Bambu updates its 3D printers to print unique hues or gradients using two or three filaments — company acknowledges OrcaSlicer-FullSpectrum fork as the basis for the color prediction part of the new feature

Bambu just released an update for the Bambu Studio app that gives users much more flexibility when it comes to color. According to the company’s X post, the Color Mixer Studio will let you combine two to three different filaments to create a totally new shade. Aside from that, you can also use it to print gradients across two colors, allowing you to give your 3D prints a unique look. This isn’t a new technique, and some have been experimenting with this method of color mixing for a few years now. However, Bambu acknowledged that it used Ratdoux’s approach, found on the OrcaSlicer-FullSpectrum fork available on GitHub, as the basis for the color prediction part of this new feature.

This color mixing feature is similar to the halftoning technique used in printing, wherein printers lay CMYK dots in patterns that vary in size and spacing on a flat surface to trick the eye into seeing new tones, hues, and shades. The difference here is that instead of using ink dots, Bambu 3D printers use different filaments to produce the optical illusion of a new color on a 3D surface.

“The useful concept here is often called Transmission Distance: if the printed layers are thin enough, or the filament is translucent enough, light can pass through multiple-colored layers before reflecting back to the viewer,” Ratdoux told All3DP. They also added, “When that happens, the eye does not see only a red layer or only a blue layer, for example; it sees light that has interacted with both, and the result is perceived as a mixed color.”

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This technique is possible with both single- and multi-nozzle 3D printers, but it isn’t recommended to use it with the former. That’s because you’ll have to purge every time you change filament, which uses up a lot of the material and is also time-consuming. On the other hand, it would give some of the best multicolor 3D printers additional functionality, potentially even allowing you to print an unlimited number of colors with a set of CMYK filaments.

There are some limitations to this technique, though — sloped surfaces and top/bottom layers might deliver unpredictable results because of how the effect works. It’s recommended that you stick with near-vertical walls or do a test print first before committing to a final print. Furthermore, color reproduction might be inaccurate, so you might need to fine-tune your settings based on sample prints.

The Bambu Studio V2.5.3 Release Note says that a base layer height of 0.12mm and a mixed layer height of 0.2mm are recommended for a 0.4mm nozzle to get uniform color mixing results. Extreme layer height ratios should also be avoided to reduce the risk of trigger melt fracture and degraded print quality.

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