Article Image

IPFS News Link • 3D Printing

3D printer creates full-color, multiple material prototypes in a single print run

• http://www.gizmag.com, Dario Borghino

In addition, like other premium printers from the same company, it can also print in multiple materials to produce parts that are hard or soft, opaque or transparent, for some rather impressive results.

The printer makes use of proprietary "Polyjet" technology, which Stratasys describes as the 3D analogous of inkjet printing. Tiny droplets of a photo-sensitive polymer are dropped on the tray and then illuminated to harden them on the spot. If the shape of the object is complex, including for instance a sudden overhang, the 3D design software automatically adds printed, water-soluble supports that can be easily washed away later.

The J750 is not the first Polyjet printer from Stratasys, but it is the first that can print in five colors – cyan, magenta, yellow, black and white – instead of just three. The addition of white in particular means the printer can now use the CMYK process to derive a broad spectrum of 360,000 accurate color shades.


ContentSafe