Filamet - Metal 3D Printing Evaluation Kit

The Virtual Foundry have made a name for themselves in the metal 3D printing industry by coming up with innovative materials that, with quick and straightforward postprocessing, allow for obtaining fully metallic parts from filaments and pellets with outstanding results. The Filamet 3D Metal Printing Evaluation Kit by Virtual Foundry is an opportunity for those interested in metal 3D printing to first try it with a sample kit without committing to significant financial investment.

Image 1: The contents of the Filamet Metal Evaluation Kit. Source: The Virtual Foundry.

The kit contains everything the user will need to 3D print, debind and sinter the Filamet Copper filament on a sample scale on a 3D printer or with a handheld 3D printing pen.

• 100 g of 1.75 mm Filamet Copper filament (88-90 % metal).
• A bag of Talc refractory powder and a bag of Al2O3 refractory powder - it is used to “bury” the part in it within a crucible. Refractory powder helps hold the part’s shape during the debinding and sintering process. In the case of the Metal Evaluation Kit, the Al2O3 ballast is used for debinding and the Talc ballast is used for sintering.
• Sintering carbon and a piece of kiln paper - a thick layer of sintering carbon on top of the crucible and a sheet of kiln paper on top of it will keep oxygen away from the sintered part.
• An example green 3D printed part, and an example debound and sintered 3D printed part.
• A 118 ml stainless steel sintering crucible (lifespan of 3-4 cycles).

The 100 g of the Filamet Copper filament contained in the Evaluation Kit are enough to 3D print two or three Universal Calibration rings. It must be kept in mind that metallic filaments are highly abrasive and can wear out standard nozzles, even increasing their diameter with time. This is why the manufacturer recommends using a 0.6 mm hardened steel nozzle to 3D print with the Copper Filament filament from the Evaluation Kit.

Image 2: A 3D printed part placed in a crucible and “buried” in refractory powder in preparation for debinding and sintering. Source: The Virtual Foundry.

With the Virtual Foundry metallic filaments, the debinding happens with heat in the same furnace used to sinter the 3D print so no additional debinding process needs to be performed and no special debinding equipment is needed.

In order to sinter the parts, the user will need access to a sintering furnace that can reach the temperature of at least 1100 ºC, such as the Zetasinter tubular sintering furnace or the Zetasinter chamber sintering furnace. Normally metal filaments require a highly controlled argon-hydrogen atmosphere for sintering, otherwise they will suffer oxidation due to the high amount of oxygen in the air. Nevertheless, the Virtual Foundry metal filaments are an exception and they can be sintered in a chamber sintering furnace, making the sintering process much easier for the user.

Image 3: A 3D printed, debound and sintered benchy made with the Filamet Copper filament. Source: The Virtual Foundry.

Users who do not have a sintering furnace with the necessary properties to sinter the printed parts with the Filamet Copper filament can contact us and we will assess through our collaborators the ability to perform the post-processing necessary to obtain the desired final result.

The Filamet Copper filament is easy to print and post process, and exhibits low hygroscopy and little to no warping, which makes it as easy to work with as PLA. This makes the Evaluation Kit perfect for those who are making their first steps in metal 3D printing and just want to try it for the first time. Nevertheless, the utility of the Evaluation Kit does not end there. The fact that the kit comes with all the needed accessories to print and sinter, it can also be used for professional prototyping, short run manufacturing, the production of one-off metal parts, as well as research purposes. This way the Filamet 3D Metal Evaluation Kit contributes to reducing the tooling and machining cost for metal additive manufacturing.