World's First Multi-Color, Multi-Polymer 3D Printer Unveiled 85
Lucas123 writes "Stratysis today announced it will be shipping this year a printer that can use hundreds of colors and polymers to create production-grade or prototype objects without the need for assembly. Previously, manufacturers could print multi-colored parts using many different materials and assemble them after completion. Stratasis' Objet500 Connex3 Color Multi-material 3D Printer features a triple-jet printer head that combines droplets of three base materials to produce parts with virtually unlimited combinations of rigid, flexible and transparent color materials in a single print run."
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Absolute B$ (Score:4, Informative)
This is a RepRap Mendel Printer designed to work with three colours or three different plastics at the same time.
In addition to the opportunities this gives you to put lettering on 3D prints and to produce muti-coloured objects, we are researching many functional materials for future release that you will be able to build with.
Well, I looked at the website and the information they give on the site about the tri-color is very vague! It seems that they intend to do so, and that gives me an impression that they did not have the capability of mixing color at the time they were advertising. They just want to advertise their product to get their name out first.
My understanding to answer your question about injecting the dyes on the fly, is that it is very difficult to perfectly add a color to the clear filament. In other words, it is not easy to evenly coat the filament and it would require multiple injections to get the right color. Then they may need to mix the colors to the right saturation/hue first before applying the color to the filament. This is not a 2D that can easily do it on one run. Not saying it is impossible, but they may not find the right and economical way to do it yet.