The first 4-colour 3D printer could be coming to market

Interest in 3D printing (whether for organs, chocolate or, potentially more violently, guns) has boomed in the last few years, but the designs available can be a little lacking when it comes to colour choice.

That’s why one London-based entrepreneur wants to make 3D printing more vibrant. Felix Chan is raising money on Kickstarter to bring a four-colour 3D printer to market, which he believes is the first of its kind. Like colour printers, it will use the CMYK model, meaning it will be able to make objects that are blue, pink, yellow and black, or any combination of the above.

His design, named 3D4C for obvious reasons,  includes two nozzles (0.4mm and 0.8mm) for different applications, a hot-end extruder (for blending colours), and all metal parts in a laser-cut aluminium casing.

There’s an early bird offer of £850 (not including P&P), making it comparable in price to existing two-colour models.

Chan says it’s taken him and his team around a year to develop the machine, and they now need income to produce them in volume.

If successful, he plans to start shipping this December, and has so far raised £5,253 of his £50,000 goal with 27 days until the 14 September deadline.

Diane Shipley