3D printing is a prominent process, though one of the hangups is that parts are normally created in just one flat color. [Aad] has been working on a easy adjustment to his Prusa i3 printer, however, that allows the production of full-color parts.
Note the double vertical assemblies – one bring the extruder, the other bring an inkjet print head.
The hack is simple, including a second vertical frame added on to the printer. rather than installing a second extruder, however, there’s a inkjet printer head providing CMYK water-based inks. After the primary extruder puts down each layer of remove PLA plastic, the print is then moved under the inkjet head, which puts down colored inks before the next layer is printed, as seen in this print video.
[Aad] notes the results are presently imperfect. The ink seems to bleed between layers, mixing with the plastic after it is laid down. even more testing with different inks as well as filaments is in the pipeline, however, aiming to enhance high quality as well as contrast of the results.
We’ve seen other methods to the color 3D printing problem before, too. video after the break.