Gallery: Stratasys' new full-color, multi-material 3D printer announced at SolidWorks World

Stratasys Objet500 Connex3 multi-material printer

The Connex3 has a triple-jet dispenser that combines droplets of three base materials to produce parts from materials of varied rigidity and transparency in myriad colors.

(If you're interested, here's a link to a White Paper that Stratasys wrote about what the printer can do.)

For the color variation, the printer combines three color materials VeroYellow, VeroCyan, and VeroMagenta — a bit like a 2D inkjet printer — to produce all the colors.

These color materials expand Stratasys’ range of PolyJet-brand photopolymer materials — digital materials, rigid ABS, rubber-like ABS, and other high-temperature materials.

Trinkets 3D printed with the Connex3

Therse are some of the 3D-printed multi-material samples that Stratasys is handing out at the SolidWorks World show.

The keychain of triangles consist of dozens of hexagons printed from materials of varied flexibility, color, and transparency. The other two items show how even jointed parts can be printed out of myriad materials in single print runs.

More about the material properties in Slide 6.

In the background of this picture is a view of San Diego's bay, convention center, and Gaslamp District.

Prototyping and "bridge" manufacturing

The company says the 3D printer will be particularly useful for two applications — making high-quality product prototypes and "bridge" manufacturing. Bridge manufacturing is medium-quantity manufacturing of products to supply the market with a product while the main facility to produce said product (say, in China) gets up and running.

“Since its introduction in 2007, the Objet Connex Multi-material 3D printing platform has paved the way for the development of advanced 3D printing materials with unique mechanical and thermal properties,” says Igal Zeitun of Stratasys.

“The Objet500 Connex3 color multi-material 3D Printer produces models and parts using photopolymers in vivid colors so you can create colorful models from investigating concepts to preproduction pilot runs."

Application engineer Gil Robinson models 3D-printed glasses

Here, the dashing Gil Robinson, an application engineer at Stratasys, models the glasses he 3D printed on a Connex3 all in one shot.

After a lively debate with another visitor to the Stratasys booth (who couldn't believe that even the translucent lenses of the glasses were 3D printed) Robinson reluctantly posed for this photo for me.

One piece means no more lenses popping out

The glasses were printed on a Connex3 all in one shot. The pair to the upper left in this picture consist of ABS plastics in Opaque VeroYellow for the frame, rubber-like TangoBlackPlus for the arm-stem tips, and a translucent yellow-tinted plastic for the lenses.

Here's a closeup of one color range. Note that the printer generates this range of final product by mixing materials from three jets.

Material properties:
Tensile strength = 50 to 65 MPa
Elongation at break = 10 to 25%
Modulus of elasticity = 2,000 to 3,000 MPa
Flexural strength = 75 to 110 MPa
Flexural modulus = 2,200 to 3,200 MPa
Heat deflection (HDT) @ 0.45MPa  = 45 to 50°C

Says the promotional literature: "With six new color palettes, nearly 500 diverse transparent to opaque colors with hardness from Shore A 27 to Shore A 95, the possibilities are almost endless."

3D-printed saddle maps fanny pressure

Trek Bicycle, Waterloo, Wis., are leaders in bike making, pioneering carbon-fiber frames and better bike aerodynamics to get negative drag — thrust — from bikes. Now, they're using Connex3 3D printers to improve both rigid and soft components on their bikes. Here, the company printed out a full-color prototype bike saddle to map the pressure exerted by a typical rider's fanny. The design is based on finite-element analysis data.

The rainbow-colored saddle "shows the pressure points so designers can make decisions about where to put high-density foam," says Trek engineer Guadalupe Ollarzabal.

“Most people think they just sit on the whole bike seat, but there’s more pressure on certain parts than others," Ollarzabal adds.

Bike helmet printed in one shot

This bike helmet was printed out of VeroCyan, VeroMagenta, and VeroYellow acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) materials. The printer is available for purchase now, and all the material subtypes and colors to print objects will be available in a few months, according to Stratasys.

Trek engineer Patrick Zeigle mounts a 3D-printed grip onto a bike for testing

Last night, Patrick Zeigle of Trek Bicycle made an appearance at the Stratasys press event and explained how Trek uses Connex3 printers to improve all kinds of parts on their bikes. Here, he mounts a 3D-printed grip onto a bike for testing.

Accessories like handlebar grips and chain guards must be rugged to withstand fit and function testing during test drives on Trek’s onsite trails. That's why Trek finds parts from the Connex3 useful — because they can be made out of digital ABS and rubber composites.

Stratasys booth at SolidWorks World 2014

The Stratasys booth at SolidWorks World 2014 displayed a traditional 3D printer by the manufacturer as well as a Connex3 and an array of 3D-printed items.

The Connex3 multi-material printer hard at work at the Stratasys booth at SolidWorks World 2014.