Custom Color Mixing Rostock Max by Jason Powell

Jason Powell made his highly customized Rostock Max V2 delta with the Diamond hotend and upgraded the firmware to do color mixing. He made multi part .stl-s to enable multiple colors.

Detailed video:



Instructables project homepage:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Full-Color-Mixing-3D-Printer/

His Thingiverse page:

http://www.thingiverse.com/jjpowelly/designs

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Lunavast CrafteHbot Inkjet Coloring 3D Printer

Lunavast CrafteHbot is strange looking attempt of a full color 3d printer from Japan. It uses inkjet attachment to paint on the deposited filament. Detailed information about it is limited and I'm skeptical that this is a robust solution. I'm not even sure if the inkjet attachment is custom made or used from a moded paper printer.

Tech specs:

• 3D printing method: Fused deposition manufacturing (FDM)
• Color printing method:Direct to Object (Patent pending)
• Build size ( X Y Z ): Single color output: 200 x 200 x 200 mm
• Full color printing: 150 x 150 x 150 mm
• Layer height: 0.1-0.3mm
• Build materials: PLA/PETG/ABS etc.
• Filament diameter: 1.75mm
• Nozzle diameter: 0.4mm
• 3D print speed: 50-150mm/s
• Extruder: Bondtech QR Double drive gear (Dual extruders）
• Hot end: E3D V6
• Electronics: RADDS + Arduino Due (32bit ARM Coretex M3)
• Motor driver: RAPS128 128step microsteps
• Firmware: aprinter
• Inkjet printer: Required separately
• Maximum inkjet ink spray distance: About 10mm
• Inkjet ink: Lunavast 6 colors (CMYK/LC/LM)
• Host software: Repetier-Host + Inkjet control plugin
• Color model processing software: Blender
• Operating system: Windows 7 (unknown if other are supported)
• Weight: 30kg
• Dimensions: 130 x 70 x 70 cm
• Price: 2499 USD

Here is Lunavast 3d printing and coloring a map model:



Lunavast homepage:

http://lunavast.jp/

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Mcor ARKe Full Color Desktop 3D Printer

Mcor just presented their Arke printer and it is amazing! It is a small revolution in 3d printing industry since it brings low machine cost, low material cost, full color and speed on your desktop.
It will be priced at 5999 Pounds range.
It is a evolution of their industrial scale technology and competition has nothing comparable now.


Presentation videos:








Here is more detailed presentation of internal mechanics and quality of objects printed on the Arke:





Technical specifications:

• Resolution: X, Y and Z axis: 0.1 mm (0.0039 in)
• Colour: Photorealistic HD Colour 4800 x 2400 DPI in X, Y and 254 in Z (up to 508 in Z with 50GSM paper)
• Build Size: 240 mm x 205 mm x 125 mm (9.5 in x 8 in x 4.9 in) Adaptive build volume
• Build Material: Paper
• Recyclable Parts/Material: Yes
• Equipment Dimensions: 880 mm wide x 593 mm high x 633 mm deep (34.6 in wide x 23.3 in high x 24.9 in deep)
• Power Requirements: 350W, 240v 50Hz or 120v 60Hz
• File Formats for Printing: STL, OBJ, VRML, DAE, 3MF
• Hardware Requirements: 8GB memory and 100GB hard drive, 1GB graphics card
• Network Connectivity: Ethernet, USB, WiFi
• Operating Systems: 64bit Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 and OS X Yosemite
• Regulatory Compliance: CE, UL
• System Software: Mcor Orange
• Office Compatibility: Yes

Key features:

• Consistent, high-definition, photorealistic colour enables unique, innovative designs across a wide range of professional and consumer applications.
• Print any colour, anytime on your 3D model, including text.
• Only 3D printer with the ICC (International Colour Consortium) colour map for the most accurate what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) colour in any 3D printer.
• Low cost makes full-colour, professional-class 3D printing accessible
• Low purchase price and running costs
• Free Mcor Mobile App lets you get and share designs run and monitor your Mcor ARKe from your iOS or Android smartphone
• Free Mcor Orange software for Mac and Windows-based PCs gives you complete control over your Mcor 3D printing projects, including loading, managing, customising and monitoring your 3D prints
• Mcor ARKe is IoT ready
• Provides full connectivity with options to connect via WiFi, Ethernet and USB
• Safe and eco-friendly 3D process is ideal for on-demand printing right in your office or classroom
• No harmful particle emissions, toxic chemicals or special facility requirements
• Green process and recyclable materials
• Adaptive Build minimizes the amount of material used
• Professional-quality 3D printing is a must for every professional
• Never-fail feed reliability, so you spend more time creating and less time fixing your 3D printer
• High resolution: 0.1 mm (0.0039 in) in X, Y, Z
• Build multiple models simultaneously
• Easy-to-use, plug-and-play process
• Hi-res touch screen with innovative LED progress task bar

Mcor Arke homepage:

http://mcortechnologies.com/3d-printers/arke-3d-photorealistic-colour-printer/

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Apple and Autodesk Patent Color 3D Printing (Apple patents liquid metal casting also)

OMG NOOOOO ... Apple files a patent for a 3d printer that prints colored objects with color being applied by separate nozzle. Maybe it's a tipe of defensive patenting or some corporate IP strategy. I hope they develop it and make it cool, but after Apple Pen fiasco I'm not getting my hopes up ...

Patent page:

LINK

PS: I am really not an Apple fan ...

Update (21.2.2016.)

Autodesk has patented color 3d printing also. Maybe it is the beginning of color patent wars.

http://3dprint.com/74984/autodesk-patent-multi-color/

Update (19.3.2016.):

Apple has filed for a new patent connected to 3d printing and molding technologies:

Apple’s patent application covers a method for 3D printing investment molds to be filled with molten amorphous alloy. These alloys are configured to form a bulk metallic glass (BMG) on cooling. BMGs, (also known as Bulk Amporhous Alloys) are a new class of metallic alloys that are extremely strong, with superior elastic strain limits and resistance under shock impact. They are therefore ideal for the manufacturing of electronic device housings and cases.

Here is a patent page: LINK

Looks like Apple is going into transformable and liquid metals!!! Remember Terminator ...

Source and ore info:

http://www.3ders.org/articles/20160310-apple-files-patent-application-for-3d-printing-investment-molds.html

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CollideOScope Multi Filament Printhead

Looks like a new multifilament printhead is in preparation and probably will come up soon on Kickstarter ...
Many motors, looks big ... we will see will it deliver ...

So many drives and motors ....

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3D4C multicolor 3d printer with CMYK filament mixing

3D4C is a new multicolor 3d printer which implements mixing of CMYK filaments to get desired colors in output object. This feature has never been implemented fully in mainstream FDM DIY 3d printer with many claiming they have achieved it successfully. We will see in the future if this one makes it.

Key features according to the developers:

• The first truly 4 colors blending 3D printer.
• Unique color blending hot-end extruder: provide accurate color blending.
• Unique compact design, laser-cut cold-end extruders (4 units): ensure powerful and accurate filament delivery for 3D printing.
• Original design Dual Building Platform with heat-bed: Platform 1 - MK3 Aluminium heat-bed. Platform 2 - 2mm laser-cut aluminium platform for large PLA printing (250 x 250 mm).
• Special design electronics board: with 7 drivers to control 7 stepper motors.
• Full metal parts: to provide accurate and fast printing, all parts are made of metals, probably the first of its kind. (except PTFE tube, couplings and belt)
• Laser-cut Aluminium casing: to accommodate 7 stepper motors with a compact design, we use 2mm laser-cut brushed aluminium to ensure a stable framework for printing.
• 0.4mm & 0.8mm dia. nozzles: the first 3D printer provide 0.8mm nozzles to enable extreme speed printing. The 3D4C printer can do that because it has a solid framework and accurate filament delivery system. All 3D4C printers come with 2 nozzles for different applications.
• Seamless original design
• Thanks to the original design, the 3D4C is the cheapest color 3D printer ( even compare to 2 color printers ) available in the market.

3D4C technical specifications and comparison with Replicator 2X: 

3D4C 3d printer is on Kickstarter now where you can get it for £850 ($1,445) as early supporter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/3d4c/innovative-3d4c-full-colors-3d-printer

Someone asked me and here is the answer: CMYK stands for colors it uses cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black).

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