Mcor Technolgies introduced its Mcor IRIS HD, which, according to the company, provides 360-degree high-definition color and sharp detail, and reduces already low operating costs by 20 percent.
Mcor was recently demonstrating the Mcor IRIS HD at the RAPID conference for 3D printing, scanning and industrial additive manufacturing (AM) at the Long Beach Convention Center in California.
The IRIS HD incorporates new algorithms and a newly-designed carbide cutting tip to ensure a photorealistic appearance around the geometry of the model and a cleaner communication of granular information.
The 20-percent reduction in cost to 3D print a model comes from the IRIS HD using less ink and the cutting tip lasting longer. Mcor’s paper-based materials already cost 10-20 percent less than other 3D printing technologies, but additional cost-cutting is always welcome in the relatively expensive world of 3D printing and industrial AM.
“Crisply defined color and rock-bottom operating costs are critical for manufacturers, schools, service bureaus, architectural firms and others who need to 3D print a high number of realistic models,” according to Conor MacCormack, co-founder and CEO of Mcor Technologies. “Our SDL [Selective Deposition Lamination] paper-based 3D printing technology has always offered the industry’s highest-resolution color at the lowest operating costs. Now, with IRIS HD, we’re providing even greater access to truly photorealistic color 3D printing.”
Mcor’s flagship 3D printer, the Mcor IRIS, prints what they call “any color, any time” (ACAT) and uses a global-standard ICC (International Color Consortium) color map to provide the industry’s most accurate WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) color 3D printing. The new carbide blade in Mcor IRIS HD is also available separately for installation in Mcor’s monochrome printer, the Mcor Matrix 300+.
If you are not familiar with Mcor machines, they build physical 3D models from layers of paper printed with ink and bonded together. According to Mcor’s product description, the models can be “tapped, threaded, hinged and made water resistant and flexible.” Users can print geometrically complex shapes with hollows and moving parts. In terms of reusability of materials, Mcor users can recycle used models to make new printing material and more models.