Additive manufacturing (AM), particularly stereolithography (SLA), has matured from a prototyping tool to a viable production method. However, its widespread adoption is hindered by limitations in material customization, particularly custom color. Previous solutions relied on labor-intensive post-processing (e.g., painting, dyeing) or adjacent technologies with different performance trade-offs (e.g., FDM, material jetting). Achieving reliable, integrated color in SLA is technically complex, as pigment additives absorb and scatter the 405 nm curing light, fundamentally altering the resin's photopolymerization kinetics.
This paper presents an integrated system that links color matching with 3D printing process settings. Using Kubelka–Munk theory, the system predicts the pigment concentrations needed to achieve a target visible color. It then models how those pigments absorb and scatter light at the 405 nm curing wavelength and uses this information to automatically generate pigment-specific print settings. This approach ensures reliable printing, dimensional accuracy, and consistent mechanical properties across colors.
The system supports two color-matching workflows: (1) a direct digital workflow using RGB or Hex inputs, and (2) a high-accuracy physical workflow based on standardized colorimetric (CIELab) measurements. Together, these workflows enable on-demand production of custom-colored resins and corresponding print settings, allowing cost-effective creation of high-fidelity prototypes, color-coded manufacturing aids, and customized end-use parts.
The paper validates this approach through customer case studies that highlight the use of precise brand colors for product development and aesthetic models. A featured case study describes how Radio Flyer integrated the custom color system into their 3D printing workflow. The paper also demonstrates digital surface texturing, which when combined with integrated color, enables a complete CMF (Color, Material, Finish) workflow within additive manufacturing.
Learning Objectives:
select and apply the appropriate in-house color-matching workflow (either direct digital RGB/Hex or high-fidelity physical CIELab) to fabricate color-accurate prototypes and manufacturing aids on demand.
leverage this system to produce validation models and end-use parts with both integrated brand-specific colors and digital textures, enabling a complete CMF (Color, Material, Finish) workflow directly from the printer.
to assess how an integrated computational system for color and print parameters can directly replace labor-intensive, external post-processing steps (like painting or dyeing) in their existing product development cycle.
