Color gradient filament can add a unique touch to 3D prints by creating smooth fades between colors along the Z-axis. David Gozzard, seeking to print a spectrogram of a gravity wave, desired a filament that transitioned from blue to yellow. Unfortunately, he found no suitable gradient filament for sale, prompting him to make his own.
To achieve this, David designed a spiral model in Fusion 360 with a hexagonal cross-section, tapering to a point. He printed the first part in blue, resulting in a filament that gradually faded down to a point. The second part was designed to taper from a point to a full-sized filament in yellow. By merging the G-code of both prints and changing the filament colors during the process, he successfully created a filament that combined blue and yellow into a gradient.
It’s important to note that the filament generated is smaller in diameter than standard filaments, requiring adjustments to printer settings when used. David has made the models available on Thingiverse, encouraging others to replicate his technique. The resulting print of the gravity wave demonstrates the potential and execution of this method effectively.
For those interested in similar creations, various methods for making multi-color filaments have also been explored previously.