German chemical producer BASF, which has locations throughout North America, has launched the Ultrafuse 316LX filament.
BASFs Ultrafuse 316LX filament is composed of a polymeric binder with 80 wt.-% stainless steel 316L particles. Initially, items made from the material are 3D printed as green-bodies which are larger than required to account for shrinkage caused by debinding.
After 3D printing, polymer binding content of the item is removed using a catalytic acid process. To finish, the part is sintered in an oven, fusing together the metal particles.