Shapeways Offers Full Color 3D Printing to Its 3D Modeling Community and Their Consumers

Full Color 3D Printed Items Created at Shapeways.com

Previewed Exclusively at ShowStoppers @ CES

Print 3D Models in Full Color or Relive Memories with a Full Color3D Photo

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Shapeways, the online marketplace that offers affordable access to the latest fabbing technologies, announced today that it has added full color printing to its suite of available materials. Now, creative people with various levels of 3D modeling skills will be able to literally 3D print objects, including figurines, puzzles and more, in full color. Skilled 3D modelers can use color to enhance the dimension of their designs, creating realistic color models without using paint or dyes. Consumers can order these items from the Shapeways online shops and even co-create personalized items in full color without any modeling skills. For example, they can easily upload a color photograph and turn it into a full color 3D photo using the Shapeways Photoshaper creator. For the first time, samples of full color 3D printed objects created at Shapeways.com will be previewed today at ShowStoppers @ CES. The new material, Full Color Sandstone, will be used mainly by 3D modelers to have the perfect replication of their figurine or game character. It can also be used in architectural and product design applications.

"It's still inconceivable to most people that you can actually print an object in 3D," says Peter Weijmarshausen, CEO of Shapeways. "Until now, a Shapeways printed design existed in stainless steel or a single color plastic, black, grey or white, which could be dyed in a handful of single, solid colors. We're excited to be able to offer our vibrant community the ability to bring their designs to life in full color, giving them the opportunity to create almost anything the imagination desires."

According to Shapeways community member and active shop owner Michael Williams, "Working in full color makes me feel like as though I've discovered the 3rd dimension for the first time. Instead of having only 10 different materials to work with for one design, we now have infinite possibilities of color."

Designs uploaded at www.Shapeways.com are printed in full color using Shapeways' ZPrinter(R) 650, the latest and most advanced model on the market today created by Z Corporation. It uses a high performance composite, a powdery, sand-like substance, which hardens, almost like cement, to produce smooth, vivid full color objects. Shapeways then applies a new finishing technique, which both hardens the models and enhances colors.

Weijmarshausen adds, "We want to give both creative consumers and 3D modelers access to the most sophisticated production technologies and color is definitely one of them. Offering full color production shows we are committed to deliver on our promise: to make personalized production, accessible, affordable and fun for everyone."

Shapeways can 3D print almost any design created with popular 3D modeling software in full color. Printed items can be extremely detailed and miniscule in size or as large as 10 x 15 x 8 inches. Shapeways.com facilitates uploads for full color 3D printing of 3D designs in the industry standard file formats VRML and X3D.

Full color 3D printing is extremely cost-effective ($16.22/cubic inch) with premium color at the highest resolution available (600 x 540 dpi) and interestingly, is the least expensive material offered at Shapeways.com.

About Shapeways

Shapeways is an online marketplace where consumers can create a wide range of customized, affordable products, from personalized cufflinks and jewelry to puzzles, home decor and more. As a leading marketplace for unique printed items, Shapeways' latest 3D printing technology allows consumers to co-create, print and buy custom-made products.

The personalized designs found on Shapeways have been created by a diverse community of artists and enthusiasts, who engage in everything from collaborative creation to selling their 3D designs as products through the unique Shapeways Shops, an international marketplace for consumer created 3D printed products. As the Shapeways community continues to grown, more and more one-of-a-kind designs become available to consumers.

Shapeways is a venture spinning out from the Lifestyle Incubator of Royal Philips Electronics, located in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

Editor's notes:

Images:

High resolution images and press releases available at http://www.shapeways.com/presscorner

    --  'Full Color Photoshaper' by Shapeways
    --  'Alien Grey' by Shapeways
    --  'Marble holder key chain' by community member ' Magic' Vincent Greco
    --  'Money pig' by Shapeways
    --  'Bowie the Bunny' by community member 'Baroba' Rob Parthoens


    Source: Shapeways