Has this 3D printer cracked the colour problem?

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Many desktop extrusion-based 3D printers have attempted to emulate ink printing’s ability to mix CMYK in order to create bespoke colours, none have managed to crack the mainstream. Whether that is down to the hardware or software, we’ve still never seen an easy-to-use system for melting several thermoplastic, mixing and extrusion of a colour but the “RoVa4D Full Color Blender” looks like the best attempt so far.

The team at ORD Solutions in Canada have been perfecting a multi-extrusion 3D printing process over three generations of machine and their latest printer, which has already been successfully funded on Kickstarter with 23 days still remaining, appears to be able to genuinely pick and gradient colours as advertised.

We understand that many will have had their fingers burnt when it comes to this kind of technology but what seems to be different in this case is the reputation ORD have built up over the past three years. Having had two successful crowdfunding campaigns already in which every single pledge was fulfilled, ORD is a company that has already established itself as one that takes care of its customer base – even including drop and tip sensors in its postage packaging. 

A significant problem for colour printing (even just printing with three colours) on the desktop has been the lack of models available in multiple colours, the lack of software to edit that and translate that to the 3D printer’s plotting system, perhaps the greatest achievement of the Rova4D is that its Simplified Workflow system seems to have solved that.

ORD claim that you can either wrap an image file around a model in order to give it full colour, or using colour matching software paint any single model with multiple colours and the printer will match that. Using CMYK and White (your home inkjet printer the paper acts as the white) filaments ORD Solutions say that the printer can print in a gradient or with hard separations to any specified colour.

At the time of writing the Rova4D Full Color Blender has ploughed through its $25,000 goal five times over.

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