Tippity Tap, tap…tapataptap! Making Jewelry Manufacturing History…

Can you hear that? The sound of me madly burning up my keyboard as I work with my co-author, the awesome Joseph T. Strauss to create my paper for the Santa Fe Symposium on Jewelry Manufacturing Technology®, 2013.
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Direct Casting Photopolymer Resin Models
Photopolymers are not new and have been in some form of prototyping service for at least a couple of decades. And historically, photopolymers have not enjoyed a reputation of acceptable direct casting. With a proliferation of rapid prototyping systems evolving into the jewelry industry at prices much more accessible to smaller shops, direct casting of cured photopolymer resins has become an issue of high importance. This paper will explore the process of developing a technique for direct casting of a specific photopolymer. In consultation with the developer of this resin and the director of the University of Oregon’s CAMCOR Polymer Characterization Facility, and using practical casting tests with photomacrographic documentation, the goal of this project is to achieve optimized direct casting results from this polymer.
Mr. Dawson is the founder and former owner of Goldworks Jewelry Art Studio and current owner of Gary Dawson Designs, an internet-only business that was recently named among the “Best of the Best” by Instore Magazine. Well known for his ability to showcase gemstones creatively in custom pieces, he has also explored new jewelry-making techniques and trends through his articles for MJSA Journal and his papers for the Santa Fe Symposium®. He is a recipient of the Santa Fe Symposium Ambassador Award. This is Mr. Dawson’s fifth presentation at the Symposium.