Want to add multiple colors to your prints, but can only afford a less expensive 3D desktop printing system with a single extruder where you can just stop the job and manually change the filament? Check out this fun idea posted on Hackaday: a simple 3D printed bracket that attaches to your printer and holds up to three colored Sharpie permanent markers right on the filament as it gets into the top of the extruder.
The creator Devin Montes, who runs the YouTube channel Make Anything, likes to create, in his own words, “both functional models and adorable objects that trigger inspiration”. I would say that this 3D printed Sharpie mount that Montes posted on the MyMiniFactory 3D printing repository falls into both categories.
“I made this tool that includes 3 sharpenings that will color your filament before printing,” he wrote. “The results were surprisingly beautiful!”
To make desktop 3D printers cheaper and more accessible to all users, almost all use single extruder setups, so there aren’t many options available for multi-material printing. Hackaday writer Tom Nardi admits that this is “not a huge problem from a practical standpoint,” but such a statement is practically a catnip for people who enjoy 3D printing and life hacks. Montes thought it would be fun to add a little more color to his desktop prints and created this small but powerful 3D printing mount he calls the Sharpie 3 Color Blender.
Here’s how it works: Simply load three colored Sharpie permanent markers into the holder and tilt down. The bracket is angled so that it holds the tips against the filament as it enters the top of the extruder. If you use translucent or white filaments, the Sharpies will add a vibrant pop of color to your prints. It’s certainly not a multi-color 3D print like the one from Mimaki or Stratasys, but it can definitely add something more to your prints.
The bracket consists of four parts:
- A connector that attaches to the Snapmaker printhead and holds the mixer in place
- Mixer part for the connection with Snapmaker Original with the plug
- Mixer part with a flat circular base of 40 mm for additional modifications
- Mixer part with connection piece for PTFE Bowden tube
Montes designed this bracket for his Snapmaker Original 3D printer, which, according to Nardi, “is relatively well suited for such a device because it has a direct drive extruder and there is enough space for the markings.” However, he is working on some upgrades, which are compatible with more types of 3D printers, and in his MyMiniFactory download he also included two additional versions of the Blender part in case another manufacturer comes along who can modify their original hack for a different system.
“Technically, this is not a new concept as manufacturers used similar tricks in the earliest days of desktop 3D printing,” concluded Nardi. “But this is a particularly well executed version of the idea, and if so [Devin] If we can really develop a bracket that would hold a wider range of hardware, we could safely see that this is a popular way to add a little more excitement to printed projects. “
