1 Topic by mwille

  • mwille
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Topic: Question about coloring filament

I'm a newbie & don't even have my first printer yet (SD Press), but I've been reading a lot on here.  I do understand how colored filament is made, by using special color pellets while extruding it.  But I got a crazy idea while reading this thread: http://www.soliforum.com/topic/8499/acrylic/.  The 3rd picture shows what happened when the filament got marks on it from a sharpie.  Would it be possible to use white/clear filament & purposely mark it to add color for printing?  If so, I'm thinking we could design a holder for a wide tip marker that the filament could go by/through sometime before entering the extruder. 

  • Would it even give a consistent or desired color in the finished print, or not fade/wash away?

  • Would the ink damage the hotend or cause problems with the extrusion? 

  • Would it leave behind too much residue that would continue to add color for too long?

Has anyone tried something like this?

SD Press
Modeling software: 123D Design

2 Reply by wardjr

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Re: Question about coloring filament

Do some searching and you'll find that this has already been done.  I think the holder is for the marker is on Thingiverse.

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3 Reply by AZERATE

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Re: Question about coloring filament

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:42056 for dual markers

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5570 for single marker

Printit Mason and Printit Horizon printers
Multiple SD2s- Bulldog XL, E3D v5/v6/Lite6, Volcano, Hobb Goblin, Titan, .9 motor, Lawsy carriages, direct Y drive, fishing line...the list goes on
Filawinder and Filastruder #1870.....worth every penny!

4 Reply by wardjr

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Re: Question about coloring filament

AZERATE wrote:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:42056 for dual markers

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5570 for single marker

Thank you!

Printit Industries Model 8.10 fully enclosed CoreXY, Chamber heat
3-SD3's & a Workbench all fully enclosed, RH-Slic3r Win7pro, E3D V6, Volcano & Cyclops Hot End
SSR/500W AC Heated Glass Bed, Linear bearings on SS rods. Direct Drive Y-axis, BulldogXL
Thanks to all for your contributions

wardjr's Website

5 Reply by AZERATE

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Re: Question about coloring filament

mwille wrote:

  • Would it even give a consistent or desired color in the finished print, or not fade/wash away?

  • Would the ink damage the hotend or cause problems with the extrusion? 

  • Would it leave behind too much residue that would continue to add color for too long?

Has anyone tried something like this?

I have messed around with this a few times and had some interesting results.
Now that I have a bit more time, I can answer a couple questions:
A1: It would be fairly consistent, but it would depend on what type/color filament vs what color marker you use for this. Just remember that once the combination of filament+colorant enter the hotend, you have lost all control of the mixture, so it can be tricky to get a more controlled effect.
A2: It is possible to get a partial clog. While swapping nozzles shortly after my experiments, I found some residue that resembled a powered soot. This was some ink left over, and I did have a slight clog. With an all metal hotend like an E3D, it was very simple to clear it out and I was back up and printing in minutes.
A3: When using a black marker on red and orange filament, I noticed black or at least a darker hue of the filament's color for about 150mm after the last section of colored filament went in. But this can give a pretty cool result if you are patient and don't over color.

I would not recommend using this technique for an entire roll of filament, but if you just want to add a few color features that only a dual extruder can create, then this can be a fun experiment. If I can ever get my imgur app to work, I will share a print I did with this approach.

Printit Mason and Printit Horizon printers
Multiple SD2s- Bulldog XL, E3D v5/v6/Lite6, Volcano, Hobb Goblin, Titan, .9 motor, Lawsy carriages, direct Y drive, fishing line...the list goes on
Filawinder and Filastruder #1870.....worth every penny!

6 Reply by mwille

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Re: Question about coloring filament

Thanks for the info.  It sounds like something I might experiment with (on a small scale) when I get my printer.

SD Press
Modeling software: 123D Design