Thing of the Week: Dualstrusion

The MakerBot Replicator 2X, 3D Systems 3D Touch (discontinued), and Cubify CubeX are among the few 3D printers that can do dual extrusion, with the CubeX Trio being able to do tristrusion. Multi-extrusion printing is still rather experimental, but it’s improving rapidly. Printers that have the capability can also do multimaterial printing, though personal 3D printers are generally limited to only three materials currently (ABS, PLA, and wood). Still, multicolor and multimaterial printing are awesome no matter how limited. Here’s a glimpse into dualstrusion printing:

2-Color Octopus by nervoussystem

2-Color Octopus

This octopus was generated through a “simulation of reaction diffusion on a mesh” and printed on a Replicator 1. This cat was done the same way.

Two Color World by m6mafia

Two Color World

This globe was put together with the Dual Extrusion feature of ReplicatorG and printed on a Thingomatic with dual MK7s. The dualstrusion definitely adds a touch of realism.

Dualstrusion YinYang Dimmer Knob by zheng3

Dualstrusion

This is a rather creative use of dualstrusion, giving the ability to control how much light and dark there is in the room.

Grayscale Dualstrusion Poster by tbuser

grayscale dualstrusion Ppster

This print is the most meaningful of the list because it demonstrates that with appropriate layering, various shades can be achieved with only two colors. The technique is very similar to what high-end Objet printers do to achieve grayscale prints. These prints support the prediction that we’ll have affordable enterprise-class printers in a few years.