Stratasys touts first colour multi-material 3D printer

Stratasys introduced what it claims to be the first and only 3D printer to combine colours with multi-material 3D printing. Geared for product design, engineering and manufacturing processes, the Objet500 Connex3 Color Multi-material 3D Printer offers what the company describes as a unique triple-jetting technology that combines droplets of three base materials to produce parts with virtually unlimited combinations of rigid, flexible, and transparent colour materials as well as colour digital materials in a single print run.

The technology allows the device to achieve the characteristics of an assembled part without assembly or painting is a significant time-saver. It helps product manufacturers validate designs and make good decisions earlier before committing to manufacturing, and bring products to market faster.

Engineers at beta user Trek Bicycle in Waterloo, Wisconsin are using the Objet500 Connex3 Color Multi-material 3D Printer for assessment and testing of accessories such as bike chain stay guards and handlebar grips prior to actual production.

Similar to a 2D inkjet printer, three colour materials, VeroCyan, VeroMagenta and VeroYellow, are combined to produce hundreds of vivid colours. These colour materials join Stratasys' extensive range of PolyJet photopolymer materials including digital materials, rigid, rubber-like, transparent and high temperature materials to simulate standard and high temperature engineering plastics.

The Objet500 Connex3 Color Multi-material 3D Printer also features six palettes for rubber-like Tango colours, ranging from opaque to transparent colours in various shore values to address markets such as automotive, consumer and sporting goods and fashion. The printer is commercially available and is sold through Stratasys' worldwide reseller network.

Last month, Stratasys unveiled nylon material specifically engineered for its line of Fortus 3D production systems. The material's elongation-at-break specification surpasses that of other 3D printed nylon 12 material by up to 100 per cent based on published specifications (see Stratasys introduces unfilled nylon for 3D printing).

The company opened its seventh facility in Asia late September with a new office in Singapore. With ever increasing popularity and adoption of 3D printing, Stratasys sees more opportunities for growth specifically in Southeast Asia (see Stratasys seeks wider reach in Asia with SG facility).