PLA PRO1 Ultrafuse

The BASF Ultrafuse PLA PRO1 filament is a PLA based engineering material with boosted speed and strength, as well as impressive versatility and consistency. Ultrafuse PLA PRO1 belongs to the broad Ultrafuse range of materials for FFF 3D printing, together with many other standard, flexible, reinforced, high temperature and support filaments.

The Ultrafuse PLA PRO1 filament was designed with professionals in mind, and with the right printing settings, it is possible to reduce printing time with PLA PRO1 by 30-80 % (depending on the 3D printer used and the printed object) or provide a mechanical strength superior to that of ABS.

Table 1: Example settings for achieving a fast print vs. a strong print with the Ultrafuse PLA PRO1. Source: BASF.

The key advantage and unique feature of the Ultrafuse PLA PRO1 filament is that the printer settings can be adjusted to achieve different effects, for example very fast printing speeds or an excellent surface finish. Table 1 shows how the printing settings can be altered depending on whether the user wants to print fast or to obtain a stronger part. For example, the higher the infill percentage, the smaller the layer height and the thicker the top, the stronger the 3D printed part will be.

The strict manufacturing conditions and excellent quality control at BASF ensure the highest levels of consistency between colors and batches. The PLA PRO1 has also successfully passed XTT cytotoxicity tests, skin irritation tests and skin sensitisation tests, thus being adequate for applications where those kinds of biocompatibility are required. Since PLA (polylactic acid) is obtained from plant based materials such as sugarcane, cornstarch, sugar beet pulp, potatos or tapioca, the PLA PRO1 filament is not only biocompatible but also environmentally friendly and biodegradable (in industrial conditions).

Image 1: Part 3D printed with the BASF Ultrafuse PLA PRO1 filament in Natural White. Source: BASF.

PLA is a very printable filament, as well as quite easy to post process. The appearance of the 3D printed part can be improved by smoothing (e.g. with sandpaper) or painting the printed part to conceal layer lines and imperfections, thus giving the 3D printed part a shiny and glossy appearance. First, a retouching tool should be used to remove any surface imperfections. Then the part can be sanded and covered with a paint primer or epoxy coating such as XTC-3D or the Nanovia smoothing coating to give it a smooth glossy finish.

The Ultrafuse PLA PRO1 is an interesting solution for more demanding applications and users as it offers the possibility of experimenting with printing settings to boost different properties of the Ultrafuse PLA PRO1 filament, thus obtaining parts faster, making them more mechanically resistant (even stronger than ABS) or giving them a great surface finish. All that can be achieved with just one material by varying the printing settings.

High speed printing

Furthermore, the PLA PRO1 Ultrafuse filament is compatible with high printing speeds. In order to create complex structures with this material and a support material, the Xioneer VXL 90 soluble support material is recommended by the manufacturer. This support material can be extruded at high speeds as well, which means a smooth and efficient 3D printing. The water solubility of VXL 90 makes the post-processing more precise and fast. In the Downloads section a table of compatibilities between the BASF Ultrafuse and Xioneer support filaments can be consulted.