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Filamet™ 316L stainless steel from The Virtual Foundry (TVF) is an innovative filament composed of more than 80 % metal and the rest by PLA. The Virtual Foundry is an American company formed by great experts in the sector of molten metal, which have been constantly working since 2014 to improve and grow its range of filaments and accessories for 3D FDM metal printing. Its products are oriented to solve and simplify problems through innovative metallic materials for 3D FDM printers of any kind.
Image 1: Gear made of 316L stainless steel without sintering. Source: The Virtual Foundry
316L Stainless Steel is a chrome nickel molybdenum, austenitic stainless steel with low carbon content. It is antimagnetic in its annealed state and its hardening by heat treatment is not possible, but nevertheless it has good forming properties, gaining resistance by deformation. This has the disadvantage of needing greater efforts to deform it. Its good ductility, tensile strength, thermal resistance and corrosion resistance even at high temperatures, make 316L stainless steel used in countless industrial applications: Aeronautical Industry as standard material, sectors that need metals resistant to the effects of salts and acids (Paper, Textile or Chemical) or Pharmaceutical Industry to prevent metal contamination.
The Virtual Foundry has been the pioneer in developing metallic filaments for 3D printing after many years of research and development. The great competitive advantage developed is that to obtain the pure metal parts it is only necessary to print the piece and sinter it in an oven. Other manufacturers that have tried to develop metallic filaments need to do one more process (prior to sintering in the furnace) which is the debinding that consists of a chemical process to separate the binder polymers from the metal. Therefore, it can be concluded that The Virtual Foundry is the pioneer and the benchmark in 3D metal FDM printing, obtaining a fairly simple process with results never seen so far in the world of metal fabrication.
Currently, a large list of industry sectors are using The Virtual Foundry filaments: 3D printer manufacturers, biomedical innovation, jet engine development, radiation shielding, space exploration, nuclear energy, dental, artists or fashion design. A remarkable application is the manufacture of a drill with internal hot water heating, for drilling in the Antarctic. With the Filamet™ copper it has been manufactured, very easily and at a low cost, a drill with an internal structure extremely difficult to machine or mold has been manufactured very easily and at a low cost. Another notable application is the printing of containers for radiation shielding with tungsten Filamet™. These types of containers are used to transport reactive medicines without having to resort to lead containers (toxic). Thanks to the density of tungsten, 1.6 higher than lead, this filament is ideal for creating any type of replacement part made from lead.
Filamet™ 316L stainless steel is a filament formed by base metal and a biodegradable and ecological polymer (PLA). This material is free of exposed metal particles and volatile solvents that can be released during printing. Formed by more than 80% 316L stainless steel and the rest by PLA, this material is extremely simple to print, since its printing properties are similar to those of the PLA, which allows any user of a FDM 3D printer create parts with this filament, without the need to buy expensive industrial 3D FDM metal printers. With Filamet™ 316L properties similar to those possible with DMLS technology are achieved but with certain limitations. Due to the need to sinter the printed pieces with this filament, where the PLA is removed, the pieces have porosity, loss of volume and non-isotropy. DMLS 3D printers manage to print totally solid parts (similar to the foundry), in great detail, layer heights of 0.02 mm and without the need for post-processing, the only disadvantage compared to Filamet™ 3D FDM printing the cost of: material, manufacturing and the printers themselves.
Image 2: Model manufactured with Filamet™ 316L stainless steel and sintered. Source: The Virtual Foundry
Due to its large metal content (more than 80 %), it is necessary to place the filament inlet as aligned as possible with the extruder and use FilaWarmer, a heater through which the filament is introduced to eliminate its curvature and that way the least possible friction occurs in the extruder and HotEnd. Once a piece is printed, it is necessary to carry out the sintering process, in an open environment or in a vacuum or inert environment, to eliminate the polymer (PLA), taking into account that sintering values must be adjusted depending on the geometry and oven model. The product that is obtained is totally metallic, with the real properties of the metal as electrical conductivity, post-processed by sanding and polishing or even welding union; but with a certain porosity and a reduction in volume due to the loss of PLA. To know more about the whole process of printing, sintering and post-processing you should visit the "Tips for Use" section.
Users who do not have an kiln with the necessary properties to sinter the printed parts with the Filamet™ 316L stainless steel and get the final properties of this metal, can contact us and we will assess its viability through our collaborators with ability to perform the post-processing necessary to obtain the desired final result.
| Machinable | Machinable |
| Fatigue resistance | Fatigue resistance |
| Vibration resistance | Vibration resistance |
| Metallic content | Metallic content |
| Detectable | Detectable |
| Magnetic | Magnetic |
| Moisture resistance | Moisture resistance |
| Chemical resistance | Chemical resistance |
| Hide color variations | (Hide color variations) |
Post-processing: Sintered in vacuum or inert environment
For sintering in a vacuum or inert environment, a crucible (cooking vessel) and refractory powder are needed: Al2O3. he piece is prepared for sintering by placing it inside the crucible and covering it with refractory dust, taking into account that there must be at least 10 mm of dust between the surfaces of the piece and the crucible. The crucible is then placed in the oven at room temperature. The temperature is increased to 205 °C in a time of 200 minutes. Then, in a 180 minute interval the temperature is raised to 400 °C. In a 180 minute stretch increase the temperature to 1225 °C and keep it for 240 minutes. Finally, let the oven cool down to room temperature. The user must take into account that sintering values must be adjusted depending on the geometry and oven model.
Image 1: Filamet™ 316L stainless steel sintered graphic
With sintering in a vacuum or inert environment, the mechanical properties of the final product are directly related to the time that the printed part is maintained at the sintering temperature. If the final product is powdery and brittle, the sintering time has not been sufficient. If the print shows a surface similar to wrinkled skin, it is over sintered. Finally and as a general rule, during the sintering process the volume of the piece is reduced by 7 %.
Image 2: Sintering process. Source: The Virtual Foundry
Post-processing: Sanding and polishing
Once sintered the piece can be sanded and polished in the same way as a metal but following a series of indications. With water sandpaper it is possible to eliminate the printing lines and other small deformations because the loose particles during sanding adhere to the gaps due to the heat of friction. In case of using sandpaper or 3M radial disc it is recommended to start sanding with a grain of 120 (80 for 3M radial disc), being careful not to deform the most delicate areas, such as corners. Once the entire surface has been sanded, a sandpaper of the next grain should be used and so on until it increases 6 or 7 (4 times for the 3M radial disc). Before moving on to the final polishing it is recommended to use a 3000 grit sandpaper, with which a certain gloss is achieved. Finally and once the piece is cleaned with a flannel cloth, the piece can be polished. TVF recommends using a rotating tool with a polishing disc and polishing wax to make polishing faster and more efficient. Simply apply a little polishing wax on the polishing disc and polish with constant movements throughout the piece so as not to generate excess heat, which can deform the piece. In addition to sanding and polishing parts made of 316L stainless steel Filamet™, it can be carved, recast, welded and smoothed with heat application.
Accessories
5 other products in the same category:
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Filamet bronze
188,64 €
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Filamet copper
147,50 €
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Filamet 6061 aluminum
381,03 €
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Filamet high carbon iron
168,07 €
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Filamet tungsten
490,05 €
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