Way of making full color FDM Printing?

So there are may designs out there for DIY Filament extruders which use wasted Filament or pellets. But why dont we use instead of one container which has the pellets inside, a mixing system which contains 5 (or even 6) mixing containers which mixes the pellets in the desired matter to receive a certain color? F.ex. using a big drill bit to transport the colors in the programmed matter (f.ex. 50% magenta and 50% white). You would just had to measure the distance from the extruders output to your hotend to have an offset to know when you need to mix the colors.

Just a quick thought, would love to get some feedback to that thought

~Straw

Make different color filament for future use in printer
or
you would have 5 or 6 filament screw extruders on the back of a printer
converting pellets to hot polymer(ABS, PLA) (200deg C) and piping this to the printer
nozzle?
What type of flexible piping would handle the temperature and pressure
of the hot polymer and keep it hot to squirt out print head?
or
5 or 6 screw extruders with pellet bins on a X axis I-beam just above print nozzle
and move it at 800mm/sec operating the screw extruders to deliver color polymers
directly to nozzle.
I suppose leadscrew drive on heafty X-Axis glide rails to move around
the 300-400 pound multi-extruder

Is a full color 3D printer really required?

I don't know how polymer (ABS PLA) is colored -- maybe just inject color right where its necessary

I have used a felt tip marker to color natural filiment just before it goes into extruder
to get different light colors.

Good Luck Mr Phelps

Check Diamond Hotend

Check out The Pallette on Kickstarter. It splices filaments to color objects using a single nozzle.

5 or 6 screw extruders with pellet bins stationary and the bed move on x,y and z would probably be the most elegant if you want true full color prints

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If you need some help, or don't understand what I just said, feel free to send me a PM anytime

Printer: Prusa i3, 2 E3D v6 Hotends, Arduino + RAMPS 1.4 with a Bypassed 5V Regulator, 400w Insignia ATX PSU, Custom Designed Bowden Extruders

The problem is not the hw, but there is no slicer in full color

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Enrico

[www.dapa3dservice.it] [www.studiodapa.it]
repstrap dApA, Ramps 1.4, MarlinKimbra / scanner 3D Cubify Sense / Formlabs Form 2

well, there is definitely a slicer capable, there is full color sandstone after all, I'm sure it could be adapted. Or rather, possibly, slic3r adapted to mimic it

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If you need some help, or don't understand what I just said, feel free to send me a PM anytime

Printer: Prusa i3, 2 E3D v6 Hotends, Arduino + RAMPS 1.4 with a Bypassed 5V Regulator, 400w Insignia ATX PSU, Custom Designed Bowden Extruders

The problem with a time machine is not the hardware, but we don''t have the software to run it! (Chicken or the egg?)

The problem DEFINITELY is the hardware. Show me any hardware capable of full colour (as in, reproduce a photograph full colour) FDM. There is none.

Even if there were such a machine, I wonder how much demand there would really be for it.
You have the MCOR paper lamination machines, which for a while could be bought for under 10k (now 18k).
The Stratasys J750 costs a lot and prints great, but is there a huge demand for it? (given the high cost)

FDM can do full color, in a way: [www.3ders.org]