Mosaic Offers Color 3D Printing Using An Ingenious Automatic Mixing System

Mosaic Manufacturing made waves a few weeks ago with the launch of the Palette, a system for printing multi-colored 3D objects. We were lucky enough to hang out with the team in Montreal where they showed us their device in the flesh, proving that they probably have one of the most compelling color printing add-ons in the market.

The Palette has already raised $145,569 on Kickstarter – far over its original $10,000 – and it was great to see the device in action. It prints in multiple colors by cutting snippets of colored filament from different spools and then melting them together inside the device’s plain enclosure. A separate sensor can tell the current filament position and ensures that the colors are as accurately placed as possible. The team visited us at TechCrunch Disrupt last week.

The printer can extrude different-colored layers to make multi-colored objects or even create a sort of melded color that can move from one color to the next with various gradients. While it’s not true “full color printing” – that is expensive and difficult – it’s about as close as you’re going to get for $850, the early-bird price. The team expects to ship in January 2016.

Enjoy our hands-on view of the system at the Mosaic offices in Montreal.

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