The Metal Pack is an update to the current Epsilon series that opens up a new range of applications for BCN3D customers, especially for spare parts, functional prototyping and tools, and is aimed primarily at the pharmaceutical, food, automotive, aerospace and manufacturing sectors. sectors. Parts produced with this process behave virtually identically to those produced by MIM or CNC and offer an office-friendly solution with much more design freedom.

Compatible with Epsilon series (Epsilon W50 and W50SC, Epsilon W27 and W27SC)

The Metal Pack is an upgrade of the current Epsilon series that opens up a new range of applications for BCN3D customers, especially for spare parts, functional prototyping and tools, and is primarily aimed at the pharmaceutical, food, automotive, aerospace and manufacturing sectors. Parts produced with this process behave virtually identically to those produced by MIM or CNC and offer an office-friendly solution with much more design freedom.

The Metal Pack includes both Ultrafuse® 316L and 17-4 PH and a new exclusive metal hotend, as well as specific accessories, to ensure a smooth printing experience. BCN3D has created a new metal printing profile for the BCN3D Stratos slicer that avoids internal tensions of the printed part during the printing process. After printing, debinding and sintering processes can be performed externally through Forward AM's existing network of authorized service providers.

The Ultrafuse® metal filament portfolio was developed based on BASF’s decades of know-how in metal injection molding (MIM).

How does the process work?

The process is divided into 3 phases: printing a part with BCN3D Epsilon 3D printers and subsequent industry-standard debinding and sintering, performed externally through Forward AM's existing network of authorized suppliers. The result is a final part that is nearly 100% solid stainless steel.

For the printing process, Ultrafuse® 316L and 17-4 PH filaments contain high levels of stainless steel combined with polymer binders that allow for easy printing. The binder content from the printed part is removed through a catalytic debinding process. In the next stage, the part is subjected to a subsequent sintering process at temperatures immediately below the melting temperature of the metal, which causes the metal particles to coalesce. The material then reaches its final state through post-sintering, where it achieves the required performance in aspects such as hardness and strength.

Recommended BCN3D and BASF D&S suppliers offering sintering and debinding services are:

Elnik (Europe):

• Elnik begins processing orders on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. To meet this schedule, parties must arrive no later than the Friday immediately prior to the scheduled race.
• Elnik charges per Kg, which means you need to buy as many tickets as you send Kg.
• Your parts must meet the requirements of BASF guidelines that Elnik strictly follows, otherwise they will be rejected.

CMG (UK & Europe):

• CMG runs D&S cycles almost every week. They have one of the fastest delivery times on the market.
• CMG charges based on the space occupied in the oven, which means that the cost will depend on how much space your parts take up.
• They allow you to dewax and sinter parts up to 200 mm x 300 mm x 100 mm and are open to discussing even larger parts.
• They provide a wide range of post-processing services, including machining and polishing.

For more information about the metal workflow, please read the following guidelines from our customer support team: https://support.bcn3d.com/knowledge/3d-printing-metal-workflow

Design requirements and guidelines

• How to print 316L: https://support.bcn3d.com/knowledge/316l-filament
• 316L Tips and Tricks: https://support.bcn3d.com/knowledge/316l-bcn3d-tips
• How to print 17-4PH: https://support.bcn3d.com/knowledge/17-4ph-filament
• 17-4 PH, tips and tricks: https://support.bcn3d.com/knowledge/17-4-ph-bcn3d-tips

In the following guidelines from the manufacturer BASF you will learn about:

• Process Workflow
• Debinding simulation
• Part orientation
• Shrinkage and sintering distortion
• Supports “not just for print”
• Debinding and sintering
• Post production

Video training from basf

• Module 1: Introduction to Metal 3D Printing
• Module 2: Process
• Module 3: Design Guidelines
• Module 4: Simulation Services

Property

We have carried out several tests at BCN3D to properly understand the final results that can be obtained with our printers. Below are the best results we got with metal. We strongly recommend that you create your own iterations to get the right accuracy on your specific project to compensate for the shrinkage:

Density achieved with the Epsilon Series: 7.74 out of 7.85 g/cm3 (98.59%).

Epsilon Series Shrinkage: 19% XY / 24% Z (depends on geometry).

Maximum precision achieved with the Epsilon series: up to ±0.09 mm XY / ±0.04 mm Z.

In the table below you can find the differences between 316-L and 17-4PH:

Post-processing of metal parts

Stamped metal parts can be treated in the same way that fabricated steel parts are treated traditionally, creating a wide range of possibilities for improving the finish of the part.

In this article we explain the different processes you can perform on your parts to improve the surface quality: https://support.bcn3d.com/knowledge/postprocess-metal-parts