Purchase Options & Upgrade Path

Nylon vs Carbon Fiber Nylon

ABS vs Carbon Fiber Filament

Material Specifications

3D Printing with Metal

METHOD 3D PRINTERS NOW SUPPORT BASF FORWARD AM ULTRAFUSE 316L STAINLESS STEEL COMPOSITE MATERIAL!

Users can explore printing rigid 316L stainless steel parts for industrial applications alongside advanced engineering polymers and composites on METHOD with the MakerBot LABS Experimental Extruder.

UltiMaker have announced that the BASF Ultrafuse® 316L Stainless Steel material by Forward AM has been qualified for the UltiMaker LABS™ Experimental Extruder¹ for the UltiMaker METHOD® 3D printers. With an open materials platform and a growing portfolio of advanced engineering-grade materials, METHOD is now the only industrial desktop 3D printer in its price-class with a heated chamber that can print polymer, composite, and metal materials.

Ultrafuse® 316L Stainless Steel material combines high strength, rigidity and durability needed for a range of applications including functional prototypes and manufacturing tools. Available using the UltiMaker LABS GEN 2 Experimental Extruder, this metal-polymer composite material provides METHOD users with an accessible and cost-effective option to experiment with metal 3D printing applications without making the significant investment typically needed for a dedicated metal 3D printing solution. 3D printing stainless steel parts can also shorten the time it takes to produce parts, further reducing operational costs compared to traditional methods. METHOD’s heated chamber and ability to control the speed at which a part cools down during the printing process can also help reduce the risk of delamination.

Once the part is printed with BASF Forward AM Ultrafuse® 316L, it can then be sent out to post-processing or specialized manufacturing facilities for debinding and sintering, which turns the part printed with the composite material into solid stainless steel. This process allows users to create stainless steel parts without investing in expensive debinding and sintering equipment. Final parts can achieve up to 96%2 of the density of pure 316L metal material. Users can produce lightweight, hollow metal parts with high tensile strength compared to polymers that would be difficult to produce in other ways.

Ultrafuse® 316L material properties make it ideal for a variety of manufacturing tools, jigs and fixtures, and end-use parts, such as workholdings that need to withstand high temperatures; brackets that require high strength and custom designs for specialty machinery; or robotic grippers that need to be strong, lightweight, and wear resistant.