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Thread: The 'Ultimate Filament Colorer'
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05-09-2014, 11:08 PM #1
- Join Date
- Mar 2014
- Posts
- 157
This would have been something I could have definitely seen on Kickstarter... but in the end, it's easily replicable.
I was thinking the same thing earlier... something like a u-trap where the ink would sit in the trap, filament would enter, go through the ink, and come UP inked... there could be a small fan at the exit point to dry the ink before it reaches the extruder / hotend.
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05-10-2014, 07:27 AM #2
I agree. This is a cool idea. But to try to market it and sell it is going to be difficult. And there is no 'barrier to entry' to keep the competition out of your space. And think about it... 3D Printers appeal to people that want to make stuff themselves. How much could you charge before somebody starts making .STL files to print your own filament dye kit?
Agreed... Please consider this thought: If you made a U-Shaped ink well that the filament went down into and came back up... You have the problem with how much force the extruder can tug and pull on the filament. Right now, I don't see an alternative to having an extra motor to help with the pushing and pulling.
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05-10-2014, 11:16 AM #3
- Join Date
- Apr 2014
- Location
- Greensboro, NC
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- 3
We developed at Kikai Labs a post-extrusion coloring of the object using markers… http://bit.ly/1jL7Hks. It works much much better than this method in the sense of making multi-color objects.
Kikai Labs' approach involves a combination of self-developed hardware and software. The method allows for very precise painting, including lettering and even photographic reproductions, at a very low cost.
Check out what it can do:
foto compuesta objetos coloreados small2.jpgLast edited by kikailabs; 05-10-2014 at 11:20 AM.
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05-10-2014, 06:09 PM #4
Yeah we saw that it's pretty cool, but it seems extremely slow compared to colouring the filament before it goes into the extruder.
I see your adaption as Dot Matrix printing with a 3D printer and coloured pens, almost printing in pixels with the coloured markers - which don't get me wrong is awesome! but you would have to significantly speed it up to come in line with a normal 3D print.
Also have you got an example of printing something in 3D? as in a fully 3D object rather than a 2D object printed out? (the world map looks like a SVG image that's been split into several vectors) For example could you print a Tiger out in orange and have your machine colour the orange and black on it? all around the body, not on one face.Last edited by Geoff; 05-10-2014 at 06:11 PM.
Please explain to me how to...
05-17-2024, 12:15 PM in 3D Printer Parts, Filament & Materials