Stratasys unveils full colour, flexible material 3D printer

Object printing has made a leap forward as the world’s first 3D printer that’s capable of multi-material, full-colour 3D printing has just been unveiled by MakerBot owner Stratasys.

The Objet500 Connex3 Color Multi-material 3D Printer (snappy name, huh?) is a $330,000 (£200,000ish) manufacture level printer that’s aimed at designers and manufacturers who want to speed up bringing prototypes to market.

The triple jet technology uses droplets of three base materials, including rubber and plastic, much like regular 2D printing’s three-colour mixing system in order to print flexible materials in hundreds of different colours.

The company said the Objet500 Connex3 Color Mutli-material 3D Printer would be a “significant time-saver” for designers and manufacturers.

Stratasys marketing manager Bruce Bradshaw told the BBC: “This will help industrial designers reduce the time it takes to bring prototypes to market by 50%.”

This tech is still out of reach for consumers for the time being but this industrial level printing will gradually filter down to the rest of us so that we can have full-colour 3D printers at home.