The Virtual Foundry The Virtual Foundry Filamet Aluminum 6061 Filament - 1.75mm (0.25kg)

THE VIRTUAL FOUNDRY ALUMINUM 6061 FILAMET

3D PRINT METAL PARTS AT HOME, IN THE LAB, OR IN THE CLASSROOM

The Virtual Foundry's Filamet Metal, Glass, and Ceramic 3D printing filaments are designed to be printed on any FFF/FDM 3D printer that is compatible with 3rd party materials. The manufacturer recommends that customers use 3D printers equipped with dual gear, direct-drive extruders with all-metal hot ends for the most consistent results. Hardened or stainless steel nozzles at 0.6mm or 0.8mm and a Filawarmer to assist with making the filament more pliable and flexible when printing are also highly reccomended.

NOTE: Sintering Trials have not been conducted on Aluminum 6061 Filamet

Here are some key features of printing with The Virtual Foundry Filamet:

• Low barrier to entry

• Low energy consumption

• Low hardware costs

• Ease of use

• Mature technology (FFF)

• Hardware flexibility – users have full control over their 3D printer configuration

• Safer solution – no chemicals in printing, no chemicals in debinding

NOTE: Filamet™ is less hygroscopic than regular PLA. Filament dryers have adverse affects on Filamet™. Spools should not be dried.

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WHAT DO I NEED TO DEBIND AND SINTER 3D PRINTED PARTS?

• Kiln
• Heat resistant gloves
• Crucible
• Al₂O₃ and Sintering Carbon for Bronze and Copper Filamet
• Steel Blend and Sintering Carbon for Stainless Steel 316L, Stainless Steel 17-4 and Inconel® 718-34 Filamet

Note: Filamet debinds with only heat so there is no extra debinding equipment needed.

Sintering can be done in any kiln that can reach and hold the sintering temperature.

WHAT IS THE SINTERING PROCESS LIKE?

Two things need to happen to be successful while sintering:

The printed part shape will need to be supported, and oxygen will need to be prevented from reaching the part.

Supporting the shape of your printed part is solved by using a refractory ballast: Al2O3 (for copper and bronze) or Steel Blend (for the steels).

The oxygen exposure part is solved with Sintering Carbon.

If you have the oxygen problem solved with shielding gas and/or vacuum, you can ignore any reference to Sintering Carbon in the instructions.

You will still need to manage part shape support, however, the crucible and Al2O3 or Steel Blend will still be needed.

Simply bury your part in the refractory ballast in a crucible. Then, add Sintering Carbon to the top. Place the crucible in your kiln, set the time and temperature program, press go and you’re all set.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR DEBINDING AND SINTERING ALUMINUM 6061 FILAMET

Please note that no sintering support is currently available for Aluminum 6061, Rapid 3DShield Tungsten, Silicon Carbide and Titanium 64-5 Filamet™ materials.

Aluminum’s Oxides pose a challenge in the sintering process and it needs more than just an oxygen-free environment. Aluminum and its alloys can only be effectively sintered in pure nitrogen or in a vacuum. Argon has been used in the past, but can create some bonding issues between particles. There are conditions that aluminum requires depending on the alloy and geometry. Simple aluminum alloys such as 2014 can be sintered in dry nitrogen, but the furnace needs to be tight (-50 dewpoint) and uniform (±1°F) temperature control.

Sintering development for Aluminum 6061 is underway. Current information and updates can be found here.

Oxygen is damaging to the metal sintering process. Sintering Carbon is used to combat this. Titanium is extra troublesome because it absorbs oxygen like crazy. It will pull oxygen out of a standard kiln’s insulation. Compounding the issue is titanium’s reactivity in the presence of oxygen and heat. The solution that we understand today is to use an all-metal kiln and a chamber thoroughly flooded with ultra-high-purity argon.

For more information please check out this video

SANDING AND POLISHING YOUR GREEN PRINT

Manipulating prints: When exposed to heat, Virtual Foundry metal filament becomes clay-like. It can be carved, and re-sculpted, pieces can be added and seams smoothed. Soldering irons or wood-burning tools work well for this. For best results, use a tip that won’t be used for soldering/wood-burning and set the temperature to 200-235°C (392-455°F).

How to avoid melting when sanding metal filament: Important! Constant movement to different areas of the part is necessary when sanding to avoid unintentional melting. Experimenting is worthwhile.

Needle file: To make print lines vanish, sand the surface even. The loose particles from sanding are smashed into the print line gaps with the heat from the friction, fixing them in place. This step is complete once the entire print’s surface is smooth and even.

Sandpaper or 3M Radial Disc: Start with 120 grit sandpaper or 80 grit 3M Radial Disc, and go over every part of the print. The matte surface will become shiny as finer grits are used. Complete the entire surface of the print before moving to the next grit. The Virtual Foundry recommends using 4 grits with 3M and 6 or 7 grits with sandpaper. A nice shine can be achieved with less, but the mirror shine comes closer to the 7, ending around 3000 grit. After sanding, rub the print down with some flannel or a sunshine cloth to clean off loose particles. A mirror shine should be evident at this phase, even before the last step.

Sewn Buffing Wheel and Zam: Place sewn buff on a rotary tool, then liberally apply zam to the buff and to your print. The print will melt if it gets too hot, so it is critical to keep the buffer moving and continue to apply zam liberally. It may be useful to practice this step on a simple print or a “failed print.”

If you will be sintering your print: Polishing before sintering is not necessary. Post-sinter, the print will behave as the metal it’s made of – file it, weld it, polish it.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:

• 1.75mm and 2.85mm +/- 0.05mm in diameter
• Extruder: 205 - 235°C
• Build Plate Temp: 40 – 50°C
• Nozzle Recommendation: 0.6mm Stainless Steel or Harder
• Metal Composition: 85%

TDS