AM finishing system manufacturer DyeMansion has released 17 new colors specifically for post-processing 3D printed grey HP MJF parts made of Polyamide 12 (PA12). The vibrant color range is expected to enable a whole new set of applications for grey 3D printed parts after being made commercially available in July of 2020. Before the release, customers who own an HP Jet Fusion 4200 or 5200 system will have the option to participate in a beta program to test the new color range.
Limitations of grey parts
DyeMansion’s customers have been benefiting from the Munich-based company’s extensive post-processing options and DeepDye Coloring process for a number of years now – but mainly on white base material parts. DyeMansion offers the largest color database in the 3D printing industry, from standard colors to established systems such as Pantone or RAL. Users also have the option to commission individual recipes for corporate colors, realistic skin tones, and colors with specialist properties such as light and heat resistance.
Grey base material parts, however, have seen a little less love. Color options have been limited to black or darker shades, but the new color range designed specifically for grey parts made on HP’s 4200 and 5200 series machines aims to rectify this.
Kai Witter, Chief Customer Officer at DyeMansion, states: “The number of HP systems in the market is growing and our customers’ demand for vibrant colors for their grey parts was strong. We have taken up this challenge and now respond to the needs of the market with a new color line. We are looking forward to the first colorful products on the market and are excited to see which industry will be the forerunner here.”
17 vibrant colors
The new color palette includes classic black, grey tones, deep blue tones, red tones, green tones and even a lively pink – a first for grey 3D printed parts. DyeMansion is expecting the color options to open up a new field of applications for AM parts made of PA12, such as consumer goods, orthopaedics, and custom high-end interior parts for cars.
DyeMansion’s DeepDye Coloring process sees dyes reacting with the base material of a part in a water bath under high pressure and heat. The dyes are capable of penetrating up to 200 microns into the pores on the surface of the part, and the color of the base material is one of the most important factors in determining the final color of the part. For this reason, the R&D team had to develop a completely new recipe to get the new colors to work with grey parts. They will be applied after parts are subjected to the mechanical PolyShot Surfacing process with the DyeMansion Powershot S – one of the company’s many surface treatment machines.
Philipp Kramer, Co-Founder & CTO of DyeMansion, explains: “In order to achieve strong colors even on parts with grey base material with immediate effect, we have redefined our process and developed a special recipe. The handling remains easy for our customers, because no DM60 hardware or software adjustments are necessary to use the new colors.”
Post-processing systems are often just as important as 3D printers when it comes to producing high-quality industrial parts. Earlier this month, AMT partnered up with blasting equipment manufacturer Leering Hengelo to launch two new de-powdering systems for 3D printed parts called the PostProDP range. Elsewhere, at Formnext last year, AMT unveiled its large-scale comprehensive Digital Manufacturing System, providing an automated post-processing tool for the entire manufacturing workflow.
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Featured image shows 17 new colors for grey HP MJF parts. Photo via DyeMansion.
