Add Color to Your 3D Prints With Hydrographic printing

Hydrographic printing has been around for some time, but the traditional technique -- immersing a 3D object into a liquid that has a gravure-printed PVA film floating on it, so the film wraps the object and transfers the color/pattern -- isn't very precise. Researchers from Zheijiang University and Columbia University have come up with a way to enhance the precision, transferring exact patterns onto 3D objects, including 3D printed pieces. By using a software simulation to determine the nature of the film's deformation during immersion and an automated dipping technique, the researchers are able to precisely print exact patterns. Find out more about it in the full article: http://3dprint.com/64979/precision-hydrographic-print/


Below is a look at (left) a mask being dipped into the film and (right) the finished mask compared to its digital model:
http://3dprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/hydro.png

I very much appreciate you posting of this article. If anybody else is working on this for 3D print decoration, I am able to print your patterns / images on PVA film. This is something I've been doing for the past year and I'm am willing to collaborate on your project from the printing aspect. You can contact me at allen@hydrograhics.supply