

The Zetamix Porcelain filament by Nanoe was developed in collaboration with Cerinnov Group and together with glazes and ovens, it constitutes a line of porcelain 3D printing solutions. The Zetamix Porcelain filament exploits the great mechanical and thermal properties of porcelain and turns it into a material easily 3D printable on most FDM 3D printers.
Porcelain is a material that began to be elaborated and used in China over 2000 years ago and has slowly spread on to other contintents. Porcelain is characterized by not only aesthetic sophistication but also outstanding resilience. It is crafted to endure high temperatures and sudden thermal changes. This makes porcelain perfect for the crafting of everyday items that need to be both decorative and robust.
The Zetamix Porcelain filament is a mix of porcelain powder (55 % of volume, 75 % of mass) with a thermoplastic binder. Once 3D printed, the part needs to undergo the process of debinding and then sintering in order to become a fully porcelain part with. The debinding and sintering instructions can be found in the Downloads section in the User Guide document.
The Zetamix Porcelain filament bridges the gap between art and technology, and makes for an especially attractive material to porcelain producers, designers, artists and also porcelain amateurs who want to marry disciplines and complement their artisan workflow with 3D printing. The Zetamix Porcelain filament enables the users to 3D print low quantity series for highly demanding customers requiring complex and personalized porcelain objects.
General information |
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Manufacturer | Nanoe (Zetamix) |
Material | Ceramic + binder |
Format | 500 g |
Density | - g/cm³ |
Filament diameter | 1.75 mm |
Amount of filler (volume) | 55 % |
Amount of filler (mass) | 75 % |
Mechanical properties |
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Elongation at break | - % |
Tensile strength | - MPa |
Tensile modulus | - MPa |
Flexural strength | - MPa |
Flexural modulus | - MPa |
Surface hardness | Shore 51 D |
Printing properties |
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Printing temperature | 130-160 ºC |
Print bed temperature | 50 ºC |
Cooling fan | 100 % |
Recommended printing speed | 40 mm/s |
Recommended nozzle diameter | 0.4 - 1.00 mm |
Thermal properties |
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Softening temperature | - ºC |
Sintering properties |
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Maximum temperature | 1250 ºC |
Other |
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HS Code | 8108.9060 |
In order to make sure the 3D prints with the Zetamix Porcelain filament are successful, it is highly recommended to read the User Guide (Downloads). It contains tips on what parameters to use to achieve the desired parts.
Since the Zetamix Porcelain filament is much softer than plastic filaments, it is recommended to use a driving gear that will not crush the filament, for example a grooved driving gear. It is essential to extrude the Zetamix Porcelain filament with a clean, preheated extrusion system. To prevent filament grinding, it is advisable to insert the filament without applying any pressure initially. Gradually increase the pressure until the filament smoothly passes through the PTFE tube.
For obtaining the best surface quality the manufacturer recommends using a flexible build plate, with a nozzle diameter between 0.4 mm to 1.0 mm and a printing speed of 5 - 40 mm/s. More printing parameters can be found in the User Guide in the Downloads section.
Parts 3D printed with the Zetamix Porcelain filament must undergo the process of debinding and sintering.
The recommended debinding process consists of two steps: chemical debinding and thermal debinding:
Chemical debinding - this step should remove about 12 % of the weight of the part.
Solvent bath: the part should be submerged in an acetone bath at 40 ºC for 24 hours. The heat should be stopped a few hours before removing the part from the bath.
Drying: Once taken out of the acetone bath, the parts should be dried in ambient air on a tissue. Similarly to the previous step, this can take 2 or more hours, depending on the part geometry and wall thickness.
Thermal debinding - the parts should be placed on a crucible on a refractory powder bed. This will accommodate shrinkage and support the part during debinding. The tested and recommended process takes 2.5 days and consists in gradually raising the temperature from 50 ºC to 500 ºC at a rate of 7 ºC per hour.
If the user does not have a sintering furnace such as the Zetamix tubular sintering furnace, the sintering must to be contracted with the manufacturer with the help of the Nanoe sintering coupon. It should be kept in mind that a change of volume will occur due to shrinkage and the scale in the laminating software should be modified before 3D printing (see Design Guide in Downloads).
The sintering process has three steps resumed below:
50 ºC > 1250°C at a 125°C/h pace, in 10 hours.
Holding time 2h.
1250 °C > 50 ºC at a 125°C/h pace, in 10 hours.
If the parts are to be enameled, the sintering must be stopped at 1000 °C to pre-sinter the parts. Once the enameling has been applied (by dipping the part or with a brush), the sintering process must be restarted up to 1250 °C.
More information on the debinding and sintering process with the Zetamix Porcelain filament, as well as on the printing parameters, can be found in the Guidelines document in the Downloads section.