With so many companies signing up for a future in 3D printing, it’s no surprise Apple is taking interest as well. While the company has not revealed whether it plans to go into production any time soon, they have an approved patent now making it much more likely. What’s more, they are showing interest in color printing systems.
The name of the patent is “Method and apparatus for three-dimensional printing of colored objects”. The illustration of the printer itself shows what one would expect of an FFF printer but with a color nozzle as well. The patent also includes a number of ways that the color printer could operate.
One of these ways was illustrated a flowchart that shows that the machine would add colors after the printing the object. It uses a “non-transitory program storage device” that reads the object file, automatically applies colors and sends it to the printer. Another version has an active color nozzle working alongside the print process. A third proposal outlines a “computer-implemented method of printing a custom manufactured object”. There are very few details on how this method works.
3D Printer Patents & Tech Companies
Granted on January 16th, the patent does not detail a particularly complex design. This is no surprise since the patent was filed in 2014 and color 3D printing has come a long way since then. Instead, it is more noteworthy because of the fact that it is Apple that owns it. Another tech giant stepping in to 3D printing is, after all, big news on its own.
It is worth stating that the existence of a patent does not always mean that there a plan for production. Sometimes tech companies files patents as legal measures. However, Apple is no stranger to jumping into unfamiliar territory. Judging by the patent, if they do plan to develop it, Apple would be aiming for a home-friendly desktop device.
Additionally, there may also be another reason for going into additive manufacturing. Other major tech companies like Google and HP have put quite some stock in 3D printing. It’s highly possible that Apple is trying match their rivals. This is all speculation but not entirely outside of the realm of possibility.
