Tag Archives: 3d printer

Phrozen announces its first large-volume FDM 3D printer with a whopping 600mm/s max speed

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Set to go head to head with other leading FDM 3D-printing brands, the Phrozen Arco boasts a max print volume of 300x300x300 mm³, an acceleration of 30,000 mm/s², and a top speed of 600mm/s. Sure, that sounds like a whole bunch of numbers… but it translates to three simple words – Bigger prints, faster. Unlike its other competitors, it also comes with a Chroma Kit, empowering users with multi-filament printing capabilities that let you print in vivid color.

Designer: Phrozen Arco Team

Click Here to Sign-up Now: Early Access Ends Soon

Phrozen recently announced its first-ever FDM printer, the Arco, which will head to Kickstarter at the end of this month. Having built a solid reputation selling some of the finest resin printers, Phrozen hopes the Arco will set the gold standard for extrusion-based printing, which seems to be picking up as more and more users/creatives/businesses begin integrating 3D printing into their workflow.

Phrozen Arco driven by its Chroma Kit (multi-color AMS), introduces up to 16 colors for your creations. No coating required—now, print vivid, colorful models effortlessly.

On paper, the Arco’s specs put it in the upper echelon of consumer-grade 3D printers. The massive 300x300x300 mm³ build volume lets you print large-scale models without necessarily needing to slice them into smaller, more manageable bits. Larger models, however, are notorious for taking more time to print, but the Arco’s 30,000mm/s² acceleration and top printing speed of 600mm/s make it a worthy contender for being one of the fastest consumer-level 3D printers out there. The Arco is based on Klipper’s 3D printing firmware too (with more third-party collaborations in the pipeline), allowing it to benefit from its open-source nature and improve over time through OTA updates.

Simultaneously print multiple sets or larger models-unleash your imagination with the largest volume color 3D printer.

The speed factor isn’t just a question of cranking up the motors on the X and Y axes, it also requires precise engineering to ensure the filament flows at exactly the right speed (otherwise you get warped, bad-quality prints). To achieve this, the Arco boasts dual 18 mm extruder gears and a 9.5:1 reduction ratio HGX extruder, along with a patented direct extrusion path that cuts the distance between the extrusion gears and the heat source that melts the filaments. Paired with Arco’s patented cooling systems, this allows you to print perfectly with tricky materials like TPU, or achieve ultra-fast prints with traditional filaments like PLA. The external part of the printer is reinforced too, with a stationary bed supported by 4 thickened stands that reduce vibrations that cause those notorious ‘layer lines’ during high-speed printing.

Phrozen is also allowing users to add a Chroma Kit to their Arco. While traditional printers only have a single-spool setup, the Chroma Kit (Phrozen’s self-developed automatic material system) lets you mount multiple spools of filament, supporting 4-color 3D printing at present, upgradable to 16-color prints in the future by connecting more Chroma Kits following upcoming OTA updates. The Chroma Kit works as a dry storage unit for your extra filaments and relies on a series of motors and sensors to automatically swap out old filaments and feed in new ones during prints.

All this is encased in what Phrozen describes as a robust, reinforced outer structure that ensures minimal tolerances for better quality results. Each Arco is also accompanied by a Pentashield – made of acrylic and metal panels – that helps encase your printer in a protective enclosure, reducing noise as well as maintaining optimal print temperatures. PIXUP, Phrozen’s own slicing software, helps load and prepare models for printing too, and their dedicated model library lets you easily choose (or even sell) print-ready models, creating a community that truly helps set 3D printing apart from any other manufacturing industry!

Click Here to Sign-up Now: Early Access Ends Soon

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Portable plug-and-play 3D printer lets you print without much complications

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3D printing is something that is interesting and useful for a lot of industries although it’s still basically in the early stages. One thing that’s probably stopping people from embracing this technology is that it seems pretty complicated and not user-friendly. Most printers require a certain kind of technical knowledge so those who don’t have this are already ruled out. What if there was a printer that would do away with all that and let “ordinary” users enjoy the joys of 3D printing?

Designer: KOKONI

The KOKONI EC2 is one such printer which will let 3D printing enthusiasts use a plug-and-play kind of entry-level smart 3D printer. Despite its advanced features, it is still pretty accessible enough for children and newbies, not to mention pretty affordable. You don’t even need advanced software skills to be able to print the things you want to print. It has AI-generated design capabilities and there are also over 2000 designs to choose from (and they update it weekly so you’ll get more).

The portable 3D printer actually looks like a toy oven with its compact design and color options (apple green, orange, and white). It has a 720p camera so you will be able to see the printing process and even create time-lapse videos from there. You also get an upgraded printing speed so you’ll be able to print something in under 20 minutes if you’re using the simpler designs. You can connect the printer to the KOKONI 3D app so you don’t need a computer to be able to use it.

I never thought I would consider getting a 3D printer given the complicated nature of most of the machines available in the market. But this one that weighs just 3.2 kg and is 189 x 302 x 231 mm small is something you can consider if you’re looking to complete DIY projects for your home or work. Well, that is, if you have $349 to spare.

The post Portable plug-and-play 3D printer lets you print without much complications first appeared on Yanko Design.

This multi-filament 3D printer upgrade lets you create colorful designs effortlessly

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Never before has it been easier to create things at home thanks to 3D printers, but we’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s possible. There are still some limitations, especially for desktop 3D printers, dictated by economies of space or price. Something that may sound as basic as 3D printing objects with multiple colors turns out to be quite a chore because most of these printers are designed to handle a single filament at a time. Most of the time, you’re forced to print different colors as separate pieces and then just assemble them after the fact, a process that takes more time than necessary and is prone to error. You could buy a larger, more expensive multi-filament 3D printer, or you can upgrade your trusty machine with this revolutionary module set that makes printing different colors or materials at the same time easy as pie.

Designer: Huseyin Ozen of Co Print

Click Here to Buy Now: $349 $580 (40% off). Hurry, less than 72 hours left! Raised over $410,000.

Commercial 3D printers, especially the most popular FDM or Fused Deposit Modeling kind, are designed to be quick, efficient, and easy to use. Given the parts and processes involved, that means limiting the printer head to handle a single filament of material at a time. With this technique, you can only print a single color or use a single type of material for a single pass, switching filaments when you need to print out a different color or material. After that, you have to glue the pieces together, which relies on your own precision and steady hands to achieve the desired design. This has been the status quo for many years now, not unless you buy an actual multi-filament 3D printer, which is bulkier and more expensive, especially if you already have a working 3D printer or two.

ChromaPad – Excels in color, material, speed, and control, unlocking limitless potential.

Fastest Multi-color Printing Experience – ChromaPad pushes the usual boundaries of 3D printing speed for both single and multi-filament projects. Accelerate your print up to 300+ mm/s and get your project in hand three times faster.

ChromaScreen Advanced Klipper Software – Comes with features like the ability to control multiple extruders, a helpful setup wizard, and the ability to manage multiple printers at once.

Manage Multiple Printers Effortlessly – ChromaPad allows you to control up to 8 printers in a single simple panel.

The Co Print ChromaSet is a collection of modules that basically upgrades almost any old 3D printer to be able to handle multiple filaments in one go. It allows you to use the same trusted machine you’ve been working with for years and, with just a few easy-to-install parts, turn it into a multi-color, multi-material 3D printer that is just as easy to use as any other regular 3D printer. Instead of being forced to print multiple parts because they’re made of different materials or colors, you can save time and a lot of work with a single printing pass that can use a variety of colors as well as filaments, including PLA, ABS, PETG, TPU, ASA, Wood, and more.

ChromaHead – Designed to match your needs on multi-filament 3D printing. When combined with ChromaPad or KCM, it minimizes all the issues that can occur such as jamming and clogging.

Filament Cutter for High Quality Prints – Powered by a robust servo motor with up to 20 kg of force and supported by a durable Japanese blade, ChromaHead’s precise filament cutting mechanism achieves a success rate of 99.9% in clean cuts.

Universal Rail Plug System – The design allows you to match with different brands and different models, and solves the compatibility issues.

Supports all the Materials you Need – Different colors, different materials. Your creative journey knows no bounds.

The different pieces of the ChromaSet work together to accomplish this seemingly magical feat. The ChromaHead with the embedded ChromaHotend, for example, attaches easily to almost any 3D printer thanks to its unique rail plug system, making it compatible with different brands, models, and mechanical setups. It is designed to support at most four filaments at the same time, with a special design that minimizes jamming and clogging, as well as employing a Japanese blade for precise and clean filament cuts. The CX-1 Extruder, engineered with Titanium gears, a dual-drive system, and high-torque features, is responsible for pushing those four filaments and can be just as easily installed on any 3D printer.

KCM (Klipper Chroma Module) – For users who already have a Klipper-based 3D printer. KCM gives you all the great features of ChromaPad right out of the box, so you don’t need to buy ChromaPad separately.

ECM (Extended Chroma Module) – Designed to increase your extruder limits. ECM allows you to add up additional 4 extruders into a single output via USB.

If you need more than four filaments, the ECM or Extended Chroma Module adds four more extruders into a single output for a total of eight. You can have up to five of these extruders for a whopping 20 filaments, each carrying a different color or type of material for an even faster workflow. Making all these different parts work together in harmony is the job of the ChromaPad, the world’s first multi-filament 3D printing pad. Running the ChromaScreen software based on Klipper Screen, the tablet gives users unprecedented control not just over multi-filament printing but as many as 8 printers at the same time as well. But if you already have a Klipper-based 3D printer, you can use the Klipper Chroma Module (KCM) instead, delivering the same features without the extra cost.

The Co Print ChromaSet was made in collaboration with major 3D printer brands, ensuring that it will work with almost all 3D printer models in the market. A $349 discounted bundle lets you get the ChromaSet with the Klipper module instead of the tablet, while the $499 set includes the ChromaPad without the KCM. Whichever bundle you choose, the ChromaSet is guaranteed to upgrade your 3D printing experience, allowing you to make magnificent colorful designs in a fraction of the time and with less effort.

Click Here to Buy Now: $349 $580 (40% off). Hurry, less than 72 hours left! Raised over $410,000.

The post This multi-filament 3D printer upgrade lets you create colorful designs effortlessly first appeared on Yanko Design.

Upgrade your Old Basic 3D Printer into a Hi-End Multi-Filament Color 3D Printer with this Retrofit System

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Imagine taking your Ford Fiesta and putting a V12 engine under the hood… that’s what the Co Print ChromaSet does for your regular consumer-grade 3D printer. Designed as a highly-advanced system that beefs up your single-filament printer, the ChromaSet features a multi-filament hot-end that replaces the one on your existing printer, along with extruder blocks that feed as many as 8 different filaments into your existing printer. A separate ChromaPad tablet manages the printer, acting as the brains behind it all, turning your $400 printer from 2 years back into a multi-color 3D printing wizard. The Co Print ChromaSet comes with universal compatibility that allows it to attach to a variety of printer brands, and that ChromaPad tablet lets you individually manage as many as 8 printers together through one dashboard. We’ve literally never seen something this incredible.

Designer: Huseyin Ozen of Co Print

Click Here to Buy Now: $349 $489 ($140 off). Hurry, limited quantities! Raised over $240,000.

Using the literal words of the folks at Co Print, “ChromaSet brings color, speed, and ease of control to your existing 3D printer setup.” It supercharges your current printer by adding mods and upgrades to it, optimizing its performance, improving its output, and allowing you to manage your new multi-filament printer with even more ease than before. The system all boils down to 6 different modules that attach right onto any existing 3D printer, working with different mechanical systems including linear, shaft + bearing, and sigma profile-style printers. Once set up, printing happens smoother than before. The printer automatically manages and switches between filaments, while the tab lets you monitor and control multiple printers working in tandem. There’s no need for calibration, changing filaments in between prints, or even waiting hours to complete jobs. ChromaSet’s entire system hyper-optimizes operations with 300mm/s speeds that help cut down print times in almost half.

ChromaPad – Excels in color, material, speed, and control, unlocking limitless potential.

Fastest Multi-color Printing Experience – ChromaPad pushes the usual boundaries of 3D printing speed for both single and multi-filament projects. Accelerate your print up to 300+ mm/s and get your project in hand three times faster.

ChromaScreen Advanced Klipper Software – Comes with features like the ability to control multiple extruders, a helpful setup wizard, and the ability to manage multiple printers at once.

Manage Multiple Printers Effortlessly – ChromaPad allows you to control up to 8 printers in a single simple panel.

The 6 different modules have very specific roles, starting with the ChromaPad which becomes the ultimate hub for all your printing needs. With a 7-inch touchscreen on the outside and a powerful AmlogicS905X3 processor on the inside, the ChromaPad is the buffer between you and the 3D printer, using a special ChromaScreen software (based on Klipper Screen) that gives you the ability to control multiple extruders, to manage multiple printers at once, and a helpful setup wizard that allows you to effectively things up by upgrading your old printer.

ChromaHead – Designed to match your needs on multi-filament 3D printing. When combined with ChromaPad or KCM, it minimizes all the issues that can occur such as jamming and clogging.

Filament Cutter for High Quality Prints – Powered by a robust servo motor with up to 20 kg of force and supported by a durable Japanese blade, ChromaHead’s precise filament cutting mechanism achieves a success rate of 99.9% in clean cuts.

Universal Rail Plug System – The design allows you to match with different brands and different models, and solves the compatibility issues.

Supports all the Materials you Need – Different colors, different materials. Your creative journey knows no bounds.

The ChromaSet can practically attach onto any existing 3D printer, augmenting its abilities. Its design is a result of a partnership between Co Print and companies like Creality, Phaetus, LDO Motors, and other popular 3D printer makers and suppliers, which means the ChromaSet works with all popular printers, attaching on in just minutes. The process starts with mounting the ChromaHead, which contains the hot-end and nozzle, along with a filament management system that helps efficiently switch between filaments mid-print. The ChromaHead is a unique-looking device, with an 8-holed funnel on top that accepts multiple filaments at the same time. Based on the print requirement, it effectively alternates between filaments, heating them to the right temperature before dispensing them through the nozzle onto the print-plate. But how does it know which filament to take next? Well, the CX-1 Extruder takes care of that. Sitting on top of the printer, this extruder manually feeds the right filament into the hot-end. Layer as many as 8 of them side by side and they work in tandem like ink cartridges in a regular printer, delivering the right filament at exactly the right time. This potentially allows you to print an entire multi-material product in one single job, printing TPU, PLA, ABS, and PETG at the same time.

KCM (Klipper Chroma Module) – For users who already have a Klipper-based 3D printer. KCM gives you all the great features of ChromaPad right out of the box, so you don’t need to buy ChromaPad separately.

ECM (Extended Chroma Module) – Designed to increase your extruder limits. ECM allows you to add up additional 4 extruders into a single output via USB.

The results look nothing like what you’d get from a starting or mid-range printer. The ChromaSet’s output feels undeniably premium, with the kind of materials and colors that one could expect from a printer costing four figures in the least. Moreover, a single ChromaPad can control multiple printers at once, allowing you to revamp that old printer from 5 years ago lying in your garage, bringing it up to speed with your new printer. If your printer is Klipper-based, you don’t even need the pad to control it – the Klipper Chroma Module (or KCM) lets you turn it into a multi-filament machine without the pad, and if you REALLY want to push your printer’s multi-filament chops to the limits, the ECM or Extended Chroma Module allows you to add up additional 4 extruders into a single output via USB, letting you simultaneously print with 20 filaments of different colors and materials.

The results pretty much speak for themselves. Although the video doesn’t document a time comparison, ChromaSet boasts nearly 3x printing speeds without any drop in quality. You don’t need to calibrate the printer or manage filaments manually because the system does it all for you. The ChromaScreen software is entirely open-source, and even if you’re away from your printer (or printers), support for remote devices lets you monitor and even control active print jobs on your phone, tablet, laptop, or any other internet-connected device. The entire ChromaSet starts at a discounted $349 if you opt for the KCM bundle, or $499 for the bundle with the ChromaPad tablet device – both bundles include 4 Extruders, with the ability to add more to your initial pledge. If you ask me, that’s not a bad investment, considering how the minor upgrade turns your basic printer into a high-end industry-grade one!

Click Here to Buy Now: $349 $489 ($140 off). Hurry, limited quantities! Raised over $240,000.

The post Upgrade your Old Basic 3D Printer into a Hi-End Multi-Filament Color 3D Printer with this Retrofit System first appeared on Yanko Design.

Anker’s Latest Product Isn’t A Charger Or Power Bank… It’s An Affordable $399 High-Precision 3D Printer

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If Yamaha can manufacture world-class pianos and motorcycles, why can’t Anker make cutting-edge power banks and 3D printers? The company known for their diverse, high-quality range of tech accessories is now making a splash with its new sub-brand of consumer-friendly high-grade 3D printers, AnkerMake. While AnkerMake released its first 3D printer last year, the launch of the M5C 3D printer this year goes to show how serious the company is about carving its niche in this relatively unexplored territory.

The company brings its consumer-centric approach to the world of 3D printers too, with an intuitive one-click interface that lets you instantly begin 3D printing without any hassle. Paired with AnkerMake’s smartphone app, users can download and print 3D models right through their phone, as well as play/pause existing builds and view the progress of running jobs from anywhere in the world.

Designer: AnkerMake

Click Here to Buy Now

Anker’s 3D printing ambitions started last year with the company launching the M5 3D printer on Kickstarter, garnering support from more than 11,000 backers who pledged upwards of $9 million to bring the device to life. Seeing this overwhelming endorsement from consumers, AnkerMake decided to launch the upgraded M5C printer directly online, without crowdfunding it. The M5C comes upgraded with a sleek one-piece design, making setup a breeze. Its aluminum-alloy base not only provides stability but also effectively minimizes machine jitter, while the stock 0.4-mm brass nozzle and all-metal hot-end reaches temperatures as high as 300°C (572 °F), to melt a broader range of filament material. The M5C prints at a staggering 500mm per second, with 0.1mm of precision in printed parts… all while being nearly half the price of its predecessor which had an MSRP of $759.

The M5C positions itself as the perfect 3D printer for beginners, hobbyists, as well as experts. Its commendably low price tag makes it an exceptional entry-level printer that doesn’t really compromise on function. The M5C comes with an aluminum chassis and features Z-axis pillars that are integrated into the base, helping reduce setup time when you first buy the printer, but also ensuring that there’s never any issue with calibration or with precision. The base now weighs 5 kilograms (11 lbs), making it heavy enough to stay stable while the printer prints at staggering speeds of 500mm/s. At those speeds, AnkerMake promises up to 75% faster 3D prints than conventional printers, which can sometimes max out at 150-180mm/s.

The M5C’s 0.4mm brass nozzle and metal hot end allow it to work with a wide range of materials. Reaching temperatures as high as 300°C (572°F) with the print-plate hitting temperatures of 100°C (212°F), the M5C comfortably works with PET/PET-G, PLA, ABS, TPU, and other popular filaments, touting outer wall thicknesses as low as 0.2mm and an in-fill thickness of 0.1mm. The printer also offers 3 operational modes to choose from – Precision (for intricate prints), Standard, and Fast (which allows the M5C to complete large prints in record time).

The AnkerMake M5C comes with a print volume of 220 x 220 x 150 mm, which is a tad smaller than last year’s M5, but it still retains the PEI magnetic plate for trouble-free removal of models and features the same 7×7 automatic bed leveling system that calibrates the print-bed before starting a print. Moreover, an auto-resume feature ensures that in the event of a power outage, the printer saves its progress, and automatically resumes printing from where it left off once the lights are back.

The M5C’s connectivity remains one of its strongest feature sets. Each 3D printer is armed with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing you to send models wirelessly to the printer (or via a USB drive). Moreover, AnkerMake’s companion app (available for both iOS as well as Android) gives you extensive controls over the printer’s functions, letting you print, re-print, level, home, pause, or stop the printer from pretty much anywhere. The app also has a dedicated model library that allows you to directly send files to the printer with a single tap, and even offers progress reports on the printer, letting you see how far your print is coming along. For people using the AnkerMake M5D along with computers, the company does offer its dedicated slicing program for Windows and Mac users, and also boasts compatibility with Prusa and Cura, allowing you to slice and prepare your 3D CAD files before sending them for printing. A single button on the 3D printer then gives you the function of starting/pausing/stopping your prints.

At its price range, the AnkerMake M5C is perfect for anyone looking to dive into 3D printing on a budget. Anker’s brand reliability makes this the perfect ‘first’ for someone who’s never bought a printer before, or even for someone looking to set up a fleet of printers for their small business or Etsy store. Unlike AnkerMake’s first printer, this one hasn’t opted for the crowdfunding route, which means the printer ships almost instantly, reaching you in days if not weeks. The AnkerMake M5C also comes with a 1-year warranty.

Click Here to Buy Now

The post Anker’s Latest Product Isn’t A Charger Or Power Bank… It’s An Affordable $399 High-Precision 3D Printer first appeared on Yanko Design.

Snapmaker’s Christmas Sale sees massive discounts on 3-in-1 3D printers

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If the past few months have been any indication, THIS is the age of creation. AI tools like Stable Diffusion, DALL• E 2, and ChatGPT are making creation incredibly easy for everyone, and it’s spurring a creator REVOLUTION. Joining this is Snapmaker, with its series of multi-capable modular machines that are capable of 3D printing, laser engraving/cutting, and CNC carving/cutting. Their Christmas Sale sees discounts as high as 40% on some of their flagship modular machines, which let you easily switch between 3D Printing, Laser Engraving/Cutting, CNC carving, and even 4 Axis CNC Machining. Aside from the Christmas discounts (which are on all the way till January 1st), there’s also a 3-hour Flash Sale with even more compelling discounts on the 23rd (from 7 am to 9:59 am PST). Go ahead and kickstart your creative journey! It’s literally never been easier!

Click Here to Buy Now. Use YD coupon code “AFF-sdyvvx” to get an additional 5% discount (except the Artisan, J1, and dual extrusion 3D printer module). Hurry, offer ends on Jan 1st.

Snapmaker 2.0 AT and 2.0 F

The discounts are available across all of Snapmaker’s 3D printers, with as much as 35% off on the Snapmaker 2.0 AT and 2.0 F models. Unveiled just last year at the company’s 5th year anniversary, the Snapmaker 2.0 AT brings a few key upgrades to the company’s popular Snapmaker 2.0 line. The 2.0 AT can either be procured as a standalone bundle, or as a set of upgradeable parts for current Snapmaker 2.0 users. For more diehard 3D printing enthusiasts, the Snapmaker 2.0 F offers reliably precise standalone 3D printing at an incredibly affordable price, with the future promise of upgradeability – something other 3D printers can’t.

Snapmaker Artisan

Snapmaker’s flagship 3-in-1 machine, the Artisan, also receives some major discounts. Launched just this year, the device offers dual-extrusion 3D printing, 10W laser cutting/engraving, and 200W CNC carving/cutting with the same level of modularity that Snapmaker’s other products offer, but with much higher precision, thanks to industrial-grade linear modules that are machined on the micron-level. The modules swap out in an instant and can be intuitively done to alternate between three different functions. The Artisan also offers a massive 400mm*400mm*400mm work area, with a built-in enclosure and a dedicated separate ultrawide 7-inch touchscreen control panel that provides an intuitive user-experience.

Snapmaker J1

On the market for a faster, better 3D printer? The Snapmaker J1 High Speed IDEX (independent dual extrusion) printer boasts two extruders with an ultra-fast 350mm/s printing speed, elaborate hardware design, and the ability to print with breakaway and other dissolvable materials. IDEX is the only extrusion system with two separate extruders moving independently on the X-axis, which enables you to run different printing modes such as copy, mirror, and backup mode.

Between December 12th and January 1st, Snapmaker will be providing the following offers:

US/Global Store:
35% off Snapmaker 2.0 A350T/A250T
35% off Snapmaker 2.0 F350/F250
40% off Snapmaker 2.0 A350T/A250T + Rotary Module Combo
40% off A350T/A250T + Enclosure
$150 off Snapmaker Artisan
$250 off Snapmaker J1

EU Store:
35% off Snapmaker 2.0 A350T/A250T Bundle
35% off Snapmaker 2.0 F350/F250
35% off Snapmaker 2.0 A350T/A250T + Rotary Module Combo
35% off A350T/A250T Bundle + Air Purifier Combo
€230 off Snapmaker Artisan
€300 off Snapmaker J1

Yanko Design readers can enjoy an extra 5% discount on all orders for the Snapmaker 2.0 and any other modules and combos (Artisan, J1, and dual extrusion 3D printer module excluded). Just use the code AFF-sdyvvx during checkout. Go ahead, become the power-creator this coming year!

Click Here to Buy Now. Hurry offer ends on Jan 1st.

The post Snapmaker’s Christmas Sale sees massive discounts on 3-in-1 3D printers first appeared on Yanko Design.

Finally, A Resin 3D Printer That Looks Like an Astronaut Helmet

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Been holding out on buying a resin 3D printer because all the available options just don’t look enough like an astronaut helmet for you? Well, it’s finally time to pull the trigger on that space blaster of yours, because the AstroFab Resin 3D printer is a dead-ringer for a traditional NASA-style astronaut helmet. I’m going to print myself a pair of moon boots to match!

The $299 AstroFab features a 2.8″ touchscreen and is capable of producing 3D resin prints up to 5.1” x 3.1” x 6.5”, with a layer resolution of around 10 microns. That’s respectable. Me? Apparently, I’m not that respectable, because my wife always hires an actor to play me whenever she attends family gatherings.

Obviously, the real selling point here is the colored visor. Plus they come in four different shades – blue, green, orange, and yellow. According to AstroFab, “Each AstroFab comes with a color of your choice and other colors can be purchased separately. Why not collect all 4 colors for different spaces!” Yes, why NOT collect all 4 colors for different spaces? I mean, besides the obvious reason. That reason is that you only need one. I mean they’re not Pokémon, you don’t have to catch ’em all (I bought two of each color but no printer).

Modified 3D printer uses an inkjet head to add ‘color’ to 3D prints

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A lesser-known YouTuber who goes by the name of filmpjeslader has somehow modded his Prusa i3 to allow it to print in color. The rather complicated modification has a pretty simple purpose – after every layer that the 3D printer prints, the inkjet head adds a layer of color, creating effectively a colored 3D model at the end of the print. It’s sheer genius, and even though the results are less-than-perfect, there’s something very elegant about the idea behind it.

A regular printer prints on a flat surface. However, stack multiple flat surfaces upon each other and you’ve got yourself a 3D surface… so why not apply that logic to 3D printing? filmpjeslader’s clever solution does just that! His modification adds a separate color-printing head to the Prusa i3 3D printer. A short demo in the video above shows how, after the filament extruder completes a layer of 3D printing, the print-bed moves forward as if it’s on a factory line and aligns under an inkjet head, which then proceeds to add a layer of color. This effectively creates a ‘sandwich’ of plastic and CMYK-based inks to create a nifty 3D model.

While the idea sounds absolutely perfect on paper, the real world presents a few hiccups. For starters, the practice is limited to clear PLA only, and the layer thickness has to be a carefully calibrated minimum. Too much, and there aren’t enough color layers, too little, and you stand the risk of the colors basically bleeding into one another – something that filmpjeslader mentioned seems to be happening with his current setup. The water-soluble inks from the inkjet printer are transparent too (just like the plastic), which means the result looks translucent and cloudy, instead of opaque. The YouTuber did, however, point out that they’re experimenting with different filaments and inks to arrive at the perfect result.

Designer: filmpjeslader

Via Hackaday

The post Modified 3D printer uses an inkjet head to add ‘color’ to 3D prints first appeared on Yanko Design.