BASF to commercialise its Ultrafuse 316L metal filament with industry partners
July 23, 2019
BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany, has reported that it is commercialising its Ultrafuse 316L filament, a metal-polymer composite designed for use in Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) Additive Manufacturing, through cooperation with iGo3D, headquartered in Hannover, Germany; Ultimaker, headquartered in Utrecht, the Netherlands; and MatterHackers, headquartered in Lake Forest, California, USA.
Ultrafuse 316L is already in use by a number of Additive Manufacturing companies using the FFF method, and is said to enable the cost-efficient production of green parts for prototypes, metal tooling, and functional components. Parts must then be debound and sintered to complete the manufacturing process.
“Ultrafuse 316L can, under certain conditions, be processed on any conventional, open-material FFF printer,” explained François Minec, Managing Director, BASF 3D Printing Solutions. “Our goal was to develop a high-quality metal filament that makes the additive manufacturing of metal parts considerably easier, cheaper, faster, and accessible to everyone.”
“In comparison to Metal Injection Molding, the Ultrafuse 316L offers an office-friendly solution, which opens new production opportunities,” commented Athanassios Kotrotsios, Managing Director, iGo3D. “To reach the full potential of the metal filament and to ensure a solid start, it is necessary to understand that Ultrafuse 316L is not a conventional filament. Our goal is it to provide full service packages and support from the first request up to the finalised and sintered part, to implement metal 3D printing as a natural component in your manufacturing process.”
“The Ultimaker S5 raises the bar for professional 3D printing by offering a hassle free 3D printing experience with industrial-grade materials. We are proud to announce that print profiles for Ultrafuse 316L will be added to the Ultimaker Marketplace,” added Paul Heiden, Senior Vice President Product Management, Ultimaker. “3D printing professionals worldwide can then use FFF technology to produce functional metal parts at significantly reduced time and costs compared to traditional methods.”
In an exclusive article for the September 2018 edition of Powder Injection Moulding International magazine (Vol. 12 No. 3), BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH highlighted the significant potential of its Ultrafuse technology as a cost-effective entry point into metal Additive Manufacturing. PIM International can be read for free online or as a PDF download via the magazine website.
