AccScience Publishing / DP / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/dp.3869
SHORT COMMUNICATION

A feasibility study of shell fusion technology application in jewelry design

Gustavo George Verdieri Nuernberg1,2 Lílian Cristina Côcco1,2 Marlon Wesley Machado Cunico1,2*
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1 Department of Research and Development, Zirclab Medical Devices, London, United Kingdom
2 Department of Research and Development, Zirconium Institute of Science, Technology, and Advanced Innovation, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
Submitted: 5 June 2024 | Revised: 3 September 2024 | Accepted: 5 November 2024 | Published: 27 February 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
Abstract

In recent times, to cater to a larger audience, mass production has become more common, with investment casting being one of the fastest-growing manufacturing techniques. However, even with this modernization, production still requires significant manual labor, such as mold assembly, heating, gas removal, cutting, and polishing. This process also consumes a lot of energy and generates waste. Rapid prototyping and computer-aided design technologies have revolutionized jewelry manufacturing, enabling greater agility, reduced production time, and product customization, while also offering designers more creative freedom. This study aims to present shell fusion technology (SFT), an advanced digital manufacturing technology, as a way of processing jewelry and other precious metals for various applications. Practical processing tests were carried out using SFT. Metallic materials with high and low melting points were employed, enabling the investigation of processing characteristics (temperature, heating rate, and melting time), final quality (flaws, roughness, etc.), finishing requirements, and other factors. The feasibility of making jewelry and metal parts using SFT was investigated and validated. This work demonstrates that SFT can be used to make jewelry and process noble metals for other purposes. A piece of jewelry was produced with a quality classified as satisfactory for use as an ornament.

Keywords
Shell fusion technology
Advanced digital manufacturing
Jewelry
Funding
This research was partially funded by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPQ) under the National Project Grant (grant no.: 350377/2022-7).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest related to this work.
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Design+, Electronic ISSN: 3060-8953 Published by AccScience Publishing