BASF officially launched 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 binding metal wire systems of companies such as Desktop Metal and Markforged, which can safely, conveniently and economically produce prototypes, metal tools and metal parts of some functional parts. Just like in the proprietary system, after subsequent industrial degreasing and sintering, the final 3D printed part that emerged was 316L stainless steel.
Ultrafuse 316L is a metal wire with a polymer component, the same wire used in standard thermoplastic wire extrusion systems. The 3D printer prints parts layer by layer, and the polymer component in the wire acts as an adhesive. The main polymer component (the 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 below the melting temperature of the metal, the brown portion removes the second binder and coalesces the metal particles during the subsequent sintering process. The material reaches its final hardness and strength properties after sintering.
Up to 90% of the metal composition and the uniformly distributed metal in the adhesive matrix reduce the risk of defects and increase the success rate. Compared to powder bed processes such as selective laser melting and binder spraying, "fixing" metal particles into a wire in the binder matrix significantly reduces the potential dangers of handling fine metal powders.
According to reports, Ultrafuse 316L can be used with Bowden and direct-drive extruders, and can be guided through complex wire transport systems. "Ultrafuse 316L can be processed on any conventional open material FFF printer under certain conditions," explains François Minec, general manager of 3D printing solutions at BASF. "Our goal is to develop a high-quality wire that makes additive manufacturing of metal parts easier, cheaper, faster, and more accessible."