Stratasys has unveiled the world's first full-color 3D printer allowing users to print both in color and multiple materials. This machine with incredible features comes at a huge price.
Stratasys, one of the biggest 3D printer manufacturers in the world, has upped the ante with its latest Objet500 Connex3 machine, touted as the world's first full-color machine. The new 3D printing technology is sure to transform the designing, engineering and manufacturing industry. Stratasys showed off the multi material color printer at the SolidWorks World 2014 in San Diego, Monday.
Stratasys is the biggest competitor to the world leader in the color 3D printing space, 3D Systems. The newest entry in Stratasys' ever-increasing portfolio of 3D printers directly challenges 3D Systems to integrate the technology of full color and multiple materials.
How Does It Work?
The Objet500 Connex3 Color Multi-material 3D Printer uses a "triple-jetting technology that combines droplets of three base materials to produce realistic parts with hundreds of vivid colors and virtually unlimited combinations of rigid, flexible and transparent color materials, color digital materials as well as and high temperature materials to simulate standard and high temperature engineering plastics," the company explained in a blog post, Monday.
The Objet500 Connex3 lets users add in as many as 46 colors into one prototype from a range of different hues. With base materials as rubber and plastic, the end products can vary from being flexible and rigid to transparent and opaque.
How Is It Beneficial?
The Objet500 Connex3 printer can be very helpful for printing objects on a small-scale by large firms. Stratasys marketing manager Bruce Bradshaw told BBC News that the new printer will help industry designers to reduce the time consumed in manufacturing prototypes by up to 50 percent.
In comparison to 3D Systems' ProJet 5500X, which offers only black, white and few shades of grey for printing, the Stratasys printer offers a bigger color palette that helps industry designers to come up with a desirable finished product in one run. The printer also helps manufacturers and professional designers to get the prototypes of a new product before committing to full production.
Availability & Pricing:
The Minneapolis-based Stratasys will bring the Objet500 Connex3 Colour Multi-material 3D Printer to the market during the second quarter of 2014 for about $330,000 (£200,000). The expensive price tag will keep the machine out of the hands of individuals.
