Flashforge has released a wax 3D printer. Wax printing was pioneered by Solidscape, a company acquired by Stratasys and later sold to Prodways before being shuttered in 2024. That firm’s wax jetting process lets you make wax patterns without changing anything to your forging and casting setup. Cost-effective and comparatively easy to use, these systems were used by jewelry artisans and in production. For many years, low-cost vat polymerization systems with cashable resins have expanded their market share. These systems have displaced larger DLP systems, such as Envisiontec’s Perfunctory line, and are increasingly displacing mid-range DLP and SLA systems as well.
Meanwhile, for the design-oriented, Formlabs has a solution for you as well. All in all, this segment is a lively one, with competition ranging from $180 vat polymerization systems to $300,000 large units. Deskside, in the factory, in your shop, someone will have a solution for you.
Parts made with Flashforge’s wax 3D printer. Image courtesy of Flashforge.
Also in this segment: filament printing, vat polymerization, and material jetting compete head-on. What’s more, there are multiple technology options, with you being able to burn out a regular polymer, for example, or a wax filament for material extrusion. For very detailed parts, a client can choose from an entry-level vat polymerization system, between DLP and SLA in all its variants, technologies such as Axtra3D, dedicated wax production units using material jetting, and now desktop wax printing from Flashforge. Ash-free burnout may make you look to wax, while workflow, cost, and machine size may make you look elsewhere depending on the part and part size.
This release is a smart move by the company, as an optimized printer here could serve many jewelry stores, jewelry artisans, people new to jewelry, and even people making small metal casting parts for industrial use. Lost wax casting is a cost-effective method for producing jewelry and metal parts, generally in many materials. And in a small casting setup, this process can help you make strong, durable parts for many mechanical uses. This kind of move by Flashforge could really build out their presence in a great long-term niche.
Flashforge wax 3D printer. Image courtesy of Flashforge.
The WJ51C is an 865×510×654 mm printer with a 235×138×100mm build volume that uses material jetting (MultiJet Printing). The 2900 × 2900 × 1700 DPI head has 2080 jets. The thinnest layer is 15 microns, and the firm says it can achieve a dimensional accuracy of ±0.04mm. It takes Flashforge’s own wax material and wax support, which come in blocks. I’m not sure if you can just pop other regular wax in here, but I’m sure that people will try. The idea behind wax blocks is that, rather than using large tanks of wax, individual blocks can be used for smaller print runs. The wax costs around 46 cents per gram, while the support costs 18 cents per gram. The sup
Flashforge has released a wax 3D printer. Wax printing was pioneered by Solidscape, a company acquired by Stratasys and later sold to Prodways before being shuttered in 2024. That firm’s wax jetting process lets you make wax patterns without changing anything to your forging and casting setup. Cost-effective and comparatively easy to use, these systems were used by jewelry artisans and in production. For many years, low-cost vat polymerization systems with cashable resins have expanded their market share. These systems have displaced larger DLP systems, such as Envisiontec’s Perfunctory line, and are increasingly displacing mid-range DLP and SLA systems as well.
Meanwhile, for the design-oriented, Formlabs has a solution for you as well. All in all, this segment is a lively one, with competition ranging from $180 vat polymerization systems to $300,000 large units. Deskside, in the factory, in your shop, someone will have a solution for you.
Parts made with Flashforge’s wax 3D printer. Image courtesy of Flashforge.
Also in this segment: filament printing, vat polymerization, and material jetting compete head-on. What’s more, there are multiple technology options, with you being able to burn out a regular polymer, for example, or a wax filament for material extrusion. For very detailed parts, a client can choose from an entry-level vat polymerization system, between DLP and SLA in all its variants, technologies such as Axtra3D, dedicated wax production units using material jetting, and now desktop wax printing from Flashforge. Ash-free burnout may make you look to wax, while workflow, cost, and machine size may make you look elsewhere depending on the part and part size.
This release is a smart move by the company, as an optimized printer here could serve many jewelry stores, jewelry artisans, people new to jewelry, and even people making small metal casting parts for industrial use. Lost wax casting is a cost-effective method for producing jewelry and metal parts, generally in many materials. And in a small casting setup, this process can help you make strong, durable parts for many mechanical uses. This kind of move by Flashforge could really build out their presence in a great long-term niche.
Flashforge wax 3D printer. Image courtesy of Flashforge.
The WJ51C is an 865×510×654 mm printer with a 235×138×100mm build volume that uses material jetting (MultiJet Printing). The 2900 × 2900 × 1700 DPI head has 2080 jets. The thinnest layer is 15 microns, and the firm says it can achieve a dimensional accuracy of ±0.04mm. It takes Flashforge’s own wax material and wax support, which come in blocks. I’m not sure if you can just pop other regular wax in here, but I’m sure that people will try. The idea behind wax blocks is that, rather than using large tanks of wax, individual blocks can be used for smaller print runs. The wax costs around 46 cents per gram, while the support costs 18 cents per gram. The sup