Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Automated Filament Inking For Multi-Color Fff 3d Printing, Eammon Littler

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

We propose a novel system for low-cost multi-color Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing, allowing for the creation of customizable colored filament using a pre-processing approach. We developed an open-source device to automatically ink filament using permanent markers. Our device can be built using 3D printed parts and off-the-shelf electronics. An accompanying web-based interface allows users to view GCODE toolpaths for a multi-color print and quickly generate filament color profiles. Taking a pre-processing approach makes this system compatible with the majority of desktop 3D printers on the market, as the processed filament behaves no differently from conventional filaments. Furthermore, inked …