3D printer

Stratasys Ltd. has announced the launch of its ground-breaking Objet500 Connex3, the first and only machine to combine colours with multi-material 3D printing.

A game-changer for product design, engineering and manufacturing processes, the Objet500 Connex3 features a unique triple-jetting technology. This combines droplets of three base materials to produce parts with virtually unlimited combinations of rigid, flexible, and transparent colour materials as well as colour digital materials – all in a single print run.

This ability to achieve the characteristics of an assembled part without assembly or painting is a significant time-saver, helping manufacturers to validate designs and make decisions earlier before committing to manufacturing, and bringing products to market 50% faster.

"Stratasys' goal is to help our customers revolutionise their design and manufacturing processes," says Stratasys CEO, David Reis. "I believe our new Objet500 Connex3 Colour Multi-material 3D Printer will transform the way our customers design, engineer and manufacture new products. In general and with Connex technology in particular, we will continue to push the envelope of what's possible in a 3D world."

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Similar to a 2D inkjet printer, three colour materials – VeroCyan, VeroMagenta and VeroYellow – are combined to produce hundreds of vivid colours. These colour materials join Stratasys' extensive range of PolyJet photopolymer materials including digital materials, rigid, rubber-like, transparent, and high temperature materials to simulate both standard and higher temperature engineering plastics.

The Objet500 Connex3 also features six palettes for new rubber-like Tango colours, ranging from opaque to transparent in various shore values to address markets such as automotive, consumer and sporting goods and fashion.

Stratasys VP of product marketing and sales operations, Igal Zeitun: "As the first true multi-purpose 3D printer, we believe the Objet500 Connex3 is in a league of its own – enabling you to dream up a product in the morning, and hold it in your hands by the afternoon, with the exact intended colour, material properties and surface finish."

Duncan Wood, publisher of 3D printing magazine TCT, told the BBC: "This is groundbreaking stuff. Being able to produce single products incorporating materials of different rigidity and colour has been the holy grail of 3D printing to date. This is industrial-grade technology that will afford designers a level of creativity they've never had before."

Advantages of 3D Printing

The most successful companies have adopted 3D printing as a critical part of the iterative design process to:

Increase Innovation

• Print prototypes in hours, obtain feedback, refine designs and repeat the cycle until designs are perfect

Improve Communication

• Hold a full color, realistic 3D model in your hands to impart infinitely more information than a computer image
• Create physical 3D models quickly, easily and affordably for a wide variety of applications

Speed Time To Market

• Compress design cycles by 3D printing multiple prototypes on demand, right in your office

Reduce Development Costs

• Cut traditional prototyping and tooling costs
• Identify design errors earlier
• Reduce travel to production facilities

Win Business

• Bring realistic 3D models to prospective accounts, sponsors and focus groups