Raise3D has announced the MetalFuse system — a full complex of equipment for 3D printing, processing, and sintering polymer-metal workpieces into all-metal products using specialized filaments from BASF.
The MetalFuse complex consists of the Forge1 desktop FFF 3D printer, the D200-E catalytic debinding furnace, the S200-C furnace for direct sintering of billets into all-metal products, and the ideaMaker Metal slicer. As consumables, it is offered to use Ultrafuse filaments by BASF — polymer materials with a high proportion of metal filling, produced under the Forward AM brand.
“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. 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,” explains Firat Hizal, Head of Metal Systems Business Group at BASF 3D Printing Solutions.
“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,” said Edward Feng, Global CEO at Raise3D.
The principle of catalytic debinding with oxalic acid was chosen due to its environmental friendliness and safety, as well as high efficiency: the use of a catalyst reduces time costs by 60% and allows obtaining products with a density of up to 98% of the level of forged iron, with an increase in strength by 52% in comparison with products made by removing the binder with solvents.
The developers state that final products will be one and a half to two times cheaper than 3D printed analogs obtained by the method of selective laser sintering of metal-powder compositions, while the equipment itself is much more affordable than laser additive systems.
Raise3D MetalFuse systems will go on sale through official distributors next year. Users who already possess the necessary binder removal and sintering equipment will have the option of purchasing a Forge1 3D printer separately.
