The design team at捉摸决定将OBJET500 CONNEX3（一种多功能）3D打印可以在测试中以各种颜色和材料打印的生产系统。该团队创建了定制的电子外壳组件，专门用于扬声器和耳机的Connex3。
生动的颜色3D打印只是OBJET500 CONNEX3上可用的功能之一。它也可以在各种材料选项中打印原型，包括刚性，柔性，清晰和耐用。这个3D打印生产系统可以加快产品开发周期中的每个阶段，从概念建模到功能原型到产品启动期间的真实模型以及两者之间的每一步。
根据工业设计师Veronica de la Rosa的说法，“我们的设计团队一直在设计几种消费电子产品；两个蓝牙扬声器和一组耳机。这些项目的目的是向我们的客户展示如何利用在产品开发过程中Fathom提供的不同技术和应用程序。”
The electronics’ design decided to use the Connex3 to test out potential color combinations. The system opens up the possibilities of being creative with color in the electronics market. Said Veronica, “In our initial renderings of our designs, we settled on conventional colors (mostly black and various grays). But once we started experimenting with the Connex3 color palette in our render engine, we realized that there were some really great color opportunities to take advantage of — we were really surprised to see how close the 3D printed models resembled the renderings. It’s exciting to see the Connex3 turn the act of 3D printing into something that resembles more of an analog process.”
Continued Veronica, “The Connex3 is a really comprehensive tool for designers and engineers to use throughout the entire product development cycle. In the initial conceptual phase, designers and engineers can use it to print out monochromatic models to focus on evaluation of form, proportion, and ergonomics. Further in the design process, designers can print out more diagrammatic models where parts in the model can be color coded to represent different information. For example, structural analysis can be printed directly onto models informing designers of potential structural failures.
Printing color can produce final color models faster than painting and finishing prints. For marketing purposes, final CAD files can be printed and undergo model finishing for more realistic looking models. With the ability to print Digital ABS with over-molding, designers can create models that not only test the look of their designs but also the functionality.
Just as 3D printing sped up the prototyping process for engineers and industrial designers, time to market is faster now that colors are available to creative teams early in the design process. Models can be printed in different colors and presented to focus groups to validate design decisions early in the process.
另外，连接3还可以模拟不同的彩色材料。例如，模型可以用不同的彩色持久仪打印，以模拟彩色的过头。设计师还可以尝试光传递，并产生不同的分层和照明效果。
When exporting the CAD files to the 3D printer, Veronica worked in Rhino and used layers to organize the geometries in the files. During the modeling process, she created layers based on her CAD process. Then, when it came time to print the files, she saved a version just for printing and created layers for each of the colors she chose to use.
然后，她将模型中相同材料的所有部分移至各自的层，这使她轻松地在模型中选择了相同的材料部分。之后，她与一个STL同时导出了所有相同的彩色物体。她为模特中的所有颜色重复了这一点。这样，当将STLS进口到Objet Studio中时，Fathom生产工程师可以轻松地为指定的出口STL组分配颜色。
Filed Under:Make Parts Fast
