3D printed watch cases.

[RichardHarris123]

Hello all. 

Watch cases come up often and we know about the difficulties of obtaining them.  Could they be 3D printed?  

For cheap watches, would the bare finish suffice?  For better watches, plastic can be electroplated.  For top quality, it could be used to produce a  mold for casting. 

Thoughts?

[praezis]

1 hour ago, RichardHarris123 said:

... it could be used to produce a  mold for casting. 

This is already done by the jewellers trade. But not very advisable for exact parts: the casting will shrink by 2...5%, not very exactly predictable.

You know: for jewellers the item must look nice. For watchmakers it must be exact to 1/100 mm. That is the difference between them.

Frank

[Tom32]

I’m keen to see what can be produced by these processes. I’ve never done any 3D printing design and don’t have a 3D printer though, so this may be a long term ambition.

As @RichardHarris123 highlights re: the number of movements without a case, this could be a cost friendly method with significant scope for designing the desired mould.

@praezis is spot on with the shrinkage of casted metals but i wonder what can be achieved by figuring that 2-5% into the mould. I’m working on some jewellery that will be casted in the next few months and will see what my caster thinks about it.

There’s an compelling thread on 3D printed mainspring winders, I’d be interested to see any pics of attempts to use 3D printing for cases as well.

[SpringMangler]

For fine detail work such as watch cases, 3D resin printers may be a better option. A bit more faff and there can be a bit of a smell from the resin, but the end results from 3D resin look superb. Small resin printers are not that expensive.