Ultrafuse Support Layer

The Ultrafuse Support Layer filament by BASF is a polyoxymethylene based composite filament. It was developed to be used as a support filament exclusively for the BASF Ultrafuse Metal Filaments Ultrafuse 17-4 PH and Ultrafuse 316L (never as standalone material).

FFF 3D printing with supports makes it possible to manufacture very complex parts and geometries with ease, which otherwise would be complicated if structures such as bridges, overhangs and angles are present in the design. Nevertheless, in the case of metallic filaments where debinding and sintering are required to obtain a fully metallic part, the presence of supports may be yet another challenge when it comes to removing them, as they may fuse into the main part and be difficult to remove without leaving damage behind. In addition to that, the Ultrafuse metal filaments require a greater amount of support than standard plastic filaments as the parts may distort or collapse during debinding and sintering.

Image 1: A part 3D printed with the Ultrafuse Support Layer filament (thin white layer) before and after sintering. Source: BASF.

Given that, the most distinguishing feature of the Ultrafuse Support Layer filament is that it eliminates all those challenges. Not only does it minimize the distortion of the printed part during debinding and sintering but it also creates a barrier during sintering, which makes it easier to remove the support from the fully metallized part.

The Ultrafuse Support Layer filament was inspired by "Live Setters" or "Sintering Supports". In Metal Injection Molding, they are thin layers of coating inactive to sintering, applied in order to facilitate the process of support removal after sintering. The Ultrafuse Support Layer filament should be printed in a similar way - as a few thin layers (resembling coating) between the primary support material and the printed part. In Image 1, the Ultrafuse Support Layer filament can be seen on the left as a thin white buffer between the support base and the main part. Once the part has been sintered, the Ultrafuse Support Layer filament is no longer there.

The support filament Ultrafuse support layer is a solution for a simplified workflow with metal filaments by making the sintering process easier and more convenient for the user. Thanks to its unique behavior and its protection of the 3D printed part from distortion and damage during support removal, the Ultrafuse Support Layer filament is ideal for the manufacturing of tools, jigs and fixtures, functional parts and prototypes, as well as full metal parts for end uses.

Ultrafuse Support Layer, Ultrafuse 17-4 PH and Ultrafuse 316L can be 3D printed with great results on the Forge 1 metal 3D printer developed by Raise3D as part of the MetalFuse solution. MetalFuse consists of the Forge 1 3D printer, the D200-E debinding furnace and the S200-C sintering furnace, and allows for the in-house manufacturing of metal parts with the Ultrafuse metal filaments, resulting in a fully metallic part.

* Ultrafuse Support Layer is intended exclusively for sales, distribution, and use within the European Union, Albania, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, and is only available for customers located in those countries.