BASF Ultrasint PA11

The Ultrasint PA11 powder belongs to the BASF Ultrasint portfolio of high performance and easy-to-use 3D printing powders for versatile applications. The PA11 powder is a biobased material derived from sustainable castor oil, which makes it an interesting eco-friendly alternative to PA12 with superior mechanical performance and a refresh rate of 60/40.

Parts 3D printed with Ultrasint PA11 show a higher elongation at break than PA12 at a similar tensile strength, higher impact strength and more isotropic material properties, being able to withstand high mechanical loads without splintering.

Image 1: The Ultrasint PA11 powder and a part 3D printed with it. Source: BASF.

The Ultrasint PA11 powder is certified for skin contact (see Downloads section), UV stability and temperature performance, and safe for food contact. Specific data on the electrical properties (e.g. volume resistivity, surface resistivity) and chemical properties (e.g. resistance against particular substances) of this material can be provided by BASF upon request.

Image 2: A housing 3D printed with the Ultrasint PA11 powder. Source: BASF.

The surface of parts 3D printed with the Ultrasint PA11 powder can be easily post-processed for a more aesthetic customer-facing look by means of chemical smoothing, coating or dyeing. Chemical smoothing will improve material performance while enhancing the appeal, durability, surface roughness and overall quality, giving them a look and feel comparable to injection molding. Coating of parts made with Ultrasint PA11 can be done with the help of BASF's Ultracur3D Coat F+ and Ultracur3D Hardener F+. Parts made with Ultrasint PA11 can also be liquid dyed to reach all surfaces of the part, including small cavities, lattices and hollowed parts.

Image 3: A clamp 3D printed with BASF Ultrasint PA11. Source: BASF.

Ultrasint PA11 can be used on most open-source industrial SLS 3D printers such as Prodways' P1000 / P100X (open parameters kit required), 3D Systems' Sinterstations / Vanguard / sPro 60, XYZp's MfgPro230 xS, Farsoon's HT403P / HT/ST25xP / SS403P / eForm or EOS's P1xx and P3xx/P7xx (open parameters kit required).

The BASF Ultrasint PA11 powder is the perfect material for numerous applications in medicine, industry, consumer goods or automotive where parts that can withstand high deformations and/or exposure to chemically hostile surroundings are required. The possible uses are car interior parts, bumper components, film hinges, functional prototypes and spare parts, as well as medium-loaded series parts.

Thanks to its biocompatibility, Ultrasint PA11 can also be used in medical applications, as well as in contact with food, e.g. in food packaging. It should be kept in mind that the biocompatibility of the end product must be tested by the manufacturer for each use case as the biocompatibility of the final part largely depends on the processing of the material.