Recently, BASF officially launched the Ultrafuse 316L metal-polymer composite wire suitable for open material extrusion (fuse manufacturing or FFF) 3D printers. It is reported that the new material relies on the bonded metal wire system of companies such as Desktop Metal and Markforged, which can safely, conveniently and economically produce metal parts of prototypes, metal tools and some functional components. Just like in the proprietary system, after subsequent industrial debinding and sintering, the final 3D printed part that appears is 316L stainless steel.
Ultrafuse 316L is a metal wire containing a polymer component, which is the same as the wire used in the standard thermoplastic wire extrusion system. The 3D printer prints the parts layer by layer, and the polymer component in the wire acts as an adhesive. The main polymer component (main binder) of the green part is removed during the catalytic degreasing process, and the remaining brown part is composed of pure metal particles and residual binder (secondary binder). At a temperature lower than the melting temperature of the metal, the brown part removes the second binder and coalesces the metal particles in the subsequent sintering process. The material reaches its final hardness and strength properties after sintering.
Up to 90% of the metal component and evenly distributed metal in the adhesive matrix reduce the risk of defects and increase the success rate. Compared with powder bed processes such as selective laser melting and binder spraying, the "fixing" of metal particles into wires in the binder matrix significantly reduces the potential hazards of handling fine metal powders.
According to reports, Ultrafuse 316L can be used with Bowden and direct drive extruders, and can be guided by a complex wire transportation system. "Ultrafuse 316L can be processed on any traditional open-material FFF printer under certain conditions," explained François Minec, general manager of BASF's 3D printing solutions. "Our goal is to develop a high-quality metal wire that will make the additive manufacturing of metal parts easier, cheaper, faster, and more accessible."