Hi /3/ I work for a jewelry company and 3D print custom jobs

>>516849 (OP)
tried googling for online service bureaus to do this for you? If you want another jeweller to output it for you specific software forums of jewellers could help you with that.

I'm surprise you can't print it at work..I do that all the time, the grower allows you to fit as many designs in the print area lol, hide it between other jobs, I mean not that I even need to do that, but if you are trying to do your side business from work, yeah big no-no.

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>>516917
>>
OP here,

Thanks, I'll try out some forums. My boss who is also owner is actually crazy... Old and certainly has dementia. He sees everything as potential theft and i'd never dream of printing at work, since someone else tried and lets just say that ended badly. And I'd love to have a side business but of course it would be done exclusively on the side. The fact is that even huge companies don't pay very much relatively speaking. I'm not in poverty or anything, but want to do better than just getting by, and I'd need more jobs on the side to do that.

>>516917
>>516938
Sounds like we have the same boss LOL! My boss loves throwing around "I'll sue..so-and-so.." as veil threats.

cads draftsman anywhere doesn't really get a decent pay past entry level, unless you've been doing it a long time with an impressive portfolio. with the new wax growers coming out cheap, you can buy one yourself instead if you are really serious about it - spend under 4k at least. but the industry is weird has its ups and lately long droughts of down.

>>516968
Yeah, he built his company from the ground up and because of that his ego is insane. He actually spoke to his group of asian polishers who make around 10 dollars an hour the other day and said "i have more than all of you combined, but my life is so much more difficult than yours will ever be." all problems are never his fault and everything positive was his idea. I don't understand how he's successful though, he tells customers "no" all the time. He will completely change their design on them and get offended when they won't buy. He is also convinced that "no other company out there can do what i can do, nobody knows about 3D printers." and in a strange way he is right…to a degree. A lot of the successful companies around my area are run by old men who just stick with traditional techniques or are too comfortable or afraid to go into 3D. Some are just too lazy to learn. I almost feel like if I were to not freelance but to simply act as a middle man between a printing service and various companies that I could make a lot. But I'd also love a printer myself, particularly the Envisiontec mini, which runs 15k right now…relatively cheap, but still way too much for me to afford anytime soon…If I might ask, what do you consider a reasonable starting rate for a cad draftsman? From what I see online its about 23 hourly. I only make 19 and even though I really do love design and jewelry, i don't make nearly enough to put up with my shitty boss.

>>517004
>He is also convinced that "no other company out there can do what i can do, nobody knows about 3D printers." and in a strange way he is right…to a degree.
uh wut..no no any company with the right tools and competent workers can make anything, just who wants to spend the time to figure it out imho. My boss aint technical, he tries hard, but it's always left to someone else to figure out how to make the design from B-Z (A is him getting the job and saying yes yes we can do it-gimme your money now!).

If your company does "signature designs" more complex cad-design oriented work in stock, best be keeping that your own trade secret like I do. There will come a time when someone may be stepping in to take your job, and will look at your files and "hey how am I suppose to do stock#part etc??" and I'll be like you have eyes, a caliper and a stock sample go at it boy!.

>>517024
>will look at your files
>just a poly-mesh
The cad person I replaced deleted everything - only left the .stl's, think I paid my dues.

>>517024
I'm just saying that the one good thing about him is he invests in modern technology. That does give him an edge on so many other companies, and I've toured many, that refuse to update past their older systems.

And my boss does the same thing, gets the job and then its all on me to make it and of course he says every part of the design was his brilliant mind. We have large contracts with certain companies, and we keep stock prints for them and I occasionally change features of designs by request and thats the bread and butter, but mostly I do custom jobs for retail customers.

I honestly think that though everyone is replaceable, if he were to fire me it would be very bad for him. I convinced him to purchase Gemvision Matrix and that demands a slightly higher pay grade plus he has no clue how to use it, so he can't teach the next person (not that he would).

I've though about just deleting shit if I was ever fired, he has nothing backed up and would not be able to keep his contracts…it would really ruin him. But I don't want to do that to the honest employees who work there. Just because the boss is scum doesn't mean it won't affect others.

>>517050
shit anon, that's great to be in a company doing wholesale/consignment for other brands..my boss is a big time fail each time we almost got a client to do that and his ego steps in blah blah cancels the whole deal at the 11th hour - 3 times since I've been there.

Guess it's not too late to get on matrix, weve had it since '05 - after v7 its pretty redundant, I was happy with v6.

The dumb thing with deleting files is how obvious it is, it's not like "oh how did this happen" - I was able to recreate most of the lost work, wasn't hard, even gave me a nice overtime-boost when I started lol.

Anyway to be fair, I leave a poly-mesh, my signature work can always be reprinted over and over on any future machine, unlike the last worker who just left the .stl for one printer. My managers don't know how cad works, they have a simple mind, "this your job right? do it!" so much for a higher skill level position being told what to do by simpletons, I'll pity the cad person who ever takes my place cuz the same managers will say, "..what files/deleted/cant edit? no I see on your PC it's there..can't you design it? you have the software this is your job...". fcukerz.

>>517128
It's clear that past designers had no clue how to design in cad or for jewelry. Stone settings are constantly fucked up and require complete revision. I really don't mind because my boss takes weeks to get back to me on custom designs, so in the meantime I just make the stock situation easier for myself. My boss just actually lost a contract with Mikimoto. They are a very honorable japanese company but my boss refused to ship out the rings because he thought they didn't pay him for the last shipment. complete failure. but yeah, before matrix, jewel cad. it was awful. and now he pretends like he knows how to use matrix when he doesn't and he says "get up and let me sit there and show you how i want it" and he takes a half hour moving a stone into place. he gets really mad if anyone interrupts him so i just stand there like a moron. so i understand the having to deal with simpletons who think they know better than you. from what i hear, every previous designer has quit, but the boss always is very vocal about how he fired them…when he wouldn't fire two employees for stealing gold. they are still there, working, getting paid. he things he's fooling me by acting treating…he is afraid to lose me and is trying to keep me afraid of losing the job.

>>517194
>It's clear that past designers had no clue how to design in cad or for jewelry. Stone settings are constantly fucked up and require complete revision
One major problem was never getting any feedback after it has been casted, idk guess production guys just keep it to themselves and deal with watever is handed to them, I tend to ask how so-so piece was, and realize I could either design thicker/thinner where its needed.
Stones I realize I need to measure them myself, despite being told what point size, it can fluctuate +/- .2~.3mm (must be a cheap stone supplier Im guessing for the measurements to be off most of the time.)
>>517194
>he is afraid to lose me and is trying to keep me afraid of losing the job.
Same here, he only threatens but idc, I'm milking my time on his dime nowadays. My boss has done it all in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvPqSn-W7QY

>>517004
>I don't understand how he's successful though
Going back to this, in my experience the owners are making alot money, they just won't admit to anyone - better to play the "so much expenses, salaries, rent etc..." blah blah can't give raises, later gives raises to some office people non-essential to the jewelry business wtf, I've already caught him admitting how he spends very freely a lavishly for his own personal needs, then the next moment seeing whom he can fire to "balance" the books, so fucking illegal (but the green-card workers we have dont do anything and he knows it which is why he probably hires them and pay them cheap.)

If the employees are happy, and they know the business is doing good, he would be deathly afraid that he has to give pay increases. So he does the opposite, makes life hard to the real workers and plays favorites to those that'll kiss his ass everyday.

>>516849
You probably already tried, but what about shapeways' https://www.shapeways.com/materials/frosted-detail-plastic ? It's their highest res material.

Also, what 3D printing websites do you recommend ? Shapeways forbids printing gun shells, and it's getting in my way of making a prop.

>>517223
They all always give me great feedback. They know the best changes to make things work, but the boss refuses, so things take longer, are harder, more waste material, ect. Can't go against him as much as I'd like to. Once he was on vacation for two weeks and I changed some stuff for the better and by the time he'd gotten back we'd finished 10 custom jobs. Since he has been back which is 2 months ago, only one design has gone out the door because of all his pointless revisions. There is a saying at my work "we get things done in spite of him, not because of him."

Stones are same with me. Cheap vendors most likely.

I'm not worried, I've got things so efficient that I don't even need to try if something comes up. He will come in to say "change this and that, show me when i get back" and i'll have it done before he finishes his sentence…no exaggeration. And i have to do that because he takes weeks to get back to me because his time is soooooo valuable.

He does make a lot. Everything you're saying sounds exactly like my boss. but I know he's full of shit since he won't fire the guys who literally stole from him and show up every day at noon. Meanwhile he has employees go out and buy him furniture and deliver it to his house…and they don't say anything because they are mexicans working at 10 bucks an hour. poor guys. he literally charges them money if they are late or clock into the wrong job, illegal but he knows he can since they are likely illegal too. then he has the balls to say "i have it tougher than any of you." makes me sick.

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>>516849
>I work for a jewelry company

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>>517317
nah, my boss looks more like mario from the the live action movie.

>>517317
>click larger and sees the little hat.
that sorta-guy is more typical on east coast and swears like andrew dice clay. I shit you not.

>25 microns of accuracy
>envisiontec's proprietary jewelry printing material as shown by a google search
That's a thousands dollar investment, no company with this kind of money would do this for cheap so you can resell.