Apparently not many. Here’s an example of what 3D printing can do today in color, with the added bonus of printing some of the most amazing geometry ever imagined.

Stratasys Ltd. has collaborated with esteemed designers to create the world’s first 3D printed artworks on the company’s new full color, multi-material J750 3D Printer, launched April 4. The 3D printed pieces – ‘Wolfkiam’ from Nick Ervinck and ‘Polyomino’ from Jose Sanchez – are the first two art and design projects to exploit the capabilities of the full-color multi-material 3D printer, enabling an unprecedented array of colors and level of detail, as well as geometric complexities for the 3D printing industry.

 

The Polyomino piece marks the final evolutionary phase of a two-year professional collaboration with Stratasys, while Wolfkiam celebrates the launch of a brand new series of high-profile collaborative 3D printed works from Stratasys entitled ‘The New Ancient’, exploring the juxtaposition of ancient crafts and cultures with modern technologies. The collection, which is set to be launched later this year, will also include works from the world recognized Zaha Hadid Architects, Prof. Neri Oxman, Daniel Widrig, Dov Ganchrow and Luc Merx.

The Stratasys J750 3D printer offers over 360,000 colors. According to Ervinck, he designed the Wolfkiam sculpture to maximize the potential of the new technology. “The vibrant colors and intricate details of the piece, such as the central lines representing the figure’s veins, were integral to the sculpture, both in creating a sense of movement and fluidity and in reflecting the traditional cultural styles that inspired the work. It would have been impossible to manually transfer this texture onto the sculpture in any other way – it is only with the new Stratasys J750 3D Printer that this first-of-its kind artwork has been made possible.”

With Stratasys’ J750 3D Printer, I was able to design a piece that combines an organic, biomorphic shape with a very technical play of lines and colors,” continued Ervinck, “and bring this to life from screen to sculpture with unmatched precision and quality – all at the click of a button.”

Polyomino marks the fruition of a longstanding professional collaboration with Architect, Programmer and Game Designer, Jose Sanchez. Having originally initiated the Polyomino project in 2014, the newly launched Stratasys J750 3D Printer has now enabled the piece to be finalized in a spectacular range of vivid colors. Drawing upon the combinatorial and constructive nature of video games such as Tetris, the structure consists of a series of 3D printed pieces that can be assembled in different ways using magnets to create a larger ‘molecule’. As Sanchez explained, the extensive color palette available on the Stratasys J750 3D Printer was fundamental to the entire project. “The artwork uses color as a guideline to construction. Consisting of only two different geometries, we explored the use of color as a form of differentiating the connecting pieces. With the limitless colors available on the J750, we were able to explore the way in which different colors affect perception of the piece, mimicking areas of lightness and shade and facilitating an almost infinite number of unique mixes and blends. These options connect 3D printing with gaming strategies, allowing users to explore and interact with an artwork in an entirely new way.”

Both artworks feature ultra-smooth surfaces enabled by the Stratasys J750, with layer thickness as fine as 0.014 mm – around half the width of a human skin cell.