A spot on colour match for consumer product prototypes

In this use case example, learn how to use Stratasys® VeroUltra™ colour 3D printing materials to create a realistic, multi-material consumer product prototype.

Challenge

Traditionally, to achieve a multi-material appearance the designer needed to mix new colours for each part, paint and then mask multiple times — which reduced the part’s tolerance and increased the risk for errors. The wooden portion of the ladle also required its own production process through CNC machining or incorporating a paint process on top of a 3D printed, single colour part. And because the wooden part needed to be sourced, there were variations between iterations.

Solution for product prototypes

Using Stratasys PolyJet™ 3D printing technology and VeroUltra family of opaque colour materials, this multi-material ladle could be created in a single print in as many colours and simulated materials as needed. The VeroUltra materials allowed for high pigmentation and colour matching to help designers validate the appearance of the final product. Additionally, the highly-realistic procedural wood texture — exported from Keyshot in a single step — creates a part with a lifelike wood appearance when printed.

Natural material simulation

Impact

The ability to realistically simulate plastic and wood materials cut out the need to outsource organic materials — an otherwise expensive and lengthy process. Enabling the reproduction of virtually any colour also eliminated the need to manually mix, match and mask colour.

About VeroUltra

VeroUltra materials are available for the J55, Stratasys J7 and J8 series printers. The materials provide a smoother texture enabling high quality plastic appearance, ultra sharp graphics and high contrast print levels previously impossible to achieve. It is a game changer in the world of design – offering exceptionally high-quality, accurate colours for a wide range of applications including 3D printed product prototypes.