Please choose between the following three options for navigation.
10.15.2021
Canada’s Mosaic Manufacturing is adding another dimension to the competitive world of 3D printing 
Mosaic Manufacturing’s new 3D printer brings greater multicolour capabilities to market (Matthew Billington)
In 1986, an American inventor named Chuck Hull was granted the first patent for a 3D printer. Two years later, his company, 3D Systems (the biggest company in the market today), sold its first commercial rapid prototype printer. But consumers had a long wait before 3D printing devices would make their way into their homes (in the meantime, the technology was making its mark: In 1999, the first 3D organ—a human bladder—was printed for transplant use).
It wasn’t until 2009 that the at-home market opened up when a company, MakerBot, developed a DIY printer kit for under US$1,000 that can fit on your desktop, along with a website, Thingiverse.com, that encourages users to upload and share their myriad design ideas.
Today, there are several brands and models available. Whether you’re a hobbyist printer at home manufacturing keychains, a teacher printing replica dinosaur fossils or the Brampton, Ont., father who recently used a 3D printer to build a cast after his toddler fractured his arm, the applications are seemingly endless.
Now, Toronto-based Mosaic Manufacturing is aiming to introduce a new world of colour to 3D printing with the third generation of Palette.
Palette 3 provides multicolour printing capabilities and attaches to any existing fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printer. Fused filament fabrication is the most commonly used 3D printing type and utilizes a string-shaped printing material made of plastic or nylon. Printers run on these filaments, which are akin to ink cartridges in traditional 2D printers, depositing them layer by layer to form a 3D object. The range of filament material varies from chopped carbon fibre reinforced with nylon, to a stiffer, more affordable polymer-based material.
Palette 3, which began shipping in the summer, sells for US$599 and can take four separate coloured filaments. For another $200, Palette 3 Pro takes eight filaments.
The user loads the filaments into Palette, which then feeds them into a splicing system that cuts them and welds them together into a single strand. The result is more colour combinations and customization, offering new levels of detail and creativity to printing projects.
Many industrial 3D printers, by contrast, use the speedier multi jet fusion (MJF) technology, using inkjet-type heads to outline designs on a bed of nylon powder, which is then fused in layers to create a 3D object. Companies developing MJF tech, like B.C.’s Tempus 3D, co-founded by CPA Robert Bleier, are helping to fuel the rapid growth of the market.
According to a KPMG report, global sales of additive manufacturing technology (another term used to describe 3D printers) and services are poised to more than double by 2024 to reach roughly US$35 billion.
It’s why there is also buzz over another new Mosaic release, Array, a large-scale 3D printer destined for use in factories (the company says it will be shipping by December). The machine, which resembles a large wine fridge, holds four separate printers and uses proprietary technology to automatically replace printing plates to increase efficiency.
Mosaic is aiming to stake a claim in the growing industrial market, particularly given the events of the past year and a half.
“We witnessed a powerful change in customer sentiment toward domestic manufacturing solutions, especially as foreign supply chains collapsed,” says Mosaic co-founder and CEO Mitch Debora, who was named one of MaRS’ 21 Canadian tech entrepreneurs to watch in 2021.
Read about the electric personal watercraft developed in Quebec and the eco-friendly accessories made from fruit and vegetables.
3.9.2022 | Chris Johns
The businesses behind food halls hope going large will be the secret to their recovery
3.8.2022 | Ziya Jones
Christian Gaudet runs a youth ball hockey league in Moncton that teaches leadership skills and the importance of teamwork
3.1.2022 | Charles-Antoine St-Jean
FCPA Charles-Antoine St-Jean steps down after two years at the helm, and much success
Dave Zarum
Dave Zarum is a writer and editor who has appeared in Maclean’s, Canadian Business, and The Canadian Encyclopedia. Zarum is the author of NBA 75: The Definitive History (2020, Firefly Books Ltd.) and has won two National Magazine Awards for his work at Sportsnet magazine.
© 2022 CPA Canada
The bright and bold future of 3D printing – CPA Canada
Vyborgrad