BCN3D Metal kit

BCN3D Technologies is a Barcelona based developer and manufacturer of 3D FDM printers and printing solutions, established in 2012. BCN3D products are oriented at both individual professionals and industry level users.

Apart from FDM 3D printers, BCN3D have other products in their portfolio. One of those products is the metal kit, developed after a long collaboration with the multinational German chemical company BASF. The BCN3D metal kit is a high quality end-to-end solution for functional prototyping, tooling and end-use production. It allows the user to get an industry-grade metal part within days, at a lower cost and without the need to resort to third party manufacturers.

Kit para imprimir con filamentos de BASF

The BCN3D metal kit was developed for the BASF metal filaments Ultrafuse 17-4 PH and Ultrafuse 316L. The Ultrafuse metal filaments are based on BASF’s ample experience in the Metal Injection Molding (MIM) industry. The BCN3D metal kit is also compatible with the Epsilon FDM 3D printers by BCN3D - Epsilon W27 and Epsilon W50. A guide for installing the metal kit on the Epsilon printers can be found in the Usage tips section.

The BCN3D metal kit offers a lot of design freedom, and it yields products almost indistinguishable from real metal parts.

Video 1: What is metal 3D printing? Source: BASF.

This means individual users as well as manufacturers now have a chance to prototype and metal resembling parts with production costs and better lead times.

Image 1: Parts printed with the BCN3D metal kit. Source: BCN3D.

Apart from the BASF Ultrafuse filaments, the BCN3D Metal Pack includes:

• 2 exclusive Hotends M with hardened steel nozzles, designed especially for metal filaments. Metal filaments are highly abrasive and the use of standard brass nozzles is not recommended.
• A bottle of Magigoo Pro Metal, a special adhesive that facilitates proper bed adhesion of metal filaments.
• 2 metallic brushes. It is an alternative to a silicone wiper and it is responsible for wiping the nozzle of any impurities that the metal filament may leave behind.
• An activation code for installing the kit on a BCN3D Epsilon 3D printer.

Image 2: The contents of the BCN3D metal kit. Source: BCN3D.

The BCN3D metal pack means more possibilities for the manufacturers of spare parts, functional prototypes, and tools. The metal kit is aimed at the pharmaceutical, food, automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing industries, but it can also be used by amateur and professional users at home.

Image 3: Parts made with the BCN3D metal kit - after printing, debinding and sintering. Source: BCN3D.

Parts produced with the BCN3D metal kit are nearly 100% solid stainless steel, and their appearance and behavior are almost indistinguishable from the same parts produced by MIM or CNC.

Image 4: The properties of the Ultrafuse filaments. Source: BCN3D.

This table shows the results of an experiment conducted with the BASF Ultrafuse filaments from the metal kit and the Epsilon 3D printers. The aim of the experiment was to check the corrosion resistance and mechanical performance of parts 3D printed with the BCN3D kit. The Ultrafuse 316L filament turns out to be more resistant to corrosion and able to achieve more elongation before it breaks. On the other hand, the Ultrafuse 17-4 PH filament has better indentation hardness (Vickers test), and superior tensile strength and yield strength.

How does it work?

The process of making metal parts with the BCN3D metal has 3 stages:

1. First, the desired part is 3D printed with a BCN3D Epsilon printer and an Ultrafuse filament. These BASF filaments contain a high level of stainless steel and polymer binders, in proportions that ensure easy printing.
2. The next step is debinding and sintering (D&S). Debinding (green to brown) involves removing the binder (green parts) by exposing them to gaseous nitric acid (HNO3) in a nitrogen atmosphere, and then heating them. This process creates pores and voids, and later aids the process of sintering.
3. The next step is sintering (brown to white). It is a process that involves compacting and solidifying a material by applying heat or pressure. This is performed at temperatures right below the melting point of the metal, which causes the metal particles to coalesce.

Image 5: The workflow with the BCN3D metal kit. Source: BCN3D.

Debinding and sintering can be done at home/internally by the user/company, but a much more affordable option is to outsource it to a third party. An interesting option is the purchase of a D&S voucher, such as the BASF debinding and sintering voucher for the Ultrafuse filaments.

After the part has been 3D printed, and subjected to debinding and sintering, it can be treated like a 100 % metal piece and subjected to various post processing operations. It can be machined, drilled, polished, welded or painted.

Image 6: The post processing of a part 3D printed with the BCN3D metal kit. Source: BCN3D.

More information on how to design parts for metal 3D printing and what slicer parameters to set can be found in the BASF user guidelines in the downloads section. Detailed debinding guidelines for parts 3D printed with Ultrafuse 316L can be consulted in the debinding guidelines file in the downloads tab.