I remember someone around here once saying that Shapeways would not consider the Mcor Iris because it was too expensive to run or too slow or something along those lines but would Shapeways ever reconsider that? I mean https://www.3ders.org/articles/mcor-iris-hd-brings-high-defin ition-color-to-3d-printing.html wow. Look at that. Maybe I'm a sucker here but that looks amazing. Also, how about this: https://www.3ders.org/articles/20140512-colorfabb-beta-testin g-new-pla-bronze-bamboofill-filament-for-3d-printers.html or this: https://www.3dprinterworld.com/article/bronze-age-colorfabb-b ronzefill-3d-printing-material I know those aren't new news or anything but I was wondering if Shapeways ever had any plans to bring something like those along. Bronzefill could end up being a cheaper and easier alternative to the whole wax casting process for people who don't necessarily need full/real metal but still appreciate the look. Seems like the whole polishing bit could be a nuisance though. Really, more than anything else, I would LOVE to see an Mcor Iris at Shapeways. That would be awesome.
As far as I remember from that old discussion, the major drawback of the Iris besides its slow speed was tedious removal of "support material", i.e. blocks of glued paper from overhangs and voids. I'd rather put my hopes on the promised HP multijet full-color plastic printer. For the faux bronze, some older threads in the Post Production Techniques forum showed that good results can apparently be achieved with metal effect paints on strong&flexible.(There was also a very impressive experiment with copper leafing strong&flexible, but I suspect that is only for people already skilled in that art). I doubt that shapeways would want to go back to fdm now that this is seen as the typical amateur technique.
Thanks for the reply. So far, I have not been impressed with any of the fullcolor options. Well.... I shouldn't say that. The FCS and FCP that Shapeways offer are pretty good for what they are and for the price but I don't like the finish and the detail just isn't quite there yet. The design rules are also kind of restrictive, especially with the FCS. The Mcor Iris seemed (heavy emphasis on the word seemed) to surpass all those hitches. Also, in theory, the Mcor Iris "supposedly" generates less expensive prints which is especially nice for me as an artist. I was kinda disappointed with the FCP because it basically looks the same as FCS and it's more expensive. I was hoping for something at least with a nicer finish than FCS. I guess I'll just have to keep waiting. XC Who knows where the tech will be in a few more years. Things have been moving along amazingly, albeit at a slow pace.
Wasn't some copy shop chain going to offer 3D prints using that Mcor printer? Whatever happened with that?
I think Staples adopted the Mcor Iris but not in the US. I think it was in Sweden or something like that. I wish they would come over here. I desperately want to get my hands on an Mcor Iris.
Staples does have the printer in at least two of their shops.. one in NYC and one in LA. They haven't expanded it to the entire chain yet.
YIKES. How would that even work? I've seen support material removed from Mcor Iris prints and it didn't seem THAT bad but that aluminum support material looks plain scary!
Support material removal is a nightmare. A scary scary nightmare where you have a very expensive part that can be destroyed any moment. I was at a company that just bought a SLM machine. Someone asked the machine company guy (SLM solutions) how the support structures should be removed. His answer: Do you have a hammer and a screwdriver? Yes. A hammer and a screwdriver. I'm not kidding. I actually removed parts costing several hundred of euros with a hammer. Also with pliers, that works better for the small pieces. On fragile parts, the design of support structures is crucial.
Shapeways is probably still waiting for HP's Multi Jet Fusion 3D printer to come to fruition. Recall from the end of last year.
That looks exciting but I still see that grainy finish I'm not too in love with. I need to find some gallery images. Looks impressive so far. Lower costs and faster? Hell yes, sign me up! Still, overall, I've never been more impressed with a 3D printer than the Mcor Iris. As an artist, Oooooohhhh, I want that thing. It would allow me to make cheaper prints in full color with a nice finish..... in theory. I know better than to get my hopes up. Seems like every time I do, someone comes along with ten reasons why I shouldn't. XC GOOD GRAVY! Yeah, that does sound like a nightmare. -__O Jeesh.
Yes, I agree, the Mcor does appear to have nice high fidelity color. Some of your creations would look astounding when printed via Mcor. I'd like to see though HP's best full color attempt to see the best that they can do. I did see some grainy looking prints too, but it seems to me they can do better than that. We'll soon see what's what when HP rolls this machine out for actual use. Any Shapeways employees have any idea when HP is going turn it lose? Seems like they were saying something about the end of 2Q 2015, but I cannot remember the exact date.
I couldn't find any bigger businesses offering prints using this Mcor. There are a few smaller companies that use it for specific applications such as making busts or full body prints. Maybe they could be contacted to print something on a custom basis. I just don't think that there is enough workspace in the machine to make it financially viable for a service like Shapeways to offer it. It's not even a matter of stuff removal. The machines aren't big enough to support larger volumes of many parts to share overhead and time costs. 3DHubs only seems to deal with stl files but there might be someone with a fancy Mcor in that network. It might be worth a check. If I had a spare $60k laying around it might make sense to do a small start-up but my Shapeways profits are as of yet woefully insufficient to cover that - or to cover a few reams of paper for that matter!
Side note: On the HP Multi Jet Fusion page - was that an industrial video they filmed posing as a press event? Something seemed very off about it.
Every seen stone sculptors? And the prices of some stones? But at least they pick a chisel, not a screwdriver that will end like crap in no time.
Like that it might look a little too good to be true? I really hope not because it looks kinda awesome and it promises a LOT.
I found one through Staples. I looked into it a long while back but I was not impressed for some reason. Looking at it again, I think it's just that it doesn't have the availability and ease of use that Shapeways does.