The world of 3D printing is vast, and nowadays, the trend for creating multi-color prints is taking over. With one of the most common types of filament, PLA is the choice for many beginners, but to this date, creating a multi-color print has been a great challenge for beginners and even intermediate 3D printing enthusiasts.
In this blog, we’re covering different techniques for creating multiple colors using PLA, how to create your desired print, and, lastly, some of the challenges you may face.
What is Multi-Color 3D Printing?
Before we dive into the actual methods, we must understand what multi-color is in 3D printing. Multi-color printing with PLA means using different filament colors to create a single print. Nowadays, many companies like Chitu Systems offer multi-color PLA filaments that you can use to create your desired output.
Alternatively, if you prefer a manual method, you can change the filament’s colors manually by simply swapping them. The filaments are switched on different layers, making an aesthetically pleasing print you will love.
Other methods exist, like using a 3D printer with dual extruders, which allows you to use two different colors of filament at the same time. Some people even like to paint the final 3D print.
If you don’t like the complexity involved in your 3D printing journey, then process-processing painting is one of the best ways to create multi-color 3D prints. Now that we have the basics out of the way let’s talk about how you can create multi-color 3D prints.
1. Swapping Filament Manually
The most straightforward method to create multi-color 3D prints is to swap out filaments whenever you need to change the color. This cost-effective method lets you enjoy the best possible results, ultimately giving you the prints of your dreams. But this begs the question: How does swapping filaments work?
Let’s say you have a monotone 3D print and multiple PLA filaments. In that case, whenever your 3D printer stops at each layer of its printing, you need to change or swap it to a different color during the printing process.
The best part about using the manual swapping method is that it requires no special equipment like we are going to talk about in the upcoming steps, and at the same time, you have complete control over your color change, granting you a high level of flexibility.
However, there are some negative points to using this method, too. For example, at each step of the layer printing, you must be present to change the filament with different colors, or it just won’t work. Moreover, while you can change each layer’s color, you can’t create a gradient or detailed color patterns.
This type of multi-color 3D printing is ideal for creating signs, designs, and logos, and color changes aren’t too complex. But if you’re looking for the best possible method, keep reading.
2. Buying a Multi-Colored PLA Filament
While it’s true that PLA filaments can be used to create models of all shapes and sizes, do you know they can also come in different colors? A company like Chitu Systems has many 3D printing filaments that come in multi-color.
Their Conjure Silk Rainbow PLA Filament has three variants to make it enjoyable. The first one is 70g, which comes with two color choices; the 135g filament comes with three colors; and finally, they even have a 200g four-color choice that you can use to create complex 3D models.
If you’re more of a matte-loving person, Chitu Systems also has the Conjure Matte Rainbow PLA Filament, which comes in three different color choices, making it ideal for people who love the matte texture.
Aside from these two options, many other PLA filaments are available at their store. However, choosing the right one depends upon your goals so that you can check out the catalog of their 3D printing.
For example, they also have many other options like the Conjure Silk Tri-Color PLA Filament or the Silk PLA 3D printer Filament, all of which can be used to create complex 3D prints. If you want to check them, click here.
3. Using Multi-Filament Extruders
While this is an advanced concept, the use of multi-filament extruders can potentially be a game changer for you. If you don’t like multi-color filaments and already have mono filaments, then a 3D printer multi-filament extruder will do the job. But what exactly is it?
A 3D printing multi-filament extruder is a module that helps you print from several filaments simultaneously, allowing you to enjoy the true essence of 3D printing. It can hold different filaments simultaneously, and you can switch between them whenever you want.
This makes multi-color 3D printing a breeze. The device lets you print different colors on a single layer, too, which cannot be done manually or without a multi-color PLA filament. Moreover, with automation, you can expect the quality to be high as you can print layer-by-layer and intra-layer with different colors.
But the only con of using this module is that it can be pretty expensive and takes a long time to print since you are constantly switching between different filaments.
Which Method is the Best?
We believe the best multi-color 3D printing method with PLA filament depends on your goals. But if you don’t want to spend too much money and already want to use your existing filament, then doing a manual multi-color print would be ideal.
Moreover, if you want automation in place then you should opt for using the 3D printing multi-filament extruder. Lastly, if you ask about our preferred method of creating multi-color 3D prints with PLA, then it would be to choose a multi-color PLA filament itself.
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