Italian 3D printer filament manufacturer FiberForce has launched a line of materials certified to the Pantone Matching System (PMS) by Pantone LLC.
By adopting the international color standard for its filaments, FiberForce is providing customers with a universally recognizable color chart, and assured uniformity across their 3D printed products.
According to Francesco Berton, CEO of FiberForce, this is the first Pantone approved 3D printer filament. He states, “We are excited to release the first 3D printing filament simulating approved PMS color identities,”
“From this day forward we can add another concrete support to 3D printing market, where the importance of colors is a key point.”
Pantone 3D printed repeatability
Pantone was founded in 1956 and stockist of colored ink pigments. For this purpose, the company gradually grew is color matching system. Today, the PMS contains more than 900 color standards and is used by more than 10 million designers and producers around the world.
Conversely, FiberForce was founded in Treviso, northeastern Italy, in 2013, and specializes in producing high quality filaments.
The interests of these two entities align when it comes down to quality and repeatability. Adrián Fernández, Vice President and General Manager of Pantone, explains, “Collaborating with FiberForce Italy provides designers working with innovative materials and advanced technology the ability to bring Pantone Colors to life in their 3D printed creations,”
“Leveraging approved Pantone Colors within the 3D printing process enables users to maximize the power of color and visualize samples that truly realize their design intent through easy-to-print filaments.”
Of the hundreds of shades currently classified by Pantone, 15 will now be available as 3D printer filaments from FiberForce, including Pantone 16-1546, a coral pink, red Pantone 3546 C, and various shades of blue, green and yellow.
Full color 3D printing
Considering both prototyping and end use applications of 3D printing, it’s easy to identify the importance of color. In the first instance, creating a prototype that is as closed to the finished article as possible is crucial from a design standpoint. Further, when creating an end use product in small batches, it’s essential that each one matches the first.
Realizing this necessity within the 3D printing industry, several stakeholders have created machines or initiatives with a focus on color.
Traditionally a digital printing company Mimaki‘s foray into 3D printing is the industrial-scale full-color 3DUJ-553 system. Inside the 3DUJ-553, a clear ink is used to create transparent half color sections and to turn up the saturation of inks. This process combines the company’s traditional inkjet print heads with an UV-LED lightsource. As a result, there are 10 million possible color combinations matching those of the International Color Consortium (ICC) – a standard color index in circulation since 1993.
Furthermore the Stratasys J750 also offers high quality color 3D printing.
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Featured image shows Pantone Matching System colors available as FiberForce filaments. Screengrab via FiberForce
