Two Color Flat Text via Filament Switching - Test Model
Description
PDFTwo color text can be printed on any any printer that supports filament switching, but this results in either raised text or “cut out” text. This is still a very useful approach to 3D printing text, but what if you want text on a smooth flat surface, and you do not have a multi-material printer?
This print shows a method for printing text (via filament switching) that results in a flat smooth top surface. The basics of the method are quite simple :
- Print “cut out” text in two colors using filament switching.
- Print a transparent “cover” on top of the “cut out text” surface.
It is simple enough to make a CAD design with this structure - simply create the cut-out text, and then add a solid cover on top. I found that making the “cover” two print layers thick works best. When the transparent filament prints the “cover,” it simply bridges over the cut-out text. This actually results in “hollow” text, but this is not evident from looking at the finished print. Adding ironing to the top surface results in a very smooth and transparent cover.
I should note that the final print is not, strictly speaking, perfectly smooth. There is actually a very minor “bulge” (see photos; it is only visible when viewed from an extreme angle) above each text letter. My guess is that this bulge results from the hollow text ballooning a bit as the layers are heated.
Note also, that with the proper choice of filament color, the text that results from this process can also be back-lighted (see photos).
Print Instructions
Print in PETG using the 3mf files provided, otherwise :
- 0.2mm layer height
- 0% rectilinear infill
- bottom two layers = text color (I used yellow)
- middle three layers = background (I used black)
- top two layers = transparent filament; use ironing for the topmost layer
CAD
The OnShape 3D CAD files for this are here :
Model origin
The author marked this model as their own original creation.
