14 DAY TRIAL // There are lots of 3D printers out there by now, as well as plenty of colored filaments for them, but the main limitation is that each filament spool comes in a single color. There are one or two exceptions, but you can't really choose how the colors end up on a print.
Shapeways managed to overcome this limitation a while ago with its colored sandstone, which allowed print models to be made in more than one color, with very accurate gradients and resolution.
It is one of the big reasons why products made by Shapeways designers from the sandstone sell a lot better than most others.
And Shapeways sells many things indeed, like baubles, figurines, little fashion accessories, not so little fashion accessories, toys, etc.
However, in most cases, using the sandstone is not a good idea, because items made form it can shatter rather easily. Kind of a shame, really, since full-color printing is so rare.
That's no longer a problem though, because Shapeways has finally completed a plastic version of the full-color material, which promises high shape and color resolution, but still featuring the flexibility and endurance of plastic, as opposed to sandstone.
It will allow designers to come up with new action figures, toys, mobile device cases, and other objects featuring flexible and/or moving parts.
You won't be seeing the new material up for sale anywhere for a while, because Shapeways wants to test it fully first, which is why it will only release it to a small group of Pilot Designers. If you want to be among them, you can submit an application. The price range will be of $3 / €2.24 to $2 / €1.5 per cubic centimeter during the test phase. It's unknown what the retail price will be though.
For those who want further details on the new color plastic material from Shapeways, you can find the full trait list below.
Minimum supported wall thickness of 0.7 mm Minimum unsupported wall thickness of 0.7 mm Minimum supported wire thickness of 0.8 mm Minimum unsupported wires 1.6 mm Maximum bounding box 150 x 150 x 150 mm / 5.90 x 5.90 x 5.90 inches Minimum bounding box X + Y + Z ≥ 10 mm Minimum embossed detail of 0.2 mm high and wide Minimum engraved detail of 0.2 mm high and wide Minimum escape hole diameter of 4.0 mm (for one escape hole) 2.0 mm diameter when there are two or more escape holes Clearance of 0.5mm
It will be possible to create interlocking and enclosed parts from the new filament, but not multiple parts per model file, unfortunately.
It was about time something like this occurred. As great as high-resolution 3D printing technologies are, they kind of fall flat if you have to use the same color for everything. It was bearable for action figures made of dozens of interlocking components, since you could change the filament for each part. But when it's a bobblehead or single-piece figurine you're making, it's not as glamorous anymore.
Now we just have to wonder if there is any way to enable full-color SLA 3D printing next, where items are grown from a resin tank instead of built drop by drop like in FDM.
