Auroform Monolith: Sustainable and Accessible Electroforming
Merging the expertise of two historical companies –LTC Caoduro and GAB in Arezzo – gave rise to the brand Nutec International, and from there, the only electroforming system in the world that saves precious metal and gives free rein to creativity
Electrochemical and galvanic coating specialization on one side and electroforming on the other. With these so highly specific skills, Italo Caoduro and Simone Batti were destined to meet and begin collaborating. So much so that, for about 20 years, they worked towards a project that finally became reality in 2014 under the Nutec International brand: Auroform Monolith. This system is currently the only one in the world that makes industrial electroforming automation easy and technically accessible even for those with no experience or specific competence in this technique. To find out what it is, the first question comes naturally…
How and when did your adventure in the jewelry world begin?
I.C.: «LTC Caoduro in Vicenza was initially established as a company focused on high-tech systems for treating a variety of surfaces, from functional to decorative, reel to reel, and including water and fume treatment. The company only places over 30 years’ experience at the client’s disposal but also project innovation and executive precision, with remote control management and monitoring systems. Being located in the heart of a quintessential gold district, we absolutely had to make room for the jewelry sector too. To be precise, the opportunity arose in 1998 when, speaking with Simon, we had the idea of uniting forces and skills in order to achieve one mutual objective: to create something revolutionary in the industry. LTC contributed with all its automation and system management know-how while GAB, founded by Simone, added the electroforming expertise.»
S.B.: «My adventure gathered momentum in Arezzo in1993, where, for obvious reasons linked to it being the most important Italian gold district, I firstly specialized in chemistry and then in electroforming. Initially I looked into just about every proposal in this field on the international market and I discovered several problems that needed to be solved. Facing each individual criticality one by one, I focused on total automation which was possible with Auroform Monolith, the first system in the world that activates an electroforming process by pressing a button and obtains the finished product without the intervention of a technician or anything else. An enormous advantage since a company need not employ or train a worker for that machine. And that is only one of the advantages of Autoform Monolith.»
What are the advantages of Auroform Monolith?
I.C.: «First and foremost, precision in precious metal grammage. Until Auroform Monolith came into existence, those who wanted to work on a jewelry item, never knew for sure exactly how much gold would be required. The result was approximate and either in excess or lacking and was therefore either incorrectly declared or not profitable. With Auroform Monolith, on the other hand, metal distribution is precise and reflects the settings. And, especially with gold prices currently soaring, saving metal is fundamental. But that’s not all. Nutec not only sells a machine but also a key-in-hand process with a guaranteed result, perfect repeatability, 4.0 automation, scrap metal recovery inside the machine itself, notable reduction in environmental impact with less toxic element waste and greater operator safety. In short, we are a team of specialized experts able to cover the entire supply chain with a complete and all-round service.»
What prospects does it offer the jewelry industry?
S.B.: «The question of weight precision and metal recovery has never been so urgent as in this particular moment we are experiencing but even more so in those markets where, due to culture and taste, large jewelry is in high demand. I’m speaking of the Middle East and Asia where the size of jewelry is important and having a machine that creates infinite shapes with no design limitation and without having to think about the effective final weight, is an advantage that opens a thousand doors for those operating in this profession. To give an example, while light jewelry can be made using traditional methods like empty rods or molds, these techniques are extremely limited in the shapes they can actually achieve and can only produce hoops, links and little else. Auroform Monolith, on the other hand, eliminates this problem at the root. The machine is able to produce any type of object maintaining the weight and thickness. It is partly a question of hoarding, so to speak, and partly decorative, but in some countries, it is the only solution that literally gives shape to jewelry that responds to local aesthetic requirements.»
Future objectives?
S.B.: «To further improve the machine where possible but the primary aim is to divulge the enormous advantages that Auroform Monolith electroforming offers as widely as possible. Sector companies are still lacking in consolidated culture with regard to this technology, let alone to our machine, which is one of a kind and has only been on the market for three years. But we are confident that, in a short time, it will be recognized as something that is really able to make the difference in the industry. We are absolutely sure!»
How and when did your adventure in the jewelry world begin?
I.C.: «LTC Caoduro in Vicenza was initially established as a company focused on high-tech systems for treating a variety of surfaces, from functional to decorative, reel to reel, and including water and fume treatment. The company only places over 30 years’ experience at the client’s disposal but also project innovation and executive precision, with remote control management and monitoring systems. Being located in the heart of a quintessential gold district, we absolutely had to make room for the jewelry sector too. To be precise, the opportunity arose in 1998 when, speaking with Simon, we had the idea of uniting forces and skills in order to achieve one mutual objective: to create something revolutionary in the industry. LTC contributed with all its automation and system management know-how while GAB, founded by Simone, added the electroforming expertise.»
S.B.: «My adventure gathered momentum in Arezzo in1993, where, for obvious reasons linked to it being the most important Italian gold district, I firstly specialized in chemistry and then in electroforming. Initially I looked into just about every proposal in this field on the international market and I discovered several problems that needed to be solved. Facing each individual criticality one by one, I focused on total automation which was possible with Auroform Monolith, the first system in the world that activates an electroforming process by pressing a button and obtains the finished product without the intervention of a technician or anything else. An enormous advantage since a company need not employ or train a worker for that machine. And that is only one of the advantages of Autoform Monolith.»
What are the advantages of Auroform Monolith?
I.C.: «First and foremost, precision in precious metal grammage. Until Auroform Monolith came into existence, those who wanted to work on a jewelry item, never knew for sure exactly how much gold would be required. The result was approximate and either in excess or lacking and was therefore either incorrectly declared or not profitable. With Auroform Monolith, on the other hand, metal distribution is precise and reflects the settings. And, especially with gold prices currently soaring, saving metal is fundamental. But that’s not all. Nutec not only sells a machine but also a key-in-hand process with a guaranteed result, perfect repeatability, 4.0 automation, scrap metal recovery inside the machine itself, notable reduction in environmental impact with less toxic element waste and greater operator safety. In short, we are a team of specialized experts able to cover the entire supply chain with a complete and all-round service.»
What prospects does it offer the jewelry industry?
S.B.: «The question of weight precision and metal recovery has never been so urgent as in this particular moment we are experiencing but even more so in those markets where, due to culture and taste, large jewelry is in high demand. I’m speaking of the Middle East and Asia where the size of jewelry is important and having a machine that creates infinite shapes with no design limitation and without having to think about the effective final weight, is an advantage that opens a thousand doors for those operating in this profession. To give an example, while light jewelry can be made using traditional methods like empty rods or molds, these techniques are extremely limited in the shapes they can actually achieve and can only produce hoops, links and little else. Auroform Monolith, on the other hand, eliminates this problem at the root. The machine is able to produce any type of object maintaining the weight and thickness. It is partly a question of hoarding, so to speak, and partly decorative, but in some countries, it is the only solution that literally gives shape to jewelry that responds to local aesthetic requirements.»
Future objectives?
S.B.: «To further improve the machine where possible but the primary aim is to divulge the enormous advantages that Auroform Monolith electroforming offers as widely as possible. Sector companies are still lacking in consolidated culture with regard to this technology, let alone to our machine, which is one of a kind and has only been on the market for three years. But we are confident that, in a short time, it will be recognized as something that is really able to make the difference in the industry. We are absolutely sure!»
