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The purpose of this study was to prepare water-based binders, which aimed to avoid printhead blockage and to improve dimensional accuracy of inkjet 3D printing (3DP) technology, and a feasible algorithm of full-color printing was realized.

A self-developed color 3D printer was made by using a piezoelectric printhead of Epson Dx-5. Several water-based binders and corresponding gypsum composite powders were prepared, and the optimum binder-powder assembly was then determined through elementary adhesive testing and roller paving testing. Full-color printing was implemented based on halftoning algorithms that used different threshold matrices for different ink channels, and the performances of various algorithms were evaluated in terms of both subjective and objective indices.

The optimum binder-powder assembly can solve the jamming problem of printhead and realize agreeable dimensional accuracy with the relative error less than 2.5% owing to the satisfying boundary diffusion control ability. And the determined halftone algorithm was verified to be agreeable for 3D color printing.

The prepared approach of water-based binders and gypsum composite powders can be applied to similar 3DP systems even if different materials are introduced. And the used halftone algorithms provide feasible guidelines to the implementation of 3D full-color printing.

This study aims to evaluate the color accuracy of HP Jet Fusion 580 3D printing, comparing 3D-printed outcomes against original digital input colors.

A custom cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) and red, green, blue (RGB) color chart was applied to the top, bottom and side surfaces of a 3D model. Four of each model were 3D-printed on a HP Jet Fusion 580, and half the samples were finished with a cyanoacrylate gloss surface finish, while half were left in raw form. A spectrophotometer was used to document CIELAB (L*a*b*) data, and comparisons made to the original input colors, including calculation of ΔE.

The CMYK samples were significantly more accurate than RGB samples, and grayscale samples in both color spaces were the most accurate of all. Typically, CMYK swatches were darker than the input values, and gloss samples were consistently darker than raw samples. The chromaticity (a*b*) range was found to be significantly smaller than what can be achieved digitally, with highly saturated colors unable to be produced by the printer.

This is the first study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to characterize the full color spectrum possible with the HP Jet Fusion 580, recommending that designers use the CMYK color space when applying colors and textures to 3D models. A quick-reference color chart has been provided; however, it is recommended that future research focus on developing a color management profile to better map digital colors to the capabilities of the printer.

ON July 4, the Flight Simulator Division of Redifon Ltd. announced that a contract for the supply of a full colour visual simulator attachment had been awarded to them by the United States Government National Aeronautics and Space Administration for installation at the Ames Research Centre, Moffett Field, California, U.S.A. The equipment will be used, in conjunction with a large research analogue computer already installed at Moffet Field, for general investigations of take‐off and landing problems and, more specifically, for investigations of V.T.O.L. aircraft techniques, carrier landings and supersonic transport characteristics.

A new full colour brochure has been issued by Sandvik Steel to describe its range of standard and special stainless steel grades for use in harsh and demanding environments.

A new full colour brochure describing Malvern Instrments range of particle size analysers is now available.

Applied Colour Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 5800, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA has issued a full colour brochure describing the complete family of ACS integrated computer colour control systems. The centrepiece of the brochure is an illustration showing the relationship between each system in a working environment.

OCLC offers its online users access to documents and full text in a variety of formats. This article focuses on the document delivery options offered by OCLC within FirstSearch, its end‐user online service. It also features NetFirst, a database from OCLC designed to direct users to quality resources on the Internet, as well as Electronic Journals Online. OCLC's Electronic Journals Online programme offers users access to the full text of a variety of STM journals, complete with full colour images, math‐sci notation, tables, charts, figures and hypertext links to references in bibliographic databases. A sidebar discusses the highlights of some recent OCLC market research on document delivery in academic, public and special libraries in the United States.

ABB has launched a new robot controller, the fifth generation IRC5. One of its major features is MultiMove, a function that enables fully coordinated control of up to 36 axes, equal to four six‐axis robots plus work positioners or other servo devices. This opens up new application areas with a combination of handling and processing robots, including balanced welding and multiple robot manipulation to increase lifting capacity and/or protect large flimsy workpieces. Benefits are higher relative speeds, minimal in‐cycle waiting and improved weld quality. Other features of the IRC5 are its modularity, with a logical split of control and axis drive functions and simple two‐cable connection, and a completely new ergonomically designed interface unit running under Windows CE.NET with full colour touch screen and Windows menus and icons.