Low Cost Tooling with the Jewelform Press: A Description of the Press that makes its own Tools

This article describes the Jewelform process which consists basically of a double‐acting hydraulic press in which is mounted a flask containing Jewelite alloy (a eutectic alloy of bismuth, lead, tin and cadmium which melts at about 70 deg. C.). This press machine contains all the equipment necessary for the simultaneous casting, within the press, of matched pairs of press‐tools in a few hours. For each pressing, the user must make a pair of die plates and a master casting sample of the desired shape, which can be either a pressing from a previous run, a hand‐made sheet‐metal piece or a resin moulding. The production of a resin sample is described. Details are provided of the mode of operation of the Jewelform machine and its capabilities.