BASF and Essentium Materials are very committed to implementing a distribution network for plastic filaments. Both companies gather an important part of their industrial filament materials under the name Ultrafuse.
The Ultrafuse series is dedicated to industrial applications and will help customers who are still looking for the ideal material for FFF technology.
Technically speaking, the products include “Ultrafuse Z, a special, extra strong filament based on BASF materials, further developed by Essentium, and offered in combination with Essentium Materials’ processing technology, FlashFuseTM.” Therefore, customers will be able to print components with optimum strength in the z-direction.
Over the year, both partners will launch more filled and flame-retardant filaments. 
Low-melting polyamide 6 for standard machines
Ultrasint PA6 LM X085 is a new material intended for selective laser sintering (SLS) processes. This grey polyamide-6-based powder melts at about 193 degrees Celsius. “These properties allow us to offer a PA6-based material to customers, especially those in the automotive and consumer goods industries, where today there is mainly only a choice between different PA11 and PA12 types,” explains Alexander Cochrane, Marketing Manager 3D-Printing Powder Bed Fusion. “The manufactured components are distinguished by high stiffness and strength. The first parts produced with new Ultrasint PA6 LM are convincing, so we expect to be able to supply our first customers with our powder material in late summer,” says Cochrane.
As far as other technologies are concerned, the recently released photo-Resin X004M has been specially optimized for stereolithography (SLA), digital light processing (DLP) and LCD printers. It offers its high tensile strength and high elasticity modulus. In these technologies, the light source is placed beneath the printing material.
Photo-Resin X004M is suitable for break-resistant parts, for example post-colored electric circuit connectors – BASF
Other developments in UV-reactive materials are based on ceramic photopolymers, which enable 3D printing of metal-casting molds for applications in industries such as the aerospace and automotive sectors.
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