Following collaborations with leading materials companies, including Owens Corning and DSM, Ultimaker has announced a complete solution for printing high-performance composites on the Ultimaker S5.
They have announced material profiles for Owens Corning XSTRAND and DSM Novamid materials will become available in Ultimaker Cura, allowing owners of the S5 3D printer to print with these materials. To support these new materials, a new abrasion-resistant print core named CC Red 0.6 has also been announced.
“Joining forces with these leading material experts will give each Ultimaker S5 in the field an extra upgrade and there will be much more to come,” said Jos Burger, Ultimaker CEO.
New composites-ready print core
The CC Red 0.6 print core is compatible with the Ultimaker S5 and allows you to print with Owens Corning XSTRAND and DSM Novamid materials. The standard print core doesn’t offer the abrasion resistance required to print these materials reliably, hence the new core. The new core achieves perfect print results, is designed for a lifetime of abrasion-ready 3D printing and offers the same seamless use as a standard print core printing Ultimaker filament.
For now, the print core supports two third party materials which we’ll take a closer look at below.
New high-performance composite materials
Ultimaker offers a range of proprietary professional filaments including Nylon, Tough PLA and PC. Their announcement to support two third party materials shows their commitment to offering users the best possible 3D printing solution, whatever the application, even if that means approaching external vendors.
Owens Corning XSTRAND (glass-fiber reinforcement)
DSM Novamid (carbon fibre polyamide)
DSM Novamid is a unique polyamide with 10% chopped carbon fibre, allowing you to 3D print parts with exceptional strength. It produces stronger, tougher, and stiffer prints than any Ultimaker filament and importantly, it doesn’t sacrifice print speed in the process. This material is suited to demanding structural automotive applications and functional prototypes. It has excellent chemical resistance, especially for oils and organic solvents.
Hugo da Silva, Vice President of Additive Manufacturing at DSM commented: “Together with Ultimaker we can contribute to offer a simple, hassle-free solution, as their software and the Ultimaker S5 are fully aligned with our materials to create unlimited high-demanding parts.”
These announcements usher in a new era of manufacturing capability with Ultimaker 3D printers. The S5 is the first ever model to print composite materials and also the first to have its own dedicated composite print core. Engineers who produce parts for high-stress applications (such as in the automotive industry) now have a way to produce tough parts for less in-house.
You can find out more about these announcements on the Ultimaker website.