3D printing and different colors?

[universitystudent]

Hi everyone,

I'm a university student and I have to print out a 3D model. Our university uses Repetier-Host as the program for the 3D printer (I don't know much about the different programs out there), and I already have the STL files ready.

I divided my STL files by layers, each of which needs to have a different color. The problem is that STL files don't store colors, and so if I would just go ahead and print it, it would come out in 1 color. But I don't want it to; I want each layer to have a specified color.

From Googling, I'd imagine I have to write a G-code to change the filament after each layer is done, but I am clueless as to how. For reference, the layers to be yellow, green, black, white, grey, green, and yellow in that order (there are 7 frames, called "layerx.stl" where "x" is a number between 1 and 7).

I'd really appreciate any help. Even giving me link would be great.

Thanks in advance.

[3DPBuser]

I think what you do is assign a color to an stl. Then you can print 2 colors on a 2-head printer.

[LambdaFF]

If you have a filament welder (see richrap's blog on that) : you keep one file for the whole thing, you measure the length of filament you'll need in the soft to do the number of layers required for the color and weld each length of color.

If you're confident, you swap the filament by pausing the print (one file) when required.

If you've got a dual extruder, you cut the model into 2 STL files and make them into an AMF using meshmixer. The soft will handle the 2 heads to do the 2 colors.

For 7 colors the one above won't work and the other 2 will be tedious / risky. Why don't you print each file separately and then glue them ?