual stability. It is fundamental for obtaining jewelry with smooth surfaces and free from growth defects.
The dual sensor at the base and apex of the Z-axis ensures optimal auto-calibration with every print. This reduces adhesion problems and accidental failures. Furthermore, the print plate arrives accurately calibrated and leveled from the factory. This eliminates the need for leveling or sanding, which is common with other 3D printer models. The Gem3 and Gem3 Max are therefore plug-and-play for jewelry. They do not require special adjustments for successful use from the very first print. Finding a 3D printer in this price range capable of reproducing even very elaborate jewelry models is by no means a given.
The results from the first prints confirmed that these two 3D printers are truly optimized for castable resins. This is not only due to their high resolution (up to over 20 microns). Other small details also make them among the most interesting machines on the market. The COB LED light source is the latest generation, liquid-cooled. Light homogeneity is guaranteed by a high-quality Fresnel lens. Moreover, the integrated heating system is extremely efficient and functional. This is especially true for castable resins. Thanks to these features, the entire declared print area can be utilized. This yields highly accurate 3D jewelry models.
We also verified that models produced using the Gem3 and Gem3 Max are equivalent in weight and dimensions. This holds true regardless of the print location (with a gap of less than 1%). This is a crucial factor for a 3D printer to be considered ideal for jewelry. It is equally significant to note that exposure times and print speeds are very respectable. They are 40% faster than competitors in this price range. Both machines are equipped with an efficient resin heating system. This feature is very useful for castable resins with a high wax or waxy polymer content.
Technical specifications
Nova3D Gem3 Max Technical Specifications:
* Print Technology: MSLA/UV LCD
* Light Source: 7th-gen COB + Light Homogenizer, 4th-gen Integrated Air Cooling System
* Optical Power Intensity: 5000uw/cm²
* UV Wavelength: 405nm
* Resolution: 15120 * 6230
* Pixel Size: 14 * 19um
* Build Volume: 221 * 118 * 100mm
* Layer Thickness: 20um - 200um (20µm increments)
* Print Speed: 70mm/h
* Lead Screw: Industrial Ball Screw
* Linear Guides: Dual Linear Guides
* Slicer Software: ChituBox, NovaMaker
* Supported File Formats: .stl, .obj
* Supported Operating Systems: Mac OS X / Windows
* Printer Dimensions: 358 * 379 * 473mm
* Net Weight: 24kg
In light of all this, and after a month of extensive testing, we can confidently state that the Nova3D Gem3 and Gem3 Max 3D printers represent an ideal professional printing solution for jewelers who need to print castable resins without problems or limitations. They seek high performance at an absolutely affordable price.
We hope this analysis was helpful! Have you ever tried Nova3D printers? Do you have other questions about 3D printers for jewelry? Let us know in the comments!
https://nova3dp.com/products/gem3-jewelry-resin-3d-printer
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