Sculpteo BASF
Part printed in PA11 for MJF.
Sculpteo and BASF have announced the launch of four Nylon PA11 3D printing powders created from renewable castor oil.
The bioplastics are said to offer great chemical resistance, elongation at break and durability and are available via Sculpteo’s catalogue. These new products follow BASF and Sculpteo’s material releases geared towards the automotive sector in the summer and comes 12 months after the former’s acquisition of the latter.
Developed for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) technology respectively, the Ultrasint PA11 and PA11 for MJF boast high ductility and impact strength, as well as the ability to withstand high mechanical loads and stress. Applications are said to include medical components, parts which require impact resistance and living hinges applications.
The Ultrasint PA11 ESD, meanwhile, has electrostatic discharging properties and great mechanical and thermal characteristics, allowing it to be used for a number of applications in the electronics sector with ‘increases safety processes’. These may include electronic housings, and jigs, fixtures and tooling parts. BASF and Sculpteo have also released an Ultrasint PA11 CF, which is a carbon fibre reinforced material that the partners believe is one of the strongest material products in the 3D printing industry. Combining high ductility, impact performance and high rigidity, the material is said to be able to meet the ‘highest performance requirements’, while also enabling lightweight designs thanks to its ability to facilitate reduced wall thicknesses.
Formulated by experts within BASF’s Forward AM brand, both Sculpteo and BASF believe the new materials will enable companies to produce industrial components more sustainably. Having access to such expertise to enhance the service it offers to market was chief among the many reasons for Sculpteo agreeing to the BASF acquisition. Just 12 months in, it has now introduced more than half a dozen 3D printing materials designed to increase the industrial application of AM technologies.
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