Creality has launched the SPARKX i8, a multi-color 3D printer, on Indiegogo. The SPARKX i8 uses a single-toolhead, four-channel extrusion system for fast color printing, minimal material waste, and CMYK full-color output.
Fastest Four-Color Printing Powered by QuarTeks™
The SPARKX i8 uses Creality’s QuarTeks Color Change System, which combines four independent filament channels in a single toolhead. Instead of swapping toolheads or filaments externally, the i8 pre-loads filaments for quicker color changes.
The QuarTeks system uses a shared filament path of less than 1 mm near the nozzle, much shorter than typical designs. This allows the i8 to switch color channels in under a second by reducing filament retraction and purging. Changing colors is about as quick as clicking a four-color pen.
The i8 3D printer does not require swapping toolheads, nozzles, or motion platforms, which streamlines color changes and improves printing efficiency. In Creality’s lab tests, the i8 built a four-color tower with 3,000 color switches in about 18 hours, which they say is 500%faster than printers using external feed systems.
Zero External Purge Waste
The QuarTeks system is designed to reduce material waste. Its short filament path keeps purge waste low. With the right slicing settings, color transitions can be directed into the model’s infill or inner walls, so external purge waste is nearly eliminated.
Zero Prime Towers
The SPARKX i8 3D printer avoids prime towers by moving color-change travel into the model’s infill paths. This reduces color-transition time. A clean wall keeps infill colors from affecting the model’s surface.
CMYK Full-Color Printing
The SPARKX i8 supports layered color printing by mixing four base-color filaments across different layers. This approach creates intermediate tones, gradients, and brightness variations. With four filament colors, the i8 can produce up to 16 or 32 color combinations in a single print.
AI-Assisted Monitoring
The printhead includes 13 sensors and an AI vision camera to monitor the four filament channels, switching mechanisms, and key printing statuses. It can detect issues like empty spools, filament runout, and air printing in real time. The i8 also supports automatic filament refill, letting users load up to four spools of the same material and switch automatically when one runs out. This helps with larger and uninterrupted prints.
The SPARKX i8 multi-color 3D printer will be available for early backers through the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign starting September 21.
For more tech news and updates, stay tuned to TGXP³.