BASF Ultrafuse 316L
search
You must be logged in to manage your wishlist.

BASF Ultrafuse 316L

BASF-UF-316L-175-3000
387.00 € 387.00 €
Tax excl.
Diameter
Format
Quantity

In stock 3 units available for immediate shipping.
units available for shipping in 10 - 14 days
Available for shipment within 10 - 14 days

Product temporarily out of stock with these characteristics. Select another combination.

Product temporarily out of stock with these characteristics. Select another combination.

We notify you when it will be available:

Approximate delivery date: Friday 15 November

BASF, one of the largest and most prestigious multinationals in the chemical sector, has committed to additive manufacturing through the Forward-AM brand and its Ultrasint, Ultrafuse and Ultracure lines. It currently has an extensive catalogue of materials for the main 3D printing technologies, including its excellent engineering resins based on urethane, or its metallic filaments.

Ultrafuse 316L is a filament composed of 90% by weight of sinterable 316L steel powder and 10% of binder polymers specifically developed to facilitate the extrusion of this material.

Manifold made of Ultrafuse 316L.

Image 1: Manifold made of Ultrafuse 316L. Source: BASF.

Grade 316 or marine grade steel is one of the most frequently used stainless steels thanks to its excellent resistance to oxidation and corrosion at high temperatures. It is precisely this latter property that makes it an optimum candidate for sintering. It is an austenitic steel alloyed with chromium, nickel and molybdenum and has several variants. The 316L (Low) variant has a low carbon content, which makes it more tolerant to welding and thus also to sintering processes.

Unlike other PLA-based metal filaments where the debinding process is performed thermally in conjunction with sintering, Ultrafuse 316L uses a specific binder polymer that requires a catalytic debinding process developed by BASF. This catalytic process has the advantage of being much cleaner than the calcining of PLA, reducing the waste present during sintering and resulting in a final part free of impurities and with properties closer to those of machined steel.

Video 1: Ultrafuse metal presentation. Source: BASF.

This filament has similar printing conditions to ABS, so it can be used in most FFF 3D printers. In addition, the binders used have been developed to minimise the brittleness characteristic of metallic filaments, which facilitates its use in both direct extruder and bowden printers and does not require heating prior to printing. It is available in 3 kg spools and in 1.75 mm and 2.85 mm diameters.

Ultrafuse 316L has been developed with the aim of simplifying and reducing costs in the 3D printing of metal parts. This is why BASF Ultrafuse metal filaments are complemented by a cost-effective debinding and sintering service provided by ELNIK. This service is based on the purchase of vouchers, where each voucher entitles the customer to post-process 1 kg of parts. Each voucher covers the debinding and sintering process as well as the shipping and return of the parts. The only factor to take into account is that the pieces must have dimensions of 100 x 100 x 100 x 100 mm or less.

Complete process.

Image 2: Complete process. Source: BASF.

For those users who have the means and want to carry out the debinding and sintering process, BASF provides the parameters and conditions for both processes which can be consulted in the tips for use tab or in the user guide available in the download tab.

BASF Ultrafuse metal filaments make it possible for anyone to 3D print high-quality parts in steel. All that is required is an FFF 3D printer capable of printing ABS and the purchase of a spool of filament and coupons. One spool of Ultrafuse 316L and three coupons are enough to produce up to 3 kg of parts.

Debinding and sintering service

Ultrafuse Support Layer, Ultrafuse 17-4 PH and Ultrafuse 316L can be 3D printed with great results on the Forge 1 metal 3D printer developed by Raise3D as part of the MetalFuse solution. MetalFuse consists of the Forge 1 3D printer, the D200-E debinding furnace and the S200-C sintering furnace, and allows for the in-house manufacturing of metal parts with the Ultrafuse metal filaments, resulting in a fully metallic part.

General information

Manufacturer BASF
Material Metal + binder
Format 3 kg
Density - g/cm³
Filament diameter 1.75 / 2.85 mm
Amount of filler (volume) - %
Amount of filler (mass) 90 %

Printing properties

Printing temperature 230 - 250 ºC
Print bed temperature 100 - 120 ºC
Recommended printing speed 30 mm/s
Recommended nozzle Hardened Steel
Recommended nozzle diameter 0.4 mm

Mechanical properties

Elongation at break - %
Tensile strength - MPa
Tensile modulus - MPa
Flexural strength - MPa
Flexural modulus - MPa
Surface hardness -

Thermal properties

Softening temperature - ºC

Sintering properties

Container Refractory crucible
Refractory powder Al2O3 99.6 %
Maximum temperature 1380 ºC

Specific properties

Radiation protection (without sintering) -

Other

HS Code 7406.1

Design and Laminate

The use of supports should be avoided whenever possible. If it is necessary to use them, they should be made of the same material and with a density equal to or greater than 70%.

Video 1: Design tips. Source: BASF.

During debinding and sintering, the part suffers a shrinkage of 16% in XY and 20% in Z, so the parts must be resized to compensate for this shrinkage.

The following printing parameters are recommended:

Nozzle size0.4 mm
Extrusion factor1.0 - 1.1
Extrusion width0.35 mm
Retraction distance1.5 mm (direct) / 5 mm (bowden)
Shrinkage rate45 mm/s
Layer height0.1 - 0.15 mm
Perimeters1 - 2
Filling100 %
Overlaying infill on perimeters20 - 35 %
Filler extrusion width100 %
Printing temperature230 - 250 ºC
Base temperature90 - 120 ºC
Layer fanShutdown
Print speed35 mm/s

Video 2: Explanation of the process. Source: BASF.

Printing

Ultrafuse metal filaments are susceptible to warping, so it is recommended to apply Magigoo Pro Metal to the base and avoid draughts around the part.

These filaments tend to stick to the nozzle and heater block and need to be cleaned after each print.

Debinding

Prior to sintering, the parts must undergo catalytic debinding to remove the binders. This is a thermochemical process in which the parts are subjected to a nitric acid gas stream in a furnace with an inert nitrogen atmosphere. The process must be carried out at 120°C with a nitric acid stream of 30 mL/h*.

Sintering

After debinding, sintering is necessary to obtain the final properties and to eliminate the porosity of the part.

The sintering process must be carried out in a dry nitrogen or high purity argon atmosphere. The refractory support must be alumina powder with a purity higher than 99.6%.

An example of a sintering cycle is as follows:

  1. Heat from room temperature to 600 ºC at a rate of 5 ºC / min.
  2. Keep at 600 ºC for 1h
  3. Heat from 600 ºC to 1380 ºC at a rate of 5 ºC / min.
  4. Keep at 1380 ºC for 3 hours
  5. Allow to cool
*In Nabertherm furnace NRA 40/02-CDB. Other equipment may require variation of these parameters.

Featured properties

Printing temperature
230 - 250 ºC
Filament diameter
1.75 / 2.85 mm

Related products