Raise3D Forge1 - Industrial metal 3D printer

Raise3D, the renown manufacturer of FDM 3D printers and quality filaments, has come up with MetalFuse - a complete bundled solution for additive manufacturing with the BASF Ultrafuse 17-4PH and Ultrafuse 316L metal filaments, and the Ultrafuse Support Layer filament, ideal for the production of tools, jigs and fixtures, functional parts, prototypes and batches.

The Forge1 metal 3D printer

The core of the MetalFuse solution is this Forge 1 FDM 3D printer. It has a considerable build volume of 300 x 300 x 300 mm for simple extrusion and 255 x 300 x 300 mm for dual extrusion. This gives the use freedom in terms of the parts' size and complexity, and also allows to produce in batches of many parts at once.

Video 1: Unboxing the Forge1 metal 3D printer. Source: Raise3D.

The dual extrusion system with electronic lifting and precise kinematics ensures high speed (30-150 mm/s) and accuracy of printing. The Raise3D Forge1 prints layers from 0.25 to 0.1 mm, producing parts with smooth exterior surfaces. Forge 1 features an automatically leveled glass build plate with a silicone heat bed, which ensures optimal adhesion and guarantees accurate calibration. The Forge1 comes with a default 0.4 mm nozzle that can print at temperatures of up to 300 ºC.

Image 1: The Forge 1 metal 3D printer working in dual extrusion mode. Source: Raise3D.

Apart from this, the Forge 1 3D printer has several smart features optimizing the working process and making it safe and efficient. The 3D printer is equipped with a HEPA filter with activated charcoal and when in operation, the printer only generates about 55 dB, making the 3D printing process quiet and enjoyable and the device suitable for noise-sensitive environments such as laboratories or teaching institutions.

Furthermore, a specialized version of the ideaMaker laminating software is available for the Forge1 3D printer - ideaMaker Metal. With this version of the software, the users are provided with templates for all processes involved in the 3D printing of the BASF Ultrafuse metal filaments.

First Metal Print service

Parts 3D printed with metal filaments must go through debinding and sintering - processes that get rid of the binding polymer and turn the green part into a brown part and then into a fully metallic object. Debinding and sintering are demanding and complex processes, which is why normally these services are performed by professionals with the help of specialistic equipment.

Video 2: Debinding and sintering with MetalFuse. Source: Raise3D.

With the Raise3D metal printing ecosystem debinding and sintering can be performed in two ways:

1. In-house - with the help of the D200-E debinding furnace and the S200-C sintering furnace purchased with the MetalFuse solution.
2. With the help of the Raise3D First Metal Print service - by purchasing the Raise3D voucher, the user can get the part assessed and optimized before printing, then 3D printed on the Forge1 printer, and sent for debinding and sintering to trusted Raise3D partners.

This way, the users can choose to either purchase the entire MetalFuse solution (thus gaining significant independence and flexibility in the 3D printing workflow with the BASF Ultrafuse metal filaments) or to use the Forge1 3D printer together with the Raise3D debinding and sintering coupon to have the part assessed and optimized by Raise3D experts, 3D printed in-house, and debinded and sintered by a trusted third party.

The benefits of additive metal manufacturing

When compared to traditional manufacturing methods for metal such as CNC machining or metal injection molding (MIM), or even SLS 3D printing with metal powders, additive manufacturing with metal filaments has countless benefits.

Video 3: How Raise3D implements flexible manufacturing. Source: Raise3D.

Not only does it significantly reduce the production time and cost and increase user safety but also gives the user a lot more freedom in terms of the design of the part, its customizability and the number of parts produced. This makes possible the production of parts that with traditional manufacturing may be more costly, more time-consuming or may simply not be feasible.