SABIC releases new support filament for additive manufacturing

August 28, 2019 – SABIC has released a breakaway support material for fused deposition modeling called AMS31F filament.

The new filament maintains rigidity during printing and provides pliability during post-processing to enable easier removal of scaffolding at room temperature, which can help reduce the time required to produce finished parts.

The new AMS31F filament is for use with SABIC’s ULTEM AM9085F filament, a polyetherimide (PEI) material that provides high heat resistance and mechanical strength, which are optimal properties for potential aerospace applications, as well as for automotive, oil and gas and tooling applications.

The filament helps part producers increase their productivity by helping to reduce the time required to remove structural supports. The AMS31F filament easily separates at room temperature, and its white colour provides a sharp contrast to the amber color of ULTEM filament, which allows operators to more quickly identify the structures to be removed.

Often the print direction chosen by operators is aimed at reducing structural support to minimize post- processing time and may not be optimal for the mechanical performance of the part. The ease of removing the AMS31F support filament gives the operator greater latitude in defining part orientation that is better suited to optimize printing efficiency and part performance.

Used together, the new breakaway support filament and ULTEM AM9085F filament are compatible with Stratasys Fortus Classic printers and a variety of open architecture industrial printers.