Stratasys nabbed one of the best 3D printer manufacturers in the world when it acquired Objet back in late 2012. Since then, the two companies have been working together on some new impressive printers, including its multi-material Connex line. This week, Stratasys finally unveiled the fruits of Objet’s labor over the past few months.

At SolidWorks 2014, Stratasys unveiled the Objet500 Connex3 – a multi-material color 3D printer. The company claims that the printer allows you to “incorporate as many as 46 colors into one prototype.” If it performs as advertised, the Connex3 could be the first step towards making working objects without compromise.

Of course, since this is a multi-material 3D printer, Stratasys also emphasizes its ability to print objects with Digital ABS among other materials. In other words, you can create an object out of two materials in the same print job without having to switch out materials. For example, a pair of sunglasses could be built in a single print job with a frame made out of its rigid opaque material and lenses made out of its clear digital ABS material.

For more on the printer, here are the highlights from the announcement:

Here’s another video on how color, multi-material 3D printing will move the industry forward:

And here are the specs:

Tray size:
500 × 400 × 200 mm (19.7 × 15.7 × 7.9 in.)

Net build size:
490 × 390 × 200 mm (19.3 × 15.4 × 7.9 in.)

Layer thickness:
Horizontal build layers down to 16 microns (0.0006 in.)

Build resolution:
X-axis: 600 dpi; Y-axis: 600 dpi; Z-axis: 1600 dpi

Printing Modes:

Digital material: 30-micron (0.001 in.) resolution
High quality: 16-micron (0.0006 in.) resolution
High speed: 30-micron (0.001 in.) resolution

Accuracy:
20-85 micron for features below 50 mm; up to 200 micron for full model size (for rigid materials only, depending on geometry, build parameters and model orientation)

For more on the Objet500 Connex3 3d printer, be sure to check out the details page.

Image via Stratasys/YouTube