Yes thank you karlmansson
Milling cutter is ineradicable tool
My good friend senior got this machine only as a decor in his workshop and I dont think we will use it
Unfortunately this option is unavailable for me at all
the casting solution might be not good at all as you mentioned
All I want is to see the result and how hard will need work on it ( refinishing )
also this technology of printing can be made on a super quality machinery only
3d jeweler needs type in all measurements and make this wheel in 3d
One day I will make some test and will show you the result
If he uses it for decoration I assume it’s a topping tool. As I mentioned, those tooth profiles are appropriate for older watches. For something recent, such as the watch you asked about, something like this is probably what you would need. Used in a milling machine with rotary table or indexed lathe spindle with milling attachment.
Wheel Cutter - Horological Cutter Makers
What printing process did you have in mind? Only SLS comes to mind as a process to me. And that does not generate a surface finish fitting for a bearing surface. You can’t get a finish finer than the powder used either.
The other option that comes to mind is what jewelers usually do in regards to 3D printing: lost PLA or lost wax investment casting. In which case you have doubly troublesome issues. Firstly there will be layer lines and an upper boundary in regards to tolerance. You won’t be able to print a point finer than the nozzle you are using. My printer has a 0,4mm nozzle, standard for most domestic printers. Far too coarse for this application.
Then comes the issue of dimensional accuracy in casting. Even if you did manage to print a perfect copy of your wheel, you would have to scale it very precisely to compensate for material shrinkage in the casting process. This is extra tricky for thin parts, where different parts cool at different speeds.
Consider all of the above. And then this:
Choose a brass sheet of the final wheel thickness. Make an arbor for it to be held in a lathe. Turn to final desired diameter. Mount Thornton cutter on arbor, center on wheel blank, index using your preferred method. Cut two “slots” until you get a fully formed tooth in between. Then cut the rest. De burr. Done! Then it’s the matter of cutting the spokes but that is cosmetic. You will have a mechanically working wheel with the described process. Some trial and error may go into centering the cutter but if you make a bunch of blanks in one go you’ll not have lost much work. Rather than starting a modeling and printing process again.
