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Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

blog.prusa3d.com

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Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#71

Post by MBCook »

Aurornis wrote: post #65
MBCook wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I wasn’t already in the Prusa ecosystem the U1 is what I’d want. I was jealous of it until INDX was announced.

The INDX upgrade for the Core One costs more than the entire Snapmaker U1 printer. I think of them as targeting different price points. I guess I've been in 3D printing long enough to not consider myself in anyone's ecosystem. I'm jumped between printers and had multiple printers at home for years and never felt tied to any one ecosystem.

Oh yeah. But since I already had the Core One the INDX is the obvious upgrade path for me. I also only got the 4 head version.

I started with a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic when it was new. After leaving the hobby for a while I got a MK3(S?) because it seemed the most reliable to me at the time.

I’ve stuck with Prusa since then since I’ve been happy and I’m used to their stuff. I had a MK4S because I could upgrade my existing printer to it. The next time I was interested I didn’t see anything I was more interested in so I stuck with what I liked. There is also a “known quantity” factor in the company since I’ve dealt with them a few times now.

I would leave them if I saw something I liked better, but haven’t at a time I was buying. I do like the look of Bambu printers much more. I looked at their printers for a minute when I wanted to replace my MK4S but didn’t like it enough to bother. I didn’t get a Core One until after the INDX was announced, and that was a big part of why I decided to upgrade.

If I was starting over the U1 would be a VERY big draw for me. Price/capability is very impressive. Prusa’s low end is quite lacking as far as I know.

Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#72

Post by WillAdams »

Aurornis wrote: post #64
WillAdams wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That looks/feels a lot like the Cerilica Truism approach (arbitrary mixing). Will have to keep it in mind for when I get a printer which does nozzle/toolhead switching.

You can use it with any printer if you're willing to swap the filaments manually. The print file will have pauses inserted at the layer swaps. You manually swap the filaments when it pauses. There are only a few layers and colors so it's not too hard.

I have a printer with four filament changer --- my predilection for this is mostly a concern for waste --- plus, I want a 4th 3D printer....

Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#73

Post by jononor »

kayson wrote: post #69
gamblor956 wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the simplest is just mixing filaments, like one mixes paint. That is actually the hardest way to do it, because that's not at all how 3d printing works. 3d printers take strands of plastic (aka "filament"), soften them up to being melty but not melted, and then "extrude" them, like cake frosting onto a surface. As with cake frosting, in order to mix colors, you have to do so before the extrusion step, so you would ha…

I wonder if you would get good enough results by just extruding two separate filaments simultaneously. Sure, they won't fully mix, but with thin enough layers, you'd benefit from the same visual processing that makes alternating layers look like a solid color...

Dual color filaments exist, and they do not mix at all... It gives the objects a nice transition when rotated. But indicates that color mixing in the nozzle is probably pretty difficult?

Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#74

Post by gamblor956 »

zahlman wrote: post #67
gamblor956 wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the simplest is just mixing filaments, like one mixes paint. That is actually the hardest way to do it, because that's not at all how 3d printing works. 3d printers take strands of plastic (aka "filament"), soften them up to being melty but not melted, and then "extrude" them, like cake frosting onto a surface. As with cake frosting, in order to mix colors, you have to do so before the extrusion step, so you would ha…

> The thing about first order thinking is that it is very rarely useful, because the actual experts in the field have almost certainly thought of all the things that first order thinkers come up with, and deemed those ideas unworkable for various reasons. Sure, but a useful article would focus on explaining the consideration and rejection of those obvious ideas, and what actually had to be done to implement something…

That is a very different article from the linked post, which was about introducing the cool new tool someone else developed into their own program.

If you want a discussion about the other ideas and why this specific method was chosen, go to the original tool where the creator discusses those things.

Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#75

Post by throawayonthe »

MBCook wrote: post #52
throawayonthe wrote: post #28

it's very cool stuff but sorte by definition not 'full-spectrum' :p

That was the name of the original open source project that kicked this off for all printers. It’s a reference to that.

which is the project i'm referring to yes

Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#76

Post by zahlman »

Priv4cyM4773r5 wrote: post #70
zahlman wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If privacy matters to you, you should at least be using a JavaScript blocker/whitelister such as NoScript. With this, the entire page is readable and there is no popup; no first-party cookies are added as far as I can tell (and I have Firefox configured to block all cross-site cookies, which doesn't break this page); and the YouTube video is replaced with YouTube's "Error 153" placeholder with a direct link to the vi…

> If privacy matters to you ... Ffs, stop with the gatekeeping please. Yes, privacy matters to me. Nah, not doing all that. Instead, I reported them to uoou.gov.cz/en for this gross violation of GDPR.

It is not at all "gatekeeping" to point out simple actions you can take (and it really is simple) that are consistent with your stated goals.

Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#77

Post by MayeulC »

naasking wrote: post #55
MayeulC wrote: post #31

Hmm, I am not in the 3D printer space anymore, but I am surprised they went with alternating layer per layer, as that severely limits resolution. It's probably the simplest way to achieve reproducible results, but I can think of a few other ways: * the simplest is just mixing filaments, like one mixes paint. The article doesn't spell out the reason it doesn't work, I am curious as to why. * together with alternating…

> the simplest is just mixing filaments, like one mixes paint. The article doesn't spell out the reason it doesn't work, I am curious as to why. Plastic flow is laminar, where colour mixing requires turbulence. If you make a turbulent nozzle, it's basically impossible to print reliably with it (the pressure used to push filament out of the nozzle is mostly absorbed/redirect into turbulence).

Thank you for the clear & concise answer. A rotating nozzle and/or alternating colors might work then, but that would be a relatively complex engineering project.

Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#78

Post by MayeulC »

gamblor956 wrote: post #63
MayeulC wrote: post #31

Hmm, I am not in the 3D printer space anymore, but I am surprised they went with alternating layer per layer, as that severely limits resolution. It's probably the simplest way to achieve reproducible results, but I can think of a few other ways: * the simplest is just mixing filaments, like one mixes paint. The article doesn't spell out the reason it doesn't work, I am curious as to why. * together with alternating…

the simplest is just mixing filaments, like one mixes paint. That is actually the hardest way to do it, because that's not at all how 3d printing works. 3d printers take strands of plastic (aka "filament"), soften them up to being melty but not melted, and then "extrude" them, like cake frosting onto a surface. As with cake frosting, in order to mix colors, you have to do so before the extrusion step, so you would ha…

Hence why I was asking the question, thank you for answering, I did not consider the high viscosity of the filament when I wrote this. As you say, it can be worked around, but that would require extra complexity/cost.

Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#79

Post by MayeulC »

imtringued wrote: post #33
MayeulC wrote: post #31

Hmm, I am not in the 3D printer space anymore, but I am surprised they went with alternating layer per layer, as that severely limits resolution. It's probably the simplest way to achieve reproducible results, but I can think of a few other ways: * the simplest is just mixing filaments, like one mixes paint. The article doesn't spell out the reason it doesn't work, I am curious as to why. * together with alternating…

>the simplest is just mixing filaments, like one mixes paint. The article doesn't spell out the reason it doesn't work, I am curious as to why. This requires you to control both filaments independently directly at the extruder. Dual direct drive for a single nozzle sounds like an engineering nightmare. The extruder head is going to be huge. There is also the obvious problem of how to stirr the filament. Printing temp…

Thank you for the detailed answer. This is an interesting engineering problem.

I wish I had more free time, a gearbox or a 4-way differential can probably be used on the extruder head to control the mixing ratios.

Regarding the necessary research, I can picture it being cracked either by hobbyists, or industrial-scale (patent-heavy) players. I imagine that consumer-facing players such as Prusa do not have the means to heavily invest in R&D.

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