Accessible 3D printing of stainless steel

© Mechanical department

In addition to our previous AJDI, we took a sidestep and aimed to explore the boundaries of 3D printing with our own Ultimaker S5. Following the latest developments in additive manufacturing, we stumbled upon a newly BASF developed Fused Deposition Modeling printing filament which contains 80% stainless steel powders (weight-based) and 20% polymers.

The newly printed part will undergo a catalytic debinding process to ensure rapid and controlled removal of the primary binding polymers, and will be subsequently sintered to consolidate and form a solid mass of material upon heat. Both the debinding and sintering processes will be outsourced.

Possible applications are broad, with an increased design freedom and possibilities to develop partly hollow and/or organic structures to massively decrease weight. When adding additional post-processing (tumble polishing, grinding, etc.) or even machining steps like 5-axis milling and/or lathing, impressive end results could be accomplished.

One of the main benefits is avoiding possible high costs or lengthy lead times of subtractive or injection molding processes for prototyping, one-offs, or small series.

Challenges we might experience include possible inferior strength in comparison with traditionally forged and machined stainless steels, air gaps and cavities – especially a point of attention with cryogenic applications -, potential deformation from the sintering process, etc.

The images above show our first endeavors in the field of office-friendly stainless steel printing.