Demanda
Ref: TRCH20251216014
Descripción
A Swiss luxury jewellery SME seeks advanced solutions for processing 925 silver by MoldJet additive manufacturing. The goal is to achieve near-full density, high surface quality and controlled shrinkage for certified jewellery production. The technology must be lab-tested or available for demonstration. A research and development cooperation is sought with material and process specialists.
Title
Process optimisation of 925 Silver for MoldJet additive manufacturing in luxury jewellery
Abstract
A Swiss luxury jewellery company is developing an innovative additive manufacturing process to produce high-quality 925 sterling silver components using MoldJet technology. The company is actively seeking reliable and scalable alternatives to traditional manufacturing methods, such as investment casting and CNC machining. These conventional processes often result in high scrap rates, limited design flexibility, labour-intensive post-processing, and complex recycling workflows.
The company operates in the high-end jewellery segment and focuses on the development of technically demanding and design-driven precious metal components. To expand its production capabilities and improve sustainability, the company aims to validate MoldJet as a near-zero-waste manufacturing process for silver jewellery. This emerging technology is based on the creation of a reusable wax mould that is selectively filled with a metal-containing paste, cured, de-waxed and subsequently sintered to full density.
The main objective of the request is to establish a robust and industrially viable MoldJet process chain for 925 sterling silver, covering slurry formulation, printing behaviour, debinding strategy, high-temperature sintering profiles, shrinkage control, porosity reduction and surface quality optimisation. Particular attention is given to dimensional accuracy, surface finish and mechanical performance to meet the stringent requirements of the luxury sector.
Representative jewellery components and standard test specimens will be manufactured to validate the process under industrially relevant conditions. The performance of the final parts will be assessed through density measurements, microstructural analysis, hardness testing and dimensional tolerance verification. The results will define the processing window and quality limits of MoldJet for silver.
This development supports sustainable production by reducing material losses, enabling wax reuse, decreasing post-processing requirements and improving overall material efficiency.
The company is seeking international technology partners with expertise in precious metal pastes, sintering technology, thermal processing or additive manufacturing materials. The targeted collaboration is a research and development cooperation agreement, with the goal of progressing towards industrial implementation and future commercial production.
Advantages and innovation
First industrial validation of MoldJet for sterling silver:
This project represents one of the first structured industrial applications of MoldJet technology for 925 sterling silver in the luxury jewellery sector. It enables complex geometries and design freedom beyond the limitations of conventional casting and CNC machining.
Near-zero-waste and circular production:
Selective metal deposition combined with reusable wax moulds enables near-zero material waste, significantly reducing precious metal losses, refining costs and environmental impact compared to traditional manufacturing routes.
High densification with ultra-low binder systems:
The use of very low binder content ( less than 2%) allows clean debinding and improved sintering behaviour, achieving high-density silver parts ( more than 99%) with minimal residual porosity and enhanced mechanical integrity.
Improved surface quality and reduced post-processing:
Optimised sintering and shrinkage control enable jewellery-grade surface finishes directly after processing, significantly reducing polishing and manual finishing, which are major cost and time drivers in precious metal production.
Enhanced dimensional accuracy and repeatability:
Advanced thermal profiling and shrinkage modelling allow predictable dimensional behaviour, supporting tight tolerances and consistent quality in small-series and batch production.
Industrial scalability and batch capability:
MoldJet enables batch manufacturing with stable cycle times, facilitating a smooth transition from prototyping to small-series production with industrial reliability.
Cost efficiency for luxury manufacturing:
Lower scrap rates reduced post-processing and higher material efficiency lead to an optimised cost structure for high-value jewellery components.
Strong sustainability alignment:
The process supports responsible production through reduced waste, improved energy efficiency and compatibility with recycled silver, directly contributing to sustainable luxury manufact
Technical Specification or Expertise Sought
The partner is expected to contribute advanced technical expertise covering the complete material and thermal processing chain for 925 sterling silver within the MoldJet additive manufacturing route. The collaboration targets the establishment of a fully validated, industrially reliable and reproducible process window suitable for luxury jewellery production.
Sintering technology and densification:
Expertise in high-temperature sintering of silver alloys, including profile optimisation, shrinkage control, grain growth management and atmosphere selection. The objective is to achieve near-full density ( more than 99%), minimal residual porosity and high dimensional stability while preserving surface quality suitable for direct jewellery applications.
Thermal processing and atmosphere control:
Know-how in thermal debinding and sintering under controlled furnace atmospheres (hydrogen, nitrogen, vacuum or mixed environments) to prevent oxidation, contamination and surface degradation. Optimised ramp strategies are required to minimise distortion, blistering and collapse of fine features.
Dimensional accuracy and surface finish:
Competence in shrinkage modelling, distortion prediction and surface roughness optimisation to reach jewellery-grade surface quality without extensive post-processing. The goal is to enable both functional and aesthetic compliance with luxury sector standards.
Quality assurance and material validation:
Capability to perform and interpret advanced quality analysis including density (Archimedes, pycnometry), porosity, hardness (Vickers), microstructural analysis (SEM) and dimensional tolerance verification. Both destructive and non-destructive testing approaches are of interest to define stable quality windows.
Process maturity and intellectual property protection:
The partner must operate at a technology readiness level of at least laboratory-tested or demonstrator stage. All developments must follow IP-safe procedures, ensuring confidentiality and protection of proprietary process knowledge.
Exclusions:
Technologies based on laser powder bed fusion, PolyJet wax moulding or conventional Binder Jetting systems with high binder content are explicitly excluded from this request, due to their known limitations for silver processing.
The company operates in the high-end jewellery segment and focuses on the development of technically demanding and design-driven precious metal components. To expand its production capabilities and improve sustainability, the company aims to validate MoldJet as a near-zero-waste manufacturing process for silver jewellery. This emerging technology is based on the creation of a reusable wax mould that is selectively filled with a metal-containing paste, cured, de-waxed and subsequently sintered to full density.
The main objective of the request is to establish a robust and industrially viable MoldJet process chain for 925 sterling silver, covering slurry formulation, printing behaviour, debinding strategy, high-temperature sintering profiles, shrinkage control, porosity reduction and surface quality optimisation. Particular attention is given to dimensional accuracy, surface finish and mechanical performance to meet the stringent requirements of the luxury sector.
Representative jewellery components and standard test specimens will be manufactured to validate the process under industrially relevant conditions. The performance of the final parts will be assessed through density measurements, microstructural analysis, hardness testing and dimensional tolerance verification. The results will define the processing window and quality limits of MoldJet for silver.
This development supports sustainable production by reducing material losses, enabling wax reuse, decreasing post-processing requirements and improving overall material efficiency.
The company is seeking international technology partners with expertise in precious metal pastes, sintering technology, thermal processing or additive manufacturing materials. The targeted collaboration is a research and development cooperation agreement, with the goal of progressing towards industrial implementation and future commercial production.
Advantages and innovation
First industrial validation of MoldJet for sterling silver:
This project represents one of the first structured industrial applications of MoldJet technology for 925 sterling silver in the luxury jewellery sector. It enables complex geometries and design freedom beyond the limitations of conventional casting and CNC machining.
Near-zero-waste and circular production:
Selective metal deposition combined with reusable wax moulds enables near-zero material waste, significantly reducing precious metal losses, refining costs and environmental impact compared to traditional manufacturing routes.
High densification with ultra-low binder systems:
The use of very low binder content ( less than 2%) allows clean debinding and improved sintering behaviour, achieving high-density silver parts ( more than 99%) with minimal residual porosity and enhanced mechanical integrity.
Improved surface quality and reduced post-processing:
Optimised sintering and shrinkage control enable jewellery-grade surface finishes directly after processing, significantly reducing polishing and manual finishing, which are major cost and time drivers in precious metal production.
Enhanced dimensional accuracy and repeatability:
Advanced thermal profiling and shrinkage modelling allow predictable dimensional behaviour, supporting tight tolerances and consistent quality in small-series and batch production.
Industrial scalability and batch capability:
MoldJet enables batch manufacturing with stable cycle times, facilitating a smooth transition from prototyping to small-series production with industrial reliability.
Cost efficiency for luxury manufacturing:
Lower scrap rates reduced post-processing and higher material efficiency lead to an optimised cost structure for high-value jewellery components.
Strong sustainability alignment:
The process supports responsible production through reduced waste, improved energy efficiency and compatibility with recycled silver, directly contributing to sustainable luxury manufact
Technical Specification or Expertise Sought
The partner is expected to contribute advanced technical expertise covering the complete material and thermal processing chain for 925 sterling silver within the MoldJet additive manufacturing route. The collaboration targets the establishment of a fully validated, industrially reliable and reproducible process window suitable for luxury jewellery production.
Sintering technology and densification:
Expertise in high-temperature sintering of silver alloys, including profile optimisation, shrinkage control, grain growth management and atmosphere selection. The objective is to achieve near-full density ( more than 99%), minimal residual porosity and high dimensional stability while preserving surface quality suitable for direct jewellery applications.
Thermal processing and atmosphere control:
Know-how in thermal debinding and sintering under controlled furnace atmospheres (hydrogen, nitrogen, vacuum or mixed environments) to prevent oxidation, contamination and surface degradation. Optimised ramp strategies are required to minimise distortion, blistering and collapse of fine features.
Dimensional accuracy and surface finish:
Competence in shrinkage modelling, distortion prediction and surface roughness optimisation to reach jewellery-grade surface quality without extensive post-processing. The goal is to enable both functional and aesthetic compliance with luxury sector standards.
Quality assurance and material validation:
Capability to perform and interpret advanced quality analysis including density (Archimedes, pycnometry), porosity, hardness (Vickers), microstructural analysis (SEM) and dimensional tolerance verification. Both destructive and non-destructive testing approaches are of interest to define stable quality windows.
Process maturity and intellectual property protection:
The partner must operate at a technology readiness level of at least laboratory-tested or demonstrator stage. All developments must follow IP-safe procedures, ensuring confidentiality and protection of proprietary process knowledge.
Exclusions:
Technologies based on laser powder bed fusion, PolyJet wax moulding or conventional Binder Jetting systems with high binder content are explicitly excluded from this request, due to their known limitations for silver processing.