MatterHackers is moving from being a 3D printing material supplier to a material enabler. The California-based company has just made a huge addition to its open source MatterControl 3D printing software that will give Makers a greater ability to perform multimaterial 3D printing with low-cost machines.
As appealing as multimaterial 3D printing is, MatterHackers is attempting to make it more accessible for users of desktop 3D printers. MatterControl 1.2 is meant to be used with machines equipped with multiple extruders to create more complex designs, for instance, by printing soluble support material with a standard 3D printing material, like PLA.
Lars Brubakers, CEO of MatterHackers, says of the update, “Our goal is to enable everyone to take advantage of the incredibly powerful technology that is 3D printing. And while multi- material 3D printers aren’t quite up to the level of Star Trek replicators, they are taking us one important step closer.” Kevin Pope, lead designer behind MatterControl, adds, “We worked closely with our users and our manufacturing partners on this update and together we’ve been able to create a multi-material workflow that just makes sense.”
Among the manufacturers with whom MatterHackers worked was nearby Airwolf 3D, located in Costa Mesa, California. Chairman of Airwolf 3D, Erick Wolf, says, “Multi-material printing opens up new realms of possibility in desktop 3D printing,” and, in reference to the software’s use with the company’s HD2x dual-extrusion 3D printer, “We are excited to make this update available to our customers.”
In addition to multimaterial printing, the update also includes support of AMF files, layer-by-layer print previewing, slicing and support generation improvements, and support for a greater range of printers, including Flashforge and MakerBot machines.
If you’ve started using the latest version of MatterControl, let us know what you think!
