something3D is a three-year-old Israeli company that has apparently found a way to make color FDM 3D prints and RGB style using a filament extrusion system.
The concept is simple: feed the filaments of the four primary colors en single extruder and adjust feeds and speeds to allow plastics mix and produce the desired color, which is extruded through nozzle.
Color FDM 3D printing
Some manufacturers with multi-color printers simply change the extruded filament whereby for several seconds the "old" color is seen to slowly change into the "new" color.
Other manufacturers move the extruder to the side and 'bleed' the color and then resume printing with the new color. This system wastes material on each print and can only use a color gamut equal to the filaments used.
something3D present a very novel system when finding ua way to quickly change colors without incur in a mass purge. An ingenious nozzle design, combined with some complicated software controls work in conjunction with the nozzle flow. They explained that they have "special GCODE to enable color textures."
This allows them to control color textures on a print point level. The system is capable of 3D print infinite colors. For full color media, five colors of filament are required: white, magenta, cyan, yellow, and black.
This technology is not limited to "colors". You could use a flexible filament, capable of introducing the fine components of the flex to the impression. Or maybe a conductive filament It could be used to establish built-in electrical circuits. And maybe carbon fiber to provide strength in required areas.
The bad news is that the manufacturer has no intention of including this technology in its product range in the short term. The company exhibited the device as a demonstration only, its intention is to become a supplier of this technology for third-party companies that would integrate the technology into their machines.
We are eager that a manufacturer bet on this system and we see more multicolored prints.