Improved Materials List for Fusion3 Products

BASF Ultrafuse 316L is a metal-filled filament that can be used to print solid metal parts with post-processing. BASF Ultrafuse 316L is composed of 80% 316 stainless steel and 20% plastic. After printing, you debind and sinter your part to remove the plastic and get a fully metal part. These steps are available as a service so you don’t have to buy additional equipment. Finished parts have a grain structure, porosity, and strength similar to MIM (Metal Injection Mold) parts.

If you have an application:

• With complex geometry not suited to machining or subtractive processes
• Where MIM is not feasible due to low volume, geometry, cost, etc.
• You require the strength or temperature performance of metal

Printing with BASF Ultrafuse 316L may be a good option for you to consider.

This is not a simple material to use or to post-process. Before working with BASF Ultrafuse 316L, consider the following:

• Significant non-isotropic shrinkage that must be accounted for at the design/print stage (scaling factors are 119.82% for X and Y, 126.10% for Z)
• Strict requirements on print surfaces and coatings to prevent contamination
• Stricter than normal part shape, size requirements
• Your “green” (printed but not sintered) part must be sent away for post-processing, unless you have the necessary equipment in house
• This material is EDGE-only. We have a profile available for F410, but it’s not officially supported on this platform

For more information see:

 

• How to Succeed with 3D Printing Metal on a Desktop 3D Printer
• How to Prepare Ultrafuse Metal Parts for Debinding and Sintering
• Ultrafuse 316LX Technical Data Sheet

With our EDGE printer, we’re able to offer polypropylene (PP) printing to our customers! Polypropylene has been a much requested printing material option by our customers and we are happy to now provide that to EDGE users. Thanks to EDGE’s interchangeable print surfaces, polypropylene printing is possible.

Polypropylene is commonly used in injection molded parts where good flexibility and toughness are needed. Oftentimes it’s used as a lower-cost alternative to a fiber-filled nylon.

Polypropylene is not an easy material to print and is for advanced users only. Before working with polypropylene, consider the following:

• Pronounced tendency to warp
• Proper surface prep is key. Improper prep will lead to insufficient adhesion, or too much adhesion and your part will be permanently bonded to the print surface
• Your EDGE must have the optional magnetic bed plate
• Requires a stainless steel print plate, polypropylene sheet laminated to the plate, and Magigoo PP as a release agent

Right now, we have one PP filament certified with more on the way. This is not a material category with a lot of options, so if you are interested in printing polypropylene and encounter a material you’d like to use, reach out to our support team and we can assist you.

We’ve certified 3 additional Polycarbonate (PC) filaments from 3DXTech:

• 3DXMax PC (unfilled/normal PC)
• CarbonX CF-PC (carbon fiber filled)
• ezPC (“easy to print” has modifiers mixed in)

For parts that require high strength and high temperature resistance, one of our favorite materials is CF – PC. Not only do your parts look great, but also the carbon fiber (CF) fill helps resist warping forces, so even larger parts are possible.

For EDGE, there’s not much need for ezPC since this platform prints normal polycarbonate so well. If you have large parts to print, F400/F410 may be the better option.

An additional change for all polycarbonate materials is we now list Magigoo PC as an approved alternate bed coating. If you experience adhesion issues with gluestick, or want something with more grip for your larger PC prints, Magigoo PC may be a good option for you.