△In Metal desk 3D printed metal parts made on Studio System Nowadays, including Anycubic More fused deposition modeling on the computer, includingFDM) The 3D printer maker has launched a metal printer profile that allows users to print with metal filament on its affordable machines. Other FDM printer manufacturers such as UltimakerBCN3D and zortraxhas launched kits suitable for metal printing, including profiles, filaments and nozzles. The third category of desktop 3D printers are those dedicated to metal filaments, e.g. Increase3D Forge1 and Wrought MetalX.
The following sections describe the unique features and capabilities of wireframe printing, describing how to print with wire and the mechanical properties that can be achieved. Additionally, some metal wires are shown at the end of this article3D printerAvailable to choose from.
△Ultrafuse wire from Forward AM and metal parts printed on the BCN3D machine
What is metal wire?
△Using Ultrafuse Metal Filament to Print Metal Parts on the Raise3D Forge1 3D Printer The metal filament used for printing is a plastic-based composite filament into which metal particles are injected uniformly, resulting in strong, chemical-resistant metal parts with a high solids content (98%+) . Unlike other types of filaments, metal filaments require two to three steps after printing.Post-processingwhich involves removing the polymer from the print in a chemical solvent, then placing the print in a sintering oven to solidify it into a metal part.
Note that the threads discussed here are not just threads with metallic colors or decorative metals. These threads should not be confused with threads used for decorative purposes. The wire is simply called “aluminum” or “copper” depending on its color, and some are sold as PLA+metal, which contains only 5-40% metal powder. Some decorative wires, such as Formfutura’s MetalFil Classic Copper and ProtoPasta’s Iron-Filled PLA, contain high percentages of metallic powder (up to 80%), but are only used to simulate a metallic look. These do not require any type of post-processing to remove plastic, but can be brushed, sanded or polished to resemble metal.
△Metal parts 3D printed using Anycubic wire and 3D printer Part designs, orientations, wall thicknesses, and support structures are different with a metal filament compared to any other filament. When printing on a machine like the Ender 3 or Anet A8, be sure to follow the design guidelines of the filament manufacturer and the printer manufacturer. On a machine with ideal slicer and printer settings, ensuring you get the most out of your material from the start, there is no need to experiment with bed temperatures, extrusion speeds and less waste of filament. For example, a handful of FDM printer manufacturers (Makerbot, UltiMaker, Raise3D, Zortrax, and BCN3D) have certified Ultrafuse brand filaments for use in their printers and have partnered with Ultrafuse manufacturers. BASF Forward AM worked together to develop ideal printer settings that have been used over time. But if the manufacturer has not tested or certified wired printing, users may experience printing failures. Typically, yarn prices start at $150 per 500 grams.
△Parts printed with Nanoe Zetamix 316L stainless steel contain approximately 80% dense metal parts Finding the right print speed can be a challenge if the printer manufacturer doesn’t provide it. Wire printing is relatively slow and must be adjusted depending on the design of the machine and part. Typically, printing starts at 30mm/s or 40mm/s, the same speed used to print nylon.
△Steps of 3D metal wire printing,
Metal parts shrink
Note that parts will shrink during post-processing (18% to 25% of their original volume, depending on the design and brand of filament) as the plastic material they contain is removed and the remaining metal is compressed. This can pose quite a challenge when printing functional parts where dimensional accuracy is a priority. However, the shrinkage coefficient of the same wire material is consistent, so the initial CAD model can be scaled appropriately according to the shrinkage rate, by slicingsoftwarecan be calculated automatically for you.
Forward AM’s Ultrafuse has 16-17% shrinkage on the XY axis and 19-20% shrinkage on the Z axis. Using Filamet brand thread from The Virtual Foundry, you can plan for a reduction in your impressions of approximately 5% for copper and bronze and 10% for steel using the company’s published skimming/sintering process. Overall, the normal drawdown is 7 to 10 percent, the company said. The final part is 80-85% dense, but the part can be sintered longer, which means greater shrinkage and higher density.
The printer manufacturers below offer debinding and sintering units as a package, and provide workflow software that helps ensure your parts meet design guidelines and optimize all printer parameters. printing and sintering. For filaments that skip the debinding stage, like Virtual Foundry and Nanovia, the green body must be embedded in aluminum oxide powder during the thermal debinding stage, which is another material that must be purchased , but which is cheaper than the debinding unit.
△Stainless steel parts printed on UltiMaker S5 using Ultrafuse wire kit
thread design
First, according to the wireframe printing guidelines developed by MakerBot (now part of UltiMaker), the aspect ratio of the model should be kept below 3:1 and the aspect ratio of the wall should be kept in below 6:1 to avoid damage during debinding and sintering. or deformation occurs. Additionally, according to MakerBot, printing parts as flat as possible and adding as much support as possible improves the survivability of the part during debinding and sintering processes. Part collapse and warping can be significantly reduced through the strategic use of part positioning and support structures during the printing and post-processing stages.
△Markforged Sinter-2 is a furnace designed for the production of medium volumes and large printed parts
Post-processing required
3D printing wire does not produce strong or usable metal parts immediately from the print bed. In fact, the initial print is called a blank, and the parts at this stage are very fragile and show no metallic features, so post-processing is necessary. After printing, the blank undergoes debinding, a process that uses heat or solvents to dissolve the plastic or adhesive components. This step creates open channels throughout the room. (There are exceptions. The Filamet brand of metal filament does not require chemical degreasing, but instead uses the heat of an oven to remove the plastic binder. 3D printer makers Desktop Metal and Rapidia (which use metal paste instead of filament) also have one that skips the degreasing step (printing to the two-step sintering process).
The degreased parts are then sintered in a furnace, which evenly heats the part to just below its melting point, removing any remaining binder and melting the metal particles to form a dense part. Most wire materials can be sintered in regular furnace equipment, as long as it maintains the sintering temperature for a few hours.
△On-demand 3D printing company Fastparts will also degrease and sinter your metal parts, then send the product to the customer.
Outsourcing of degreasing and sintering
Several manufacturers are already on the market offering a suite of machines, including a printer, a cleaning or degreasing machine and a sintering oven, capable of carrying out the entire process in-house and using software to coordinate or automate the process. It is not necessary to have a debinding machine or a sintering oven to produce 3D printed metal parts. Users can send parts for professional post-processing. Metal Ultrafuse and The Virtual Foundry are two brands that offer recommended third-party services that will complete your metal parts and return them. More and more on-demand 3D printing providers are also offering this service. In Europe, provided you use Ultrafuse brand stainless steel wire, you can send the part along with the STL file to Fastparts for debinding and sintering. In the United States, you can turn to Matterhackers to get rid of your Ultrafuse parts.
Mechanical properties of metal wire parts
△Blank part 3D printed in stainless steel (left), then sintered, intermediate and finally polished
Metal filament ratiostandardAlmost all plastics used in desktop FDM 3D printing are strong and have metallic properties in the final part. Typical applications include metal nozzles, gears,medicalPrototypes of tools and valves. Be aware that wire parts are generally not designed to withstand very high stresses. Although 3D printing using wire is not suitable for applications with stringent requirements, it is extremely economical to produce dense, non-critical metal parts on FDM machines.
Characteristics of wireframe 3D printed parts
Forward AM’s research shows that when properly 3D printed, metal parts produced using Ultrafuse 316l stainless steel wire have a tensile strength of 561 MPa in the XY (planar) direction and 521 MPa in the ZX (vertical) direction, while the same part manufactured using metal injection molding has a tensile strength of 540 MPa in both directions. The yield strength, or stress corresponding to the point at which the material begins to deform, is significantly higher for 3D printed parts (251 MPa for XY and 234 MPa for ZX) than for molded parts (180 MPa ).
A recent study found that when the ply orientation is parallel to the tensile direction, the part strength is much lower than when the ply orientation is perpendicular to the tensile direction. The study was not conducted with Ultrafuse or Filamet, but with a 60% metal, 40% plastic adhesive material created for the experiment. Ultrafuse technical data shows similar XY and YZ intensity values.
The design of 3D printed components and the orientation of printing play a crucial role. To reduce the risk of mechanical instability, Forward AM recommends performing a “skimming stability simulation” before printing by following its online guide. This provides an estimate of internal stresses to assess the structural integrity of the part during degreasing and also provides visual indications of structural features at risk. This sintering simulation is provided as a service through Forward AM Virtual Engineering Services. Using tools like these, users can determine if wireframe printing is best for your part.
Premium quality yarn
△Ultrafuse 316L filament requires a wear-resistant nozzle like steel or ruby
Before AM 的Ultrafuse
●BASF Ultrafuse 316L stainless steel: $500 per 3 kg spool
●BASF Ultrafuse 17-4 PH stainless steel: $350 per 3kg spool
Forward AM’s parent company, BASF, is one of the world’s largest chemical companies. Their metal-infused filament is called Ultrafuse and is made from 316L stainless steel and 17-4 PH stainless steel. Both filaments contain 80% metal powder and a proprietary polymer-based binder. Ultrafuse 17-4 PH, also known as Type 630, is a chrome-copper hardened stainless steel that is magnetic and maintains good mechanical and corrosion resistance at temperatures up to 315°C. Ultrafuse 316L supports a wide range of applications including tooling, jigs and fixtures, low volume production, functional parts and prototypes. The thread is not cheap, costing around $129 per kilogram, Ultrafuse 316L costs around $465 on a 3kg spool and Ultrafuse 17-4 PH costs $349, also available on 1kg spools.
Although this filament is significantly more expensive than standard polymer 3D printing filament, it is less expensive than many carbon fiber-reinforced PA filaments and significantly reduces the cost of producing small to medium-sized metal parts. Depending on the design and size of the part, it can be cheaper than any other metal additive manufacturing technology. Printing with Ultrafuse 316L is 1.4-2 times cheaper than printing with most metal powders on industrial metal printers.
●Diameter: 1.75mm, 2.85mm
●Valve core size: 1kg, 3kg
●Material composition: 80% 316L stainless steel; 17-4 PH stainless steel, containing 20% thermoplastic adhesive
●Nozzle temperature: 220-245°C
●Bed temperature: 90-100℃
●Cooling: not required
●Printing speed: 30-40 mm/second
● Bottom: glass bed with glue stick
●Nozzle: any wear-resistant nozzle (steel, ruby, etc.)
●Density of sintered parts: 7.85 kg/m 3 (Ultrafuse 316L); 7.6 kg/m 3 (Ultrafuse 17-4 PH);
●Average withdrawal: X & Y 16%, Z 20%
●Recommended initial scale factors: X & Y 120%, Z 125%
●Technical data sheet: Ultrafuse 316L, Ultrafuse 17-4 PH
△Metal wire for FDM printing from The Virtual Foundry
The Virtual Foundry 的 Filamet
●The Virtual Foundry 316L stainless steel: US$700 for 3 kg
●The Virtual Foundry 17-4 PH Stainless Steel: USD 900 per 3 kg
US-based materials manufacturer The Virtual Foundry specializes in wire and offers nine Filamets, including 316L stainless steel, Inconel 718-34 F steel, titanium, copper, aluminum and , new for 2023, H13 tool steel. The company’s 316L stainless steel wire is approximately 85 percent metal and can be used with any FDM printer, but requires additional equipment. For example, to print with the company’s 316L, you need a FilaWarmer to preheat the filament.
Filamet can print with slightly lower nozzle temperatures (205-235°C) and much lower bed temperatures (40-50°C). Another thing to consider is that the TVF filament requires a 0.6mm stainless steel nozzle, whereas you can use a more standard 0.4mm diameter nozzle for the Ultrafuse. Due to Filamet’s high metal content, it breaks more easily than standard PLA. TVF recommends hanging the spool directly above the printer for direct drive extrusion setups, or near or below the printer for Bowden setups.
Per kilogram, the price of 319L stainless steel is 273 US dollars, copper is 121 US dollars, and titanium is 832 US dollars. TVF provides printer setup files that you can download to your cutting software as a starting point for experimenting with your materials. For post-processing, TVF materials require only one step, namely heating in an oven. For customers without sintering equipment, TVF works with Sapphire 3D, a Chicago-based metal 3D printing service, to process prints for around $50 per small part.
●Diameter: 1.75mm, 2.85mm, particles
●Reel size: 500g, 1kg
●Material composition: 80% 316L stainless steel or 17-4 PH stainless steel plus 20% plastic polymer
●Nozzle temperature: 205-235°C
●Bed temperature: 40-50℃
●Cooling: not required
●Printing speed: 30 mm/s Getting started
● Construction board: any material but with a layer between the print and the bed (like blue painters tape or glue stick)
●Nozzle: 0.6mm or more, standard stainless steel
△316L stainless steel wire parts reformulated by Nanoe
Nanoe and Zetamix
●Nanoe Zetamix in 316L stainless steel: $1,500 for 3 kg
●Nanoe H13 Steel Zetamix: $1,500 for 3 kg
French materials manufacturer Nanoe offers 316L stainless steel wire and H13 tool steel wire. Both filaments contain approximately 52-55% metal in the binder, allowing them to print at much lower nozzle temperatures than other brands, resulting in a final part with a density of 90% to 91% has an expected shrinkage of 16% to 21.3%. 500 grams of 319L stainless steel and H13 tool wire are available from global distributors for just under $300 per kilogram.
●Diameter: 1.75mm, 2.85mm
●Reel size: 500g, 1kg
●Material composition: 55% 316L stainless steel or 52% H13 steel
●Nozzle temperature: 180°C
●Bed temperature: 30°C
●Cooling: not required
●Printing speed: 15 to 50 mm/sec, depending on the shape of the part
●Nozzle: 0.6mm or more, standard stainless steel
●Recommended initial scale factors: X & Y 120%, Z 125%
●Technical sheet: 316L, H13
△Nanovia stainless steel wire
Mt 316L by Nanovia
●Mt 316L stainless steel: 900 USD per 3 kg
French materials manufacturer Nanovia offers low-carbon 316L stainless steel wire and printed parts can be sintered directly without any prior chemical degreasing steps. The price is around US$150 for 500 grams. Mt 316L filament allows dense stainless steel parts to be printed using standard 3D printers and then sintered without chemical debinding. Nanovia claims that the result after sintering is 100% stainless steel parts.
●Diameter: 1.75mm, 2.85mm
●Reel size: 500 grams
●Nozzle temperature: 170°C – 100°C
●Bed temperature: 40°C – 60°C
●Printing speed: 20 to 40 mm/sec, depending on the shape of the part
●Nozzle: 0.6mm or more, standard stainless steel
●Withdrawal rate: 10% – 15%
●Technical sheet: 316L
metal wire3D printer
Markforged Metal X Gen2
△The Markforged Metal X system includes a 3D printer, debinding unit and sintering furnace
Markforged launched Metal X in 2017 and remains one of the preferred metal 3D printing solutions for thousands of customers around the world. Metal Unlike other printer manufacturers, Markforged offers six metals in its exclusive series, including copper and Iconel. With copper, you get a 98% dense metal part with an elongation at break of 45% and an ultimate tensile strength of 193 MPa.
Support removal is a major problem in metal 3D printing. Markforged offers a relatively unique solution. A thin layer of metal is printed between the printed part and the support.ceramicRelease layers for quick and easy pop-up of supports without tools.
Markforged offers the Wash 1 degreasing unit and the Sinter 2 sintering furnace, which allow all metal parts production to be carried out in-house. Wash-1 immerses the green part in a special liquid that removes the main binder, leaving the part semi-porous so that the remaining adhesive can be burned off during the sintering process. The Sinter 2 furnace can reach temperatures up to 1,300°C and sinter a variety of commercial grade metals from a degreased state into fully dense metal parts.
Complete3D metal printingThe system is powered by the company’s cloud-based Eiger workflow software, which allows users to store “digital parts” that can be printed on any Metal X printer, anywhere. Eiger also offers part simulation capabilities to verify part performance and print parameters before printing. Metal Material prices range from $150 to $300 per 200 cc spool.
Markforged MetalX:
●Construction volume: 250 x 220 x 200 mm
●Printing room: heated
●Print bed: heated and vacuum sealed printing plate, automatic bed leveling
●Minimum layer height: 50 microns
Desktop Metal Studio System
△Desktop Metal Studio System metal 3D printer and sintering oven supported
Desktop Metal is a pioneer in metal deposition 3D printing, lowering prices and increasingMetal 3D printerease of use. Its Studio System, which debuted in 2016, can produce parts with up to 98% density, similar to castings. All Studio Systems materials are accompanied by technical data sheets detailing the expected mechanical properties. Desktop Metal’s copper parts have an elongation at break of 37% and an ultimate tensile strength of 193 MPa.
Following the release of the Studio System, Desktop Metal introduced new technology that created a two-step “printer to sinter” process eliminating the degreasing step. Using a proprietary material formula allows printed parts to be placed directly into the oven, eliminating the need for a solvent degreasing step, saving time and solvent materials. As one of the pioneers of this technology, Desktop Metal has laid some of the foundations that other printer manufacturers will follow. Its solution includes printers, proprietary materials, proprietary software, its own sintering oven, and removable supports that feature a ceramic interface material between the support structure and the part, allowing the part to be easily removed by hand.
△Desktop Metal’s Studio system and oven produce production-quality metal parts
The Studio System 3D printer and oven together cost around $275,000:
●Construction volume: 300 x 200 x 200 mm
●Height of the layer (green state): 50 microns
●Heated bed: 70°C
●Maximum construction weight (green status): 6.5 kg
Raise3D Forge1
△MetalFuse is developed by Forge1Metal 3D printerD200-E Degreasing Machine, S200-C Sintering Furnace Product Series
Raise3D’s Forge1 is a professional large-format metal 3D printer that is part of the company’s MetalFuse solution, which includes the printer, D200-E debinding equipment, and S200-C vacuum sintering furnace of up to 1,500°C. With these three machines, Raise3D can provide a streamlined workflow for in-house production of metal parts using software that automatically calculates print shrinkage so that final dimensions after debinding and sintering are accurate and suitable for usage. The Forge1 printer has two extruders, a self-leveling bed, a burnout sensor and an activated carbon HEPA filter. The MetalFuse system prints with BASF Forward AM Ultrafuse stainless steel. The dual extruder prints using BASF’s Ultrafuse support layer, currently only available in Europe, an aluminum oxide material used for “layer insulation.” In other words, we make the separation support the separation layer between the support and the print after sintering.
●Building volume: 300 × 300 × 300 mm
●Filament diameter: 1.75 mm
●Layer height: 100 microns
●Bed temperature: 120 ºC
BCN3D Epsilon W50
△BCN3D Epsilon W50 Gen 2 3D printer
Printer manufacturer BCN3D launched the Metal Pack in November 2021, which includes Ultrafuse stainless steel filament (316L and 17-4 PH), Magigoo adhesive, software, and two hotends for around $1,200. BCN3D also provides specific design guidelines and process requirements for metal parts. The Metal Pack is available not only for the W50, but for the entire Epsilon 3D printer series (W50SC, Epsilon W27 and W27SC), offering a variety of sizes and prices to get started in producing metal parts.
Metal Pack is designed for the production of spare parts, functional prototypes and tooling, mainly for the pharmaceutical sector,food、car、aviationaerospaceand manufacturing industries. Parts produced by this process behave almost the same as parts produced by metal injection molding or CNC and offer a user-friendly solution with greater design freedom.
△Metal parts made using Ultrafuse stainless steel wire on the BCN3D Epsilon 3D printer can be polished to improve the surface finish.
BCN3D prints metal profiles in its Stratos Slicer avoiding internal tensions in the printed part during the printing process. After printing, the debinding and sintering processes are carried out externally via Forward AM’s existing network of authorized service providers. Outsourced degreasing and sintering costs around $50 to $80 per kilogram. The Epsilon W50 printer alone costs $8,500, while the Epsilon W27 costs $7,000.
Epsilon W50
●Architecture: IDEX (independent dual extruder system)
●Construction volume: 420 x 300 x 400 mm
●Heated bed: 120 ºC
UltiMaker S5 with metal extension kit
△UltiMaker S5 with metal extension kit
Since the release of printer profiles for the UltiMaker 17-4PH in 2021, UltiMaker has enabled users to print complete metal parts on their S5 machines. In 2022, Ultimaker launched a new metal 3D printing kit: Metal Expansion Kit. Andrea Gasperini, Product Manager at Ultimaker, said: “The Ultimaker Metal Extension Kit is particularly suitable for printing commercially available parts such as tools, jigs and accessories, spare parts, functional prototypes and auxiliary components. Complete and proven 3D printing work Access to the process.
●Architecture: dual extruders
●Print volume: 330 x 240 x 300 mm
Nozzle temperature: 180-280℃
● Layer resolution: 20 microns with a 0.25 mm nozzle
●Price: 8,000 USD
Zortrax M300 dual
△Zortrax M300 Dual Full Metal Print Kit
Zortrax, one of the latest manufacturers of FDM 3D printers, has partnered with BASF Forward AM to create a kit of printing peripherals and accessories that allows the company’s M300 or its Edural 3D printers to print complete metal parts. Zortrax all-metal kits are constructed with the two most common steel materials3D print model：316L Operationquality stainless steel and 17-4 PH hardened steel. To print with metal filament, you replace the printer’s standard hotend module with the one included in the package, load the included print filament and support, cover the build platform with the included Magigoo Pro metal glue , use the default value in Z Configure the printing of your parts -Continued.
●Construction volume: 265 x 265 x 300
●Layer resolution: 90-290 microns
●Extruder: double jet
●Maximum extruder temperature: 290°C
●Maximum bed temperature: 105°C
Characteristics of metal wire
△Solid metal parts made of filaments from The Virtual Foundry
3D printing on wire is inexpensive and can reduce the cost of small batches of metal parts by 90% compared to individual production by traditional methods. Emerging technologies that use common metal raw materials (such as wire) and the same particles used in metal injection molding have the potential to eliminate debinding and sintering steps in wire-based 3D printing and significantly reduce the price of raw materials. Wire is less dangerous than metal powder, but it is still made from metal powder, an expensive and energy-intensive product. Degreasers require solvents and ovens require large amounts ofenergyand gases, such as argon, which also increase environmental impact and costs.
Daguang focuses on providing solutions such as precision CNC machining services (3-axis, 4-axis, 5-axis machining), CNC milling, 3D printing and rapid prototyping services.
