First looks: The Stratasys J750 3D printer is a full-color, multi-material manufacturing machine
Stratasys has just launched their latest 3D printer, the J750, with improved versatility and speed. More importantly, it allows users to mix-and-match full color gradients alongside an unprecedented range of materials to achieve one-stop realism without post-processing.
3D printing has traditionally been necessarily been a slow process as you had to separate the process by material used and even by colors, but the J750 changes all that, as it’s the industry’s first full-color multi-material 3D printer.
This means that you can create prototypes with multiple material properties - some parts can be rigid, and some flexible like with the shoes below. Stratasys says the J750 will allow you to choose from more than 360,000 color shades for your printing, and that properties like opacity and even texture and rigidity can be applied straight from their PolyJet Studio software, vastly simplifying the printing process.
Whether you need something soft like a shoe, or hard like the paperweight, the J750 can produce it for you.
Plenty of fine detail can be achieved, as evidenced from this pen.
There are three print modes for the J750:
- High Quality - 6 different materials @ 14µm layers
- High Mix - 6 different materials @ 27µm layers
- High Speed - 3 different materials @ 27µm layers, double speed
As you can see, the printer can print in up to 6 different materials in very fine layers, thus giving greater detail. Because the 3D printed model is delivered in full color and texture, you save time on the separate steps that would have to be undertaken using older machines. This greatly streamlines the process, as you no longer have to sand or go through additional print runs to color the model.
This namecard holder was printed in a single run; no assembly required.
This piece was mostly printed in a single run.
In fact, from the samples we were shown, it seems like you almost won’t even require any assembly after print, as the 3D printing process is able to build up complex components such as hinges and make allowances for removal pieces as well. In the latter case, a filler compound is used and can be easily filed out from the final piece, thus removing the need for assembly. Otherwise, a secondary tray can be used, but the printing will still be done in one round.
You can see how printing with the J750 greatly saves time.
A whole array of products can be printed from the one printer.
According to Stratasys, the J750 has four times the number of jets with smaller drop sizes than previous machines, meaning it is capable of much better detail. With its large six-material capacity, the J750 is able to keep the most used resins loaded and ready for printing, saving on downtime caused by material changeovers.
As mentioned earlier, the printer is fed designs via the PolyJet Studio software, which has a fairly straight forward interface, with a color picker and an RGB value entry field to allow you options of getting just the right color for your model.
The J750 officially unveiled!
Large resin ink tanks are stored in the J750, allowing for longer runs without changeover.
We were also brought into a room that had samples of printed prototypes and a J750 that was in the middle of a print run. Given that it takes anywhere from half a day to a full day to complete a printing of a model, we couldn’t quite capture the entire process (the fact that it happens under a thick semi-opaque cover didn’t help either), but here’s a short gif of a model being printed. It’s a timelapse captured over about half an hour that we’ve edited to 30 seconds so you don’t literally have to sit here watching the resin dry. That green light is the UV light that dries each layer of resin as it is being applied.
You can just about make out some other items on the tray beside the model, basically illustrating how you can print multiple items on a single run, as long as they all fit on the same tray and use resins that can be created from the same six tanks that are loaded in the machine.
This is what 3D printing looks like... if you speed up the footage.
The model once printing is complete, with no other touches applied.
Here's a look at the interface of PolyJet Studio, and some of the other printed models on display.
The software shows exactly what is being printed at the moment and the resin levels.
Fancy some 3D printed bread?
3D models can help medical professionals visualize and practice on a precise model of their patient's organs.
Soft tubes with hard caps can be printed, allowing for a mix of materials.
Here’s a video that tells you more about the J750.
And here's one illustrating the use of 3D printing in medical treatments.
The Stratasys J750 3D printer is available now through Stratasys' partners, but pricing has yet to be announced.
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