Zortrax has introduced a metal three-dimensional (3D) printing option for a desktop M300 Dual 3D printer. The industrial-grade large workspace machine is compatible with a selection of materials including standard acrylonitrile butadiene styrene-, or ABS-, and polylactic acid-, or PLA-, based materials, flexible filaments and materials, nylon or nylon-based materials, and specialised, carbon- and glass-reinforced polymers for advanced technical applications.

The printing profiles available in Z-SUITE software for the M300 Dual include filaments made by brands such as BASF Forward AM, Nanovia, KIMYA, or 3DxTech.

“Zortrax M300 Dual is a truly universal machine, which combines a large workspace, single- and dual-extrusion modes, intuitive interface, and a very wide range of ready-to-use, calibrated material profiles. We’re now adding an option of metal 3D printing to this desktop printer with two comprehensive sets: Zortrax Full Metal Package 316L and Zortrax Full Metal Package 17-4 PH, encompassing everything that’s necessary to start metal 3D printing and to ensure fully functional metal parts, which exhibit the properties of steel,” says Zortrax head of research and development (R&D) Michał Siemaszko.

Zortrax Full Metal Package 316L and Zortrax Full Metal Package 17-4 PH, include the following components:

• BASF Ultrafuse Support Layer: a dedicated support material, ensuring the desired geometry of the printed parts during the 3D printing and post-processing stages
• Magigoo Pro Metal adhesive: provides reliable adhesion during printing and the easy removal of the printed part
• An extra hot end module for Zortrax M300 Dual
• An adapter with a polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE, tube
• A voucher for professional post-processing in Elnik company (BASF’s partner in Germany), where 3D prints undergo l sintering and debinding processes to achieve the properties of steel

The introduction of the new metal printing option for M300 Dual is said to be accompanied by improvements to the Z-SUITE slicer in BETA version 3.2.0. The latest update is designed to align the software with the needs of 3D printer users and the two-stage post-processing that turns "green" parts into steel.

"The latest version of Z-SUITE BETA features a set of improvements in printing with metallic powder filaments. A new gyroid infill enables printing metal models with 60% to 90% infill. Another change enhances the way in which support structures are printed with BASF Ultrafuse Support Layer. Here, supports are divided into smaller blocks along all axes and narrowed down towards the bottom. All this makes supports placed in the areas that are difficult to reach easier to remove and reduces their footprint on the model," explains Zortrax R&D software project manager Ewa Piórkowska.