Two of Stratasys‘ PolyJet 3D printers have received validation from Pantone, the global color authority and provider of professional color standards for the design industries.
With this, Stratasys has integrated the Pantone color management system into its J735 and J750 workflow, streamlining the prototyping process.
Hadas Schragenheim, Rapid Prototyping Manager, Stratasys, said, “Designers work hard to build realistic prototypes in ways that speed design, build and development cycles. Unfortunately, typical approaches of manually painting each and every model are time-consuming.”
“Our agreement with Pantone sets the stage for a revolution in design and prototype processes. As the industry’s first 3D printers officially ‘PANTONE Validated,’ we’re allowing designers to build realistic prototypes faster than ever before – shrinking design-to-prototype and accelerating product time-to-market.”
Stratasys revealed the agreement with Pantone at the on-going 2019 AMUG conference in Chicago.
The language of colors
The production and appearance of colors in print or on products can vary between different materials. In many cases, product designers and manufacturers communicating remotely might not be able to agree on the exact shade of a color.
To solve such problems Pantone developed two systems of standardizations, one for printing and one for product design. And since 1966, Pantone has standardized over 5,000 colors for designers and product developers. Pantone’s systems let designers communicate to the manufacturers exactly the color they want.
Now, using the Pantone Matching System (PMS) with Stratasys 3D printers will ensure that designers and product developers are speaking the same language. Both can choose identical colors on a Pantone color palette without risking misinterpretation, thus reducing production time.
Pantone’s Director of Partner Business Development, Iain Pike, explained, “Pantone maintains a relentless focus on providing physical and digital design solutions that are aligned with the way modern designers work. Given the innovative applications of 3D printing in design, prototyping and production workflows, Stratasys is a natural partner-of-choice.”
“Together, we’re ensuring designers and manufacturers can leverage advanced 3D Printing technologies to create the most vibrant and color-correct 3D printed prototypes the market has ever seen – and with confidence that simulated Pantone colors reflect the design intent.”
The following video from Pantone explains the PMS.
Full-color 3D printing
Stratasys’ J735 and J750 are known for creating ultra-realistic full-color 3D prints. The printers can use a combination of materials and over 500,000 colors to 3D print models at an accuracy of up to 14 microns.
Furthermore, both J735 and J750 are compatible with GrabCAD Voxel, which provides control at the voxel level of 3D printing.
By July 2019, Stratasys hopes to incorporate the Pantone Color Matching system into its GrabCAD Print software.
Vote for the best 3D printer for 2019 3D Printing Awards.
For more information on the latest trends in additive manufacturing subscribe to our 3D printing newsletter and follow us Facebook and Twitter.
We also have jobs in the industry, visit our 3D Printing Jobs board to find out more.
Featured image shows a Pantone color palette for Stratasys PolyJet printers. Image via Stratasys.
