• Raise3D MetalFuse system has been developed in close collaboration with BASF Forward AM as material partner, and it’s the first end-to-end fully integrated in-house printing ecosystem using Ultrafuse® Metal Filaments from BASF Forward AM
• Raise3D MetalFuse system, together with Ultrafuse® Metal Filaments, enables a simple, faster, safer, more cost-efficient and more environmentally friendly in-house small batch production of high-quality metal parts, with full design freedom
• Raise3D MetalFuse system is comprised of the desktop metal 3D printer Forge1, the catalytic debinding furnace D200-E, the sintering furnace S200-C, the slicer ideaMaker Metal, and uses Ultrafuse® Metal Filaments from BASF Forward AM
• The debinder D200-E uses a catalytic debinding process based on oxalic acid, which is safe and environmentally friendly. Oxalic acid debinding is also easier to handle than nitric acid and faster than solvent and thermal debinding
October 28th, 2021. Rotterdam – Raise3D, the global provider of additive manufacturing solutions for SMEs and LSEs, announces the worldwide launch of Raise3D MetalFuse system, an end-to-end fully integrated in-house printing ecosystem for metal 3D printing, developed in close collaboration with BASF Forward AM and using Ultrafuse® Metal Filaments.
Raise3D MetalFuse
The main applications of metal parts produced with FFF 3D printing are tooling, jigs and fixtures,functional parts and prototypes, and small-batch production.
Description of Raise3D MetalFuse system
Raise3D MetalFuse system is comprised of the desktop metal 3D printer Forge1, the catalytic debinding furnace D200-E, the sintering furnace S200-C, the slicer ideaMaker Metal, and uses Ultrafuse® Metal Filaments from BASF Forward AM.
Forge1 – Filament Feeding
Printing Green Part
ideaMaker Metal is a modified version of ideaMaker optimized for the use of Ultrafuse® Metal Filaments, with unique features that provide the required part density and repeatability to create end parts of the highest quality.
The sinter D200-E uses an oxalic acid catalytic debinding process, traditionally used by MIM technology, which is safe and environmentally friendly.
According to Raise3D’s internal analysis, excluding parts with a very simple design, the Raise3D MetalFuse solution produces parts with better quality and a lower cost, particularly for small batches, than AM metal laser sintering solutions in the market.
Sintered Samples
Polished Samples
Advantages of FFF vs. MIM
FFF technology allows for full design freedom, which makes possible the production of complex parts that would otherwise be too expensive, or could not be produced, with MIM. This additional design freedom can also allow better mechanical properties of the end parts, which may translate to having FFF as the most cost-efficient technology for metal parts production, even for medium or large batches.
The mechanical properties of FFF printed parts are fully compliant with MIM quality standards and even slightly exceed them; therefore, they can be used as end parts:
*MPIF: American Powder Metallurgy Industry Association’s MIM Standard
In addition, catalytic debinding has a lower environmental impact and requires a lower investment to ensure that safety standards are met.
Advantages of Raise3D MetalFuse vs. other existing FFF metal printing solutions
Raise3D MetalFuse is the first AM metal end-to-end solution using an oxalic acid catalytic debinding method; other AM metal parts production use solvent and thermal debinding.
Oxalic acid catalytic debinding is a safe and environmentally friendly process. In addition, according to Raise3D’s internal testing, debinding with a catalytic method allows for a reduction of 60% in the debinding time, and an increase of the part’s density to up to 98% of wrought iron’s density.
Advantages of Raise3D MetalFuse vs. other existing powder-based AM metal printing solutions
Raise3D MetalFuse production is safer as it uses filament as a consumable, which makes its handling totally safe and extremely easy; this differs from the dangerous and difficult material handling of metal powder-based solutions, like the ones currently on the market.
Raise3D MetalFuse-produced parts with Ultrafuse® Metal Filaments are in general 1.4 to 2 times cheaper than most metal powders; also, the solution requires less investment in hardware.
Advantages of Raise3D MetalFuse as the first complete in-house solution for BASF’s metal filaments
Raise3D MetalFuse is the first complete in-house solution optimized for Ultrafuse® Metal Filaments
Besides the benefits resulting from the great properties of these filaments, being a complete in-house solution has the additional advantages of:
• Speed, by avoiding the need to interact with third parties, substantial time can be saved, making it possible to go from the initial “idea” to the “final part” in a couple of days;
• Minimizing the handling of the ‘green parts’;
• Ensuring full confidentiality, by having the full process in-house, as opposed to when the debinding and sintering need to be done externally.
Ultrafuse® 316L Filament and Sintered Samples
Firat Hizal, Head of Metal Systems Business Group at BASF 3D Printing Solutions: “Metal FFF offers great advantage to the customers; it is affordable, easy to use and eliminates a very complex step in comparison to other Metal AM techniques like powder handling. According to Hizal, “MIM technology can be the best solution to manufacture parts in large volumes, whereas Metal FFF can be used to produce more sophisticated designs in small and medium size batches. We are very impressed by the capabilities of MetalFuse ecosystem and convinced that Raise3D MetalFuse together with our Ultrafuse® Metal Filaments, will deliver excellent value to customers. We are installing our first Raise3D MetalFuse unit in our facilities in Shanghai soon. We will continue working closely with Raise3D to further optimize the MetalFuse ecosystem”.
Edward Feng, Global CEO of Raise3D 3D, said: “The collaboration with BASF Forward AM is a milestone in Raise3D’s history, and a solid step towards our vision of offering a perfect ecosystem to facilitate Flexible Manufacturing. Our Raise3D MetalFuse system combined with Ultrafuse® Metal Filaments from BASF Forward AM offers a solution to additive manufacturing of metal parts that is easier, safer, cleaner, cheaper, and faster, than the current AM metal parts productions, making it accessible to everyone using those solutions. In many cases, we have also confirmed that Raise3D MetalFuse can be competitive with MIM, which makes us confident that MetalFuse can represent a breakthrough in metal parts production”.
Raise3D will start the worldwide large-scale delivery of Raise3D MetalFuse commercial systems from the first half of 2022, through select sales partners. Forge1 will also be made available for customers who already have in-house debinding and sintering capacity.
Prices of Raise3D MetalFuse system are not disclosed at this time, but Raise3D asserts that, in addition to all mentioned technical advantages, it will have a substantially lower total cost of ownership than the solutions available in the market.
To learn more, visit us at Formnext in Hall 12.1 Stand G79.
About FFF Metal printing with Ultrafuse® Metal Filaments from BASF Forward AM
FFF refers to a 3D printing process in which parts are built-up layer-by-layer from moldable material, originally limited to thermoplastics. Ultrafuse® Metal Filaments have polymer content and use the same process:
• Firstly, a suitable 3D printer builds a part layer-by-layer, with the polymer content of the filament acting as a binder. The green part is still very fragile and requires careful handling.
• Secondly, the main polymer content (primary binder) from the so-called green part is removed in a catalytic debinding process. The result of this process is the brown part, which consists of pure metal particles and a residual binder (secondary binder).
• Finally, a sintering process at temperatures right below the melting temperature of the metal removes the secondary binder from the brown part and causes the metal particles to coalesce. The material reaches its final properties post-sintering regarding hardness and strength.