rPET Ultrafuse

PET is one of the most recycled plastics in the world. Recycled PET can be used to make clothing, carpets, construction materials, automotive parts but also new PET for 3D printing. The Ultrafuse rPET filament by BASF was made from recycled PET, ensuring the consistency of the filament’s diameter and mechanical properties. Ultrafuse rPET has a natural transparent blueish color, excellent 3D printing properties and good mechanical characteristics.

PET is characterized by great mechanical, thermal and chemical resistance, as well as excellent dimensional stability. It also serves as a gas and moisture barrier and it has electrical insulating properties. PET is an aliphatic thermoplastic from the family of polyesters and its numerous valuable properties make it very popular in the food and packaging industry, as well as the electronics, textile and automotive sector. PET is light, resistant to impact and very durable, which combined with its transparency, makes it a common glass substitute. When 3D printed, PET results in objects with high flexibility and toughness.

Image 1: A surfing board 3D printed with the Ultrafuse rPET filament. Source: BASF.

The unique combination of properties found in PET makes it a very popular material in the manufacturing of goods as varied as food packaging, PET bottles, rigid cosmetic jars, transparent films, but also clothes, carpets and toys, as well as electrical encapsulation, photovoltaic parts, solar junction boxes, wiper arm and gear housings, headlamp retainers, engine covers, etc.

The Ultrafuse rPET is a printable, resistant, versatile and, most of all, sustainable 3D printing filament due to the fact of being made from recycled PET. It offers a great surface finish and an interesting blueish transparent color. The Ultrafuse rPET will print parts with great dimensional stability, flexibility and toughness for multiple applications, even in demanding environments.

High speed printing

Furthermore, the rPET 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.