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Full color 3D printing: colour from the printer, no painting
A full color 3D print comes out of the printer in colour: skin tones, clothing, text and gradients in one piece, without a brush. The technique is called material jetting; we write full colour, the American spelling is full color. A full colour printer, the HeyGears G1X, has been ordered. Once it is here and real prints have been made with it, miniatures, busts, cosplay parts, scale models and prototypes in colour will appear here.
Not available to order yet, and there is no date. Leave your email address and you will be the first to know.
The images on this page are impressions, not our own prints. Our own work goes here once the G1X is running.
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Leave your email address. You will get an email to confirm your sign-up, and after that only a message when there is news.
what it is
Material jetting: an inkjet printer in three dimensions
In material jetting a print head deposits tiny droplets of liquid material, and UV light cures each layer right away. Because every droplet can have its own colour, a piece comes out of the printer in colour in one go: gradients, text and details, without a brush. That is different from a multicolor 3D print from a filament printer, which only changes colour per layer or per part; 3D printing in colour per droplet gives true photo-like colour.
On the G1X the colour sits in the outer layer of the material itself, over a white core. The supports are made of a material that dissolves in water.
the difference
FDM, resin and full colour side by side
| Technique | How it works | Colour |
|---|---|---|
| FDM | How it worksMelted filament, laid down layer by layer through a nozzle. | ColourOne colour per print. More colours works with separate parts, each in its own colour, that click together. |
| Resin | How it worksA vat of liquid resin, cured layer by layer with light. | ColourOne colour per print. |
| Full colour | How it worksDroplets of liquid material from a print head, cured layer by layer with UV. | ColourColour per droplet: gradients and fine details in one print. |
the machine
The HeyGears G1X, according to the maker
- An Epson i3200 print head with 3,200 nozzles.
- Eight channels: cyan, magenta, yellow, black, white twice, transparent and a support that dissolves in water.
- Layer thickness of 10 to 20 micrometres.
- What we promise: up to 13 cm tall in one piece. Exact sizes follow after calibration.
- More than 10 million colours.
- The same machine also prints flat and in relief onto existing objects; that is a separate mode.
These are HeyGears' specifications, not measured here yet. Once the machine is here, this is where what it achieves in practice will go.
More about the G1X and its limits →the limits
What not to expect yet
Detail
An independent first test on prototype hardware found that 3D detail does not yet reach good resin: layer lines stay visible.
Finishing
The support dissolves in water, but that takes hours. A figure is not ready within an hour of printing.
Strength
HeyGears does not publish how strong and heat resistant the material is. That will be measured first; until then there is no promise about it here.
Brittle and for display only
A full colour 3D print is meant to be shown, not used: the material is more brittle than resin or filament and not for parts that carry load. And in one piece up to about 13 cm tall; larger comes in parts.
why you rarely see it
Industrial only until now, and hardly available for single pieces
Full colour 3D printing has existed for years, but on industrial machines costing tens of thousands of dollars, at service bureaus and on quote. A desktop-sized machine that can do it is new; the first ones are only now being delivered. That is why a single piece in full colour has been hard to get.
an impression
What it can look like
The images on this page are impressions, not our own prints. Our own work goes here once the G1X is running.
who it is for
What it is meant for
Cosplay
Emblems, gems, runes and insignia: small parts where colour and detail do the work, and that never come out quite even by hand.
Tabletop
Miniatures and busts in colour, including your own character. Anyone who still wants to paint afterwards can.
Architectural models
Buildings and terrain with colour, material and text built in, for developers and architects.
Prototypes
A product that looks like the finished one, in the right colours, for a presentation or a customer test.
For models and prototypes: businessquestions
Frequently asked questions
- Can I order anything now?
- No. Nothing is sold on this page and nothing is charged. You only leave your email address.
- When will the printer be here?
- There is no date. You will hear as soon as it is here and real prints have been made with it.
- How strong is the material?
- That has not been measured yet, and the maker does not publish it. Once it is measured, it will be here. For parts that have to carry load, FDM or resin is the better choice for now.
- Do I need my own 3D file?
- You can, but you do not have to. You can make a model with the AI designer or have it designed; how to supply a model for full colour will follow.
- What will it cost?
- That is not known yet. There will only be a price once the machine is here and the cost per print has been measured.
- Do you print characters from games or films?
- Only if you hold the rights. Models of protected characters are not printed, even if the file is freely available.
Tell me when this is here
Leave your email address. You will get an email to confirm your sign-up, and after that only a message when there is news.