Overview – Colour Dyeing Service
Add colour and value to your 3D Printed parts using our colour Dye Service. Explore our range of vibrant colours to enhance the aesthetics and create the most repeatable and consistent results possible.Â
Our specialised dyeing machines heat and pressurise parts to high temperatures, helping to provide a deeper and more consistent colour finish for our 3D-printed parts.Â
We have invested well over £1 million in our post-processing equipment, becoming the largest in the world and bringing you the very best colours and finishes possible.Â
Resistant to wear, dirt, environmental factors,Â
Good for regular use and exposure. Remains precise,Â
Durable
Often known as: Deep dyeing, dyed.
How much does it cost?
Black Dye +10%
Standard colours £10 + 10%
Non-Standard Colours £60 + 10%
Maximum Part Size
300mm x 300mm x 310mm
What materials?
Colours:
Black only:
What Colours?
SLS PA12
MJF PA12 and SAF PA11 ECO
SLS TPU Flexible
Appearance and Finish
SLS PA12 (PA2200) Colour dye
SLS PA12 (PA2200) is the only material we offer that can be dyed different colours. This is mainly down to the fact that SLS PA12 is white in its natural state, meaning other colours can easily dye into the white base material.Â
Natural finish – the rougher natural finish gives the most vibrant colour (pictured).
Polished finish – polished parts can also be dyed all colours, however, polished parts tend to be paler than natural parts.
Natural Finish Black Dye
The following is applicable for our more rigid polymers, namely SLS PA12 (PA2200), MJF PA12 and SAF PA11 Eco. The natural finish is best for prototyping/draft models as it is the least consistent of all of our finishes.
Crisp edges – with no finishing, edges are crisper than parts with secondaryÂ
Colour variation – natural finish parts dye well, but can vary a bit in terms of their depth of colour.
Scoring – black dyed parts can score/scratch easily in their natural finish. Scoring appears in the form of a shiny line on the part. If your part is for end user applications, it is recommended that secondary finishing such as polishing, shotpeening or vapour smoothing is applied.
Black Dye for SLS TPU Flexible
SLS TPU flexible can be taken to the next level with our black dye option. The natural off white colour is only really suitable for prototyping where aesthetics are not an issue. The black dye penetrates well and gives a durable and rich colour to the parts.
Granular finish – the finish is unchanged by the dye process, remaining granular yet unique.
Fragility – very thin parts can get damaged in the dyer more easily than our other materials. It is recommended to keep the parts above 2mm in thickness when dyeing.
Colour variation – Dyed black SLS TPU Flexible parts can vary slightly in relation to their depth of colour.
Polished Black parts
The following is applicable for our more rigid polymers, namely SLS PA12 (PA2200), MJF PA12 and SAF PA11 Eco. The polished and dyed black option gives a smoother and more consistent surface than the natural finish, and provides greater consistency of colour.
Unique mottled texture – the polishing chips give unique appearance to the part than many of our customers love as it is unlike what people consider the “norm” for finished products.
Slight roughness – despite the polishing process being the same for the parts with no colour dye, dyed parts tend not to be as smooth as undyed parts.
Shotpeen finish
The following is applicable for our more rigid polymers, namely SLS PA12 (PA2200), MJF PA12 and SAF PA11 Eco. The shotpeen finish is best for end user applications due to its premium aesthetics and good colour consistency.
Sheen – shotpeened parts have a lovely sheen to them as they reflect the light.
Consistency – shotpeened parts have great colour consistency, making it a great finish for your production parts.
Smaller parts – smaller parts below 15mm can have less of an effect from the finish and may appear slightly rougher than larger parts.
Vapour SmoothedÂ
The following is applicable for our PA12 materails, namely SLS PA12 (PA2200) and MJF PA12. Like shotpeening, the vapour smoothed finish is best for end user applications due to its premium aesthetics, amazing depth of colour and colour consistency.
Gloss finish – Our only full gloss finish with a high shine and extremely smooth surface.
Slight texture – the granular texture of the parts leaves a very slight texture to the surface
Deep Colour – the process really enriches the colour of the parts, giving them the deepest black colour we can produce.
Filleted edges – edges on parts do get filleted, which means rounded corners and reduced definition in text or finer surface details.
Colour Dye is highly recommended for
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Durability – more durable than painting. - +
Cleanliness – Parts look cleaner than the natural white or grey colours. - +
Vibrance – coloured SLS parts look very vibrant, especially when in the natural finish.
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UV stability – Parts fair well in sunlight with little fade over time. - +
Skin Safe – dyed parts have cytotoxicity and skin irritation certification. - +
Cost effective – dyeing is cheaper than painting.
Examples of dyed parts
MJF PA12
SLS PA12 (PA2200)
SAF PA11 Eco
SLS TPU Flexible
How it works
After the parts have been cleaned, they are loaded into the Dyemansions DM60 deep dye systems in a basket. The lid is then closed and sealed. The parts are then dyed inside the machine under high pressure and temperature. This high pressure and temperate allows for the dye to penetrate deeper than systems that simply bathe the parts in a dyed. This allows for greater longevity and vibrance to the colour.
Once the cycle has completed, the dye is evacuated and the parts washed inside the machine. The parts are then removed and rapidly dried in an external dryer to reduce the risk of marks and residue spoilage.
Certifications
Certified and Proven Colours for High-End Manufacturing.
BIOCOMPATIBILITY
CYTOTOXICITY
ISO 10933-5
ISO 10933-12
SKIN IRRITATION
ISO-Protocol ISO/TC 194 WG 8
ISO 10933-12
COLOUR
COLOUR FASTNESS
Rubbing: ISO 105-X12
Washing: ISO 105-C06
Bleaching: 20105-N01
Perspiration: ISO 105-E04
RESISTANCE
SCRATCH RESISTANCE
PV3952
LIGHT & HEAT RESISTANCE
ISO 105 B06
RisksÂ
Colour matching
A perfect colour match can be hard to achieve. Expect some light variation in the intensity of the colour.
Warping
Very flat profiles that are naturally susceptible to wapring can warp more in the during process.
Polished parts
Colour dye results from polished parts tend to be slightly more faded than natural colours.
Mixing finishes
Mixing finishes can lead to different visual appearances for the parts – it is recommended to keep all parts the same finish where possible.
Food Safety
Unfortunately, dyed parts are not certified as food safe. If you need food safe parts, undyed SLS PA12 (PA2200) is in its natural and polished finishes.
Talk to Andrew, our Head of Technical Sales, and discover how our services can save you time and money while achieving the highest quality prints.
Design Guidelines, Maximums and Minimums
Max Print Size
This is the maximum size we can print a part in one piece
300mm x 300mm x 310mm
Min Wall Thickness
This is the minimum wall thickness we can guarantee to print. You are able to print under this guarantee at your own risk, however, prints under our guarantee are not covered for a free reprint if damaged.
Thickness: 1mm (SLS, MJF, SAF) 2mm (TPU)
Min Embossed Thickness
This is the minimum thickness a surface detail can be – this includes text and small intricate details. Note the thickness stroke width, not the width of the entire letter if referring to text.
Width: 0.5mm
height: 0.3mm
Min Engraved Thickness
This is the minimum thickness a engraved surface detail can be – this includes text and small intricate details. Note the thickness stroke width, not the width of the entire letter if referring to text.
Width: 0.5mm
Depth: 0.3mm
Min Hole Sizes
This is the minimum diameter of a hole. As a rule of thumb, the longer the hole, the larger the diameter is required to prevent them from blocking with powder. It is best to avoid long and twisting holes as these are near impossible to clear the powder from post-print.
<2mm depth: 1mm
2-5mm depth: 2mm
5-10mm depth: 3mm
10mm+: at least 4mm
*Powder may not be able to be cleared out of holes longer than 30mm
Clearance
This is the minimum gap required between two separate parts that are designed to fit together, such as a case and a lid. This is the distance between surface faces – remember that this is each side meaning that you need to double this measurement if the whole part is interlocking. e.g. if a shaft is going into a hole, 0.15mm between surfaces means 0.3mm between diameters.
Tight fit: 0.15mm
Smooth fit: 0.25mm
Flat/Warpable Parts
Flat parts are prone to warping. Warping is where the part cools at different rates causing geometrical changes in the object. It is best to try to avoid these shapes where possible, or contact us to ask for advice.
Limitation: Â part dependant – ask us if you are concerned.
Min Sharp Angle
This is the minium angle recommended without a fillet or chamfer. Parts with sharp angles tend to get damaged in the print or post-processing stages. Anything sharper than the minimum angle is recommended to have a fillet.
Min Angle:  60°
Sharp Angle Fillet
Anything sharper than our minimum guaranteed angle is recommended to have a filleted edge. Filleted edges are far stronger than sharp edges and are less prone to damage in either post-processing or print stages.
Min Fillet: Â 1mm
Colour dyed parts – Get an Instant quote using our online system
Grab a quote for our colour dyed parts. Our Uploading System takes price breaks into consideration for higher quantities and is the fastest way to get a quote for your project.
Other finishing options available on our service
