As 3D Systems Corp. continues to amass technologies related to 3-D printing and related capabilities, it has added full-color printing to its product line.
The Rock Hill, S.C., company announced Jan. 5 that it acquired botObjects, a startup printer supplier based in London with an office in New York. Terms of the deal were not released.
3D Systems said botObjects was the first developer of full-color 3-D printing based on plastic. Its pioneering work included inventing a five-color cartridge system that mixes primary colors during printer operation to give “vibrant color combinations and gradient transitions,” 3D Systems noted.
3D Systems is folding its acquisition into its CubePro C printer family. The firm soon plans to launch the CubePro C desktop, full-color 3-D printer based on botObjects technology. 3D Systems currently is featuring the technology at its booth at the International Consumer Electronics Show 2015 show being held Jan. 6 to 9 In Las Vegas.
3D Systems claims CubePro C will print with greater accuracy and speed than comparable printers on the market. It will be able to print layers as thin as 25 microns at deposition speeds of up to 175 millimeters per second using polylactide and ABS resins. It said it will offer the system at $4,990.
3D Systems appointed botObjects cofounder Martin Warner as vice president and general manager for the botObjects business unit. Warner said in a news release that 3D Systems will help botOjbects bring its technology to more users more quickly. The deal will help botObjects reach global markets, added 3D Systems President and CEO Avi Reichental.