Copper

Lost Wax Casting

Material Info

About

Copper is 100% copper formed through a lost wax casting process. It has a red-orange color that oxidizes over time turning the surface a darker brown, blue, or greenish color depending on the environment. Each copper part is 3D printed in a wax material which is used to create a mold for investment casting. Lost wax casting is capable of showcasing intricate details, offering a professional, finished look and feel that oxidizes over time creating a corrosion resistant boundary layer on the surface of the part. Internal detail can not be polished, well-reachable surfaces will be polished therefore tight internal spaces may remain unpolished.

Color & Finishes

Natural Light polishing to achieve a somewhat rough surface with a matte finish
Polished Hand-polished to achieve a smooth, shiny finish; lightly smooths sharp edges and fine details.

Technology

• Lost Wax Casting
  Copper - TDS

Description

Material Highlights Good electrical & thermal conductivity, capable of intricate details, corrosion resistant
Handling and Care Skin-friendly, high electrical conductivity, heats quickly

Design Guidelines

Bounding Box

Maximum Bounding Box 89 × 89 × 100 mm
Minimum Bounding Box 2.4 × 2.4 × 0.6 mm
The bounding box is a 3D imaginary outline of a box that encloses the smallest area occupied by your model. Your model must be within the minimum and maximum bounding box sizes. If the size of the model is close to the maximum bounding box, then the printing orientation will be restricted.

Walls

Supported Walls
0.6 mm (Natural)
0.8 mm (Polished)
Unsupported Walls
0.6 mm (Natural)
0.8 mm (Polished)
A supported wall is connected at least on two sides of the wall, while an unsupported wall is connected only on one side of the wall. Walls that do not meet the minimum requirements may not survive printing and cleaning processes. Additionally, models may still be rejected based on the wall geometry of the model. Please consider the size of your model and reinforce the walls or add support structures as needed as minimum guidelines will not always be adequate for large models.

Wires

Supported Wires
0.8 mm
Unsupported Wires
1.0 mm
A wire is a circular, rectangular or even triangular feature that is thinner in its unconnected directions than its length. A supported wire is connected at least on two sides of the model, while an unsupported wire is connected on one side of the model. Wires that do not meet the minimum requirements may not survive printing and cleaning processes. Additionally, models may still be rejected based on the wire geometry of the model. Please consider the size of your model and reinforce the wires or add support structures as needed as minimum guidelines will not always be adequate for large models.

Details

Embossed Details
0.3 mm high & wide (Natural)
0.4 mm high & wide (Polished)
Engraved Details
0.3 mm high & wide (Natural)
0.35 mm high & wide (Polished)
For text, the ratio between width and depth, should be 1:1 and sans-serif fonts are preferred for line weight consistency.

Escape Holes

Single Escape Hole Diameter
4.0 mm
Multiple Escape Hole Diameter
2.0 mm
Escape holes are necessary to empty the support material of a hollow model. Two escape holes at the opposite ends of the model is optimal for the support removal process. Please consider the size of your model and make the escape holes bigger or add more escape holes as needed as minimum guidelines will not always be adequate for large models.

Clearance

Minimum
0.3 mm
Clearance is the space between two individual parts in a model. If the space among the individual parts do not meet the minimum clearance, then parts can fuse together or can be difficult to clean. This is important for movable pieces like hinges, gears, etc.

Sprues

Not supported Sprues are wires that keep two or more parts together. Parts should be connected with a minimum of two sprues each. Please consider the size of your sprues and increase them as needed as minimum guidelines will not always be adequate for large models. If the sprues are within the guidelines and are broken, but there is no damage to your model, we will still ship them as is.

Interlocking & Enclosed Parts

Interlocking
Not supported
Enclosed
Not supported

Parts in File

Up to 2 identical parts (like earrings or cufflinks) may be uploaded in the same model file. We cannot accept multiple, unique, non-interlocking parts ordered in the same model file; there should be one file for each unique part.

Accuracy

During lost wax casting, the metal shrinks by approximately 1–1.5%.
Finishing and polishing then remove additional material, resulting in an overall size reduction of approximately 3%.
Overall size: The outside of your model becomes slightly smaller through both casting and polishing.

Openings & ring sizes: Holes, slots and other openings are affected much less because polishing removes material from the inside, partially offsetting the casting shrinkage.

Rings: The inside diameter typically remains within ±0.05–0.10 mm of the original design.

Related Materials

Brass Copper Alloy (80% Copper, 15% Zinc, 5% Tin)

Tin Brass Application: Jewelry, Fashion Accessories, Home Decor, Prototypes, Miniatures

Platinum Application: Women's and Men's Jewelry including Bracelets, Pendants, Rings, Cufflinks, and Tie Bars