FAQs

What is cad

CAD is short for Computer Aided Design where computer software programs enable you to make a design on your computer, usually a 3D model – which can then be displayed on your computer screen. You can then export your design to produce a physical model - usually in wax. Because there are many 3D programmes it is important that there is a common file format that all these programmes recognise – and the most popular file format that works across platforms in the jewellery industry is the STL format.

What is stl

An .stl file is the industry-standard cross-platform file format used in rapid prototyping.

It’s a file that uses a mesh of triangles to form the shell of your solid object, where each triangle shares common sides and vertices. Most CAD packages will allow you to export to the .stl file format, and if you provide cad-man with good .stl files we can assure you of good quality prototypes - speedily.

What is rapid prototyping

Rapid prototyping is the process of turning the cad drawing into a 3D wax (a normal wax) which can be checked and then be sent to the casters. There are a lot of different machines on the market with various pros and cons. Two of the standard machines for doing this are: the REVO MILL and the SOLIDSCAPE.

There is an important difference between them. One is ‘reductive’ (The Revo Mill) - it cuts away wax with a tiny cutter to produce the model. The other is ‘additive’ (The Solidscape T76) which ‘grows’ or ‘prints’ the wax on a platform printing it through jets – much like an ink jet printer.

Both methods have their pros and cons:

‘Milling’ produces a very fine surface, cutting models from standard carving wax, which is easy to clean. It will not however produce undercuts, baskets, back holes and the like.

‘Growing’ generally produces a courser surface. The wax is brittle and can be easily broken if care is not taken. Nevertheless,it casts like conventional wax and can produce the most complex of forms.

Which radid prototyping machine does cad-man use and why?

cad-man chose the Solidscape T76 and R66P and continues to revere the Solidscape 3D printer because it is the best for the job - it ‘prints’ anything, makes anything, is dimensionally stable and can ‘print’ undercuts. It is the most seamless in the jewellery industry. ‘Print’ in this context means produce a wax model. (An undercut is a design that is hollow eg latticework or a sphere made of wires.)

How can 3D cad and rapid prototyping work for me

Cad/cam manufacture also goes by the name of TC technologies (time compression technologies) which means it’s faster. Many complicated rings can take hours, even days by traditional methods but can be manufactured very cost effectively using cad technology.

With the added bonus that your master drawing is always available for further use. If you have a customer you can have a render – then get them to sign off a photographic render before the item is made – avoiding mistakes and misunderstandings further down the line.

If you are making master patterns these can be viewed prior to expensive benchwork - mistakes eliminated, misunderstandings ironed out.

To sum up – it is faster in the long run, cheaper, and more flexible, reliable and friendly than hand-made jewellery.

What programme do i need to create an STL file

Cad-man uses several Rhino-based programmes though not specifically jewellery software. Matrix, ArtCAM JewelSmith, 3Design Jewel, JewelCad, TechGems are all popular 3D jewellery cad software programmes. They can all save a file in STL format which can then be viewed cross platform and without the need to have the software programme itself.

If you are unable to create an stl file send it to us and for a small fee we will create an stl file for you.

What happens if i’m on a mac

Mac users will need to use http://mac.softpedia.com/progDownload/StL-viewer-Download-16377.html to view stl files.

What is the cost?

Please call us to find out about the cost

How do i download and view my stl file

1. Download and install http://www.openrp.com/products/rp_viewer/index.htm You MUST download and install this free open-source stl file viewer onto your machine BEFORE you attempt to open your file (as the installation process instructs your computer to open stl files with the viewer).
2. Download and install http://www.win-rar.com/download.html
WinRAR is a free utility used to compress large files to make them more manageable for emailing – and for decompressing compressed files. We will have to compress our.stl file we send to you as it would be too large otherwise. WinRar is an essential free utility for any computer.
3. Go to my computer and create a folder called ‘my stl files’ in ‘my documents’ in which you will keep all your stl files.
4. Log-in to your account at http://www.cad-man.co.uk/customer_login.php
5. Click on the relevant download icon     for your project
6. ‘Do you want to open or save this file’ - click on ‘save’
7. Browse to your newly created ‘my stl files’ folder in my documents and save your RAR file in that folder.
8. Go to My Computer and find your saved RAR file in your newly created ‘my stl files’ folder
9. Right mouse click on your RAR file – click on ‘open with’ ‘winrar archiver’ – you will then see your stl file/s listed in winrar – click on the ‘extract to’ button – and browse and save to your newly created ‘my stl files’ folder. Your stl file is now ready to view from within that folder.
10. Locate your stl file – right mouse click – and ‘open with’ and browse to OpenRP/rpviewer/

Cannot open STL files on windows  ?

When windows gives you an error message saying that it ‘Cannot open STL files’, this means that you need to identify a program that can open the file – by resetting the file association for stl.

Every computer file has a file extension. This way, your computer knows which program to use to open the file. Sometimes though, when you get a file sent to you by email or download a file and try to open it, you will get a window that asks what program to use to open the file. This happens because you don't have a file association. Not having a file association just means that you don't have a program registered to open a file or you may not have a program that is capable of opening that type of file. Also, after installing a new program, that program may take over opening a file. Fixing this is simple.

• Open My Computer
• Select the .stl filetype by clicking once on it
• Press your right click mouse button
• Select ‘Opens With’ from the menu. If the ‘Open With’ option does not appear, hold down the shift key and right click your mouse button again.

At this point, if you select a program from the list displayed, the file will open with that program but it won't change the file association permanently. If you want to change the file association permanently or the program that you want to use isn't there, use ‘Choose Program’.

A window will open and it will display recommended programs and other programs that have the ability to open the file. Select the program by clicking on it. If the program does not appear and you know it will open that kind of file, click browse and browse to find the program exe file (using the browse option is recommended for advanced users).

To make this association permanent, be sure to check the box, ‘Always use this program to open these files’.

Click ‘OK’ and you are done!

Why am I getting error message ‘Invalid Certificate trust list file’  ?

This is because you may not have downloaded your stl viewer before attempting to open the file – and your operating system is wrongly associating the .stl extension with a Certificate Trust list file. To rectify this:

1. Download and install the stl viewer - http://www.openrp.com/products/rp_viewer/index.htm
2. Locate your stl file and right mouse click
3. ‘Open with’
4. Browse to the stl viewer’s directory and select the viewer. exe file to open the file with