Exceptional and repeatable coloration for toy design

In this use case, learn how Stratasys® VeroUltra™ materials helped to create accurate coloration for toy design and validation.

Challenge

From spray painting to hand painting, dry transfers, stickers and more, creating toy dolls with the right appearance for design validation was a manual multi-step process. Achieving accurate skin tone coloration required manual blending of spray paints, and cans of previously used colours needed to be stored in a warehouse in case of future use. The delicate assemblies also required specialized expertise and were prone to inconsistencies. Additionally, when shipping multiple models to different stakeholders for approval, each stakeholder could potentially receive a doll with a slightly different appearance — which could lead to decisions based on the wrong data. The whole process was very time-consuming, expensive and susceptible to errors. As a result, it was only done on a small amount of design iterations used for final approvals.

Solution for toy design

Using Stratasys PolyJet™ 3D printing technology and VeroUltra family of opaque colour materials, the manual, multi-step design process was reduced to a single-step print. The VeroUltra materials allowed designers to achieve sharp detailing, excellent colour reproduction and textures for faster design validation. The dolls could also be printed and assembled in a matter of hours for quick calls on various design elements. Additionally, the CAD-to-print process streamlined workflows and eliminated the need for long and time-consuming CMF documents — which simplified communication and reduced the chance of errors.

Toy design using VeroUltra materials

Impact

The precision detailing and repeatable results meant that every stakeholder would receive a doll with the same appearance — leading to more accurate design decisions.

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 toy design.