Zetamix Epsilon (Ɛ)
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Zetamix Epsilon (Ɛ)

ZETAMIX-22-EPSILON-175-500
137.50 € 137.50 €
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Diameter
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Permittivity (Ɛ)
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In stock 6 units available for immediate shipping.
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Approximate delivery date: Monday 18 November
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Nanoe is a French company specialized in the development and production of innovative high performance materials. They are most known for their Zetamix line of accessible ceramic and metal filaments launched in 2018. One of the materials offered within the Zetamix line is the Zetamix Epsilon filament, a dielectric material for radiofrequency (RF) applications, mainly in the ranges of 300 MHz to 30 GHz (VHF/UHF television, FM radio, mobile phones, GPS, Wi-Fi, 4G and satelite communications).

Video 1: A webinar introducing the Zetamix Epsilon filament. Source: Nanoe.

Dielectric materials are electrical insulators, which means they cannot conduct electric current and are rather dissipative (loss tangent). The main purpose of dielectric materials is to slow down or deviate electromagnetic waves from their initial course and the higher the permittivity, the more the wave course will be deviated. The Epsilon filament comes in four variants of dielectric permittivity - 2.2, 4.5, 7.5 and 10, and is composed of a polyolefin-based binder and fine titanium oxide (TiO2) powder, with the ratio depending on the filament variant. Furthermore, the permittivity of the 3D prined part can be finetuned through variations on infill and extrusion ratios.

The various RF surfaces 3D printed with the Epsilon filament

Image 1: The various RF surfaces 3D printed with the Epsilon filament. Source: Nanoe.

In addition to its dielectric properties, the Zetamix Epsilon filament is characterized by low dielectric losses, high heat resistance (endures up to 115 ºC HDT) and ease of use. This is mainly due to the fact that, unlike other Zetamix filaments, the Epsilon filament does not require any post-processing. This means that parts 3D printed with it can be used immediately after being printed, without the need for debinding or sintering, and that bigger and more complex structures can be printed, something that other ceramic materials that require D&S do not allow due to the size restrictions imposed by the post-processing equipment. This makes the Epsilon filament extremely accessible to all kinds of users, especially those who are interested in the 3D printing of large objects or users who do not have debinding and sintering equipment.

A low-profile steerable antenna with dielectric metasurfaces 3D printed with the Epsilon filament

Image 2: A low-profile steerable antenna with dielectric metasurfaces 3D printed with the Epsilon filament. Source: Nanoe.

The Zetamix Epsilon filament is a single-step 3D printing solution that offers what traditional manufacturing (CNC machining) cannot offer for radiofrequency applications. Namely, many effective solutions can be produced to answer the rising demand for compactness and efficiency in telecommunication equipment. 

A 3D printed RF lens is much more compact than its CNC-machined counterpart

Image 3: A 3D printed RF lens is much more compact than its CNC-machined counterpart. Source: Nanoe.

Furthermore, the Zetamix Epsilon filament allows for the manufacturing of much more complex shapes or small volume production, thus reducing the costs involved in traditional manufacturing. The Zetamix Epsilon filaments enable the fabrication of a variety of components such as deflectors, RF lenses, RF reflecting lenses, dielectric resonator antennas or circularly polarized dielectric helix antennas.

General information
Material PP
Format 0.5 kg
Density (Ɛ 2.2) 1 g/cm³ / (Ɛ 4.5) 1.6 g/cm³ / (Ɛ 7.5) 2.1 g/cm³ / (Ɛ 10) 2.32 g/cm³
Filament diameter 1.75 mm
Filament tolerance - mm
Filament length (Ɛ 2.2) 207.9 m / (Ɛ 4.5) 129.9 m / (Ɛ 7.5) 99 m / (Ɛ 10) 89.6 m
Amount of filler (volume) (Ɛ 2.2) 0 % / (Ɛ 4.5) 30 % / (Ɛ 7.5) 40 % / (Ɛ 10) 48 %
Amount of filler (mass) (Ɛ 2.2) 0 % / (Ɛ 4.5) 65 % / (Ɛ 7.5) 74 % / (Ɛ 10) 80 %

Mechanical properties
Charpy impact strength 11.86 KJ/m²
Elongation at break 3.1 %
Tensile strength 23 MPa
Tensile modulus - MPa
Flexural strength 25 MPa
Flexural modulus - MPa
Surface hardness Shore 56 D

Electrical properties
Dielectric constant (@ 9.4 GHz) (Ɛ 2.2) 2.2 (± 0.2) / (Ɛ 4.5) 4 (± 0.5) / (Ɛ 7.5) 7.5 (± 0.5) / (Ɛ 10) 10 (± 0.5)
Loss tangent 1.10⁻³ (± 5.10⁻⁴)

Printing properties
Printing temperature 270 - 300 ºC
Print bed temperature 110 ºC
Chamber temperature ✗
Cooling fan 100 %
Recommended printing speed 2.5 mm/s

Thermal properties
Softening temperature 110 ºC

Other
HS Code 3916.9
Spool diameter (outer) - mm
Spool diameter (inner hole) - mm
Spool width - mm

All 3D printing filament should be stored properly in a dark and dry place in order to be protected from humidity. It is recommended to store the Zetamix Epsilon filament in a sealed bag with desiccant, in an airtight container or in an intelligent filament container before and after printing. If the filament absorbs excess moisture, it should be dried in the PrintDry filament dryer, the Mass Portal filament dryer or the Flashforge filament drying station with inbuilt renewable desiccant.

The Zetamix Epsilon filament requires high printing temperatures (extrusion 270-300 ºC, build plate >100 ºC) and an abrasion resistant nozzle due to the powder incorporated into the filament. The recommended nozzles are hardened nozzles such as the Olsson Ruby nozzle or a ceramic tip nozzle such as the tungsten carbide nozzle by Dyze Design. It is best to 3D print the Zetamix Epsilon filament on a glass build plate, with the fan speed set to 100 % and the printing speed of 25-30 mm/s for best results. The adhesion can be improved with adhesives for high temperature materials, for example Magigoo HT or the Nano Polymer Adhesive. 

The relationship between the porosity of the part and its permittivity for Epsilon 7.5

Image 1: The relationship between the porosity of the part and its permittivity for Epsilon 7.5. Source: Zetamix.

As far as printing parameters, the permittivity of the parts 3D printed with the Zetamix Epsilon filament will depend on and can be modified by varying the infill density and the extrusion ratios (for porosity). The infill pattern can be any kind of 2D pattern (triangles, grid, honeycomb, rectilinear) and the infill density can be set to anywhere between 100 % down to 5 %. More recommendations as to the printing parameters can be found in the Downloads section.

One of the benefits offered by the Zetamix Epsilon filament is that it allows for the creation of complex parts for RF applications, something that is difficult to achieve with traditional manufacturing methods such as CNC machining. Support structures for the Zetamix Epsilon filament can be printed using the same material or a soluble material via a dual extrusion system. To ensure a great surface quality, at least 3 dense top layers should be printed between the support structure and the part. Spool placement and the extrusion system will also affect the quality of the print, which is why it is recommended to 3D print the Zetamix Epsilon filament on direct drive 3D printers and place the spool holder on top of extruder.

Featured properties

Printing temperature
270 - 300 ºC
Filament diameter
1.75 mm
Density
2.32 g/cm³

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