Zetamix H13

Nanoe is a renowned French company that stands out mainly in the production of ceramic and metallic powders. That is why they have created Zetamix, a brand of filaments made from high purity ceramic or metallic powders to produce fully ceramic or metallic parts. Zetamix filaments allow the manufacture of parts with mechanical properties that enable their use in technical applications.

Video 1: Meet Zetamix By Nanoe. Source: Nanoe.

Zetamix currently has three ceramic filaments for technical applications: White Zirconia, Black Zirconia and Alumina; and two metallic filaments: 316L and H30 Steel.

	White zirconia	Black zirconia	Alumina	316L	H13
Impact and flexural strength
Wear resistance
Electrical insulation
Chemical Inertia
Estheticism
High temperature resistance
Thermal conduction

Image 1. : Comparison of Zetamix ceramic filaments. Source: Nanoe

Zetamix filaments consist of fine powder (5-20 μm) and a thermoplastic binder system. The binder material mixed with the H13 powder allows for a strong filament with a certain flexibility that is perfect for use with FDM/FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) 3D printers. 

Video 2. Zetamix H13 filament. Source: Zetamix

H13 is a tool steel with an excellent combination of hardness and fracture toughness, maintaining these properties at high temperatures. It is also noted for its high level of ductility, thermal and electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance.

Thanks to these properties, H13 steel is commonly used for hot or cold working tooling applications and enables the production of a wide variety of tools, such as extrusion dies or injection moulds.

With Zetamix H13 filament it is possible to produce all-metal parts. To do this, the 3D printed parts must undergo a debinding and sintering process. The steps to follow are as follows:

1. Printing: Zetamix filaments can be easily printed on virtually any direct extruder printer, as they require printing temperatures between 150 and 180 ºC and a base temperature of between 30º and 40 ºC.

2. Debinding: Debinding consists of thermal debinding in an argon and nitrogen atmosphere prior to sintering.
3. Sintering: Finally, the part must be sintered by heat treatment in a high-temperature furnace.

 Thanks to Zetamix metal filaments, complex all-metal parts can be produced economically and easily. Parts 3D printed with Zetamix H13 have a density of up to 90% compared to machined or cast parts.

Due to its properties and the possibility to produce metal parts with complex geometries, Zetamix H13 is a suitable filament for various applications in the industrial sector, such as the production of internal tooling.