Stratasys released the J750 machine, which the company says is one of the market’s first 3D printers to produce full color, multi-material parts in a single operation.

This sports shoe prototype was produced with full color, smooth surfaces and a rubber-like sole in a single print operation on the J750 3D printer from Stratasys. The company says the machine is at the top of its Objet Connex series and enables design engineers to choose from 360,000 different colors and multiple material properties, ranging from rigid to flexible and opaque to transparent. The J750 includes color printing with texture mapping. Output parts can include various colors, materials and material properties in the same run, helping to speed production of prototypes, final parts, as well as tooling, molds, jigs and fixtures.

Stratasys says it expects the J750 to eliminate many traditional processes used in creating product-matching prototypes, thus helping return on investment. Designers and engineers may be able to produce product prototypes within hours of developing an initial concept, thus permitting accelerated design and function validation, including reviews by both internal stakeholders and end users.

The J750 includes software that allows users to choose materials, assign colors, optimize selections and manage print queues. Color textures can be loaded intact from imported CAD tools, Stratasys says.

The machine includes capacity for six materials, which may help minimize changeover downtime, as most used resins remain loaded and ready for printing.