Partnership to deliver metal additive manufacturing

3D print specialist 3DGBIRE has announced a partnership with CMG Technologies – a leading provider of Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) – to bring UK-based de-binding and sintering capabilities for parts that have been 3D printed with BASF Ultrafuse 316L and 17-4PH stainless steel filaments.

The move will enable customers to rapidly introduce metal additive manufacturing into their businesses and produce pure, industrial-grade metal prototypes and end-use parts in as little as five days, without having to export them overseas for de-binding and sintering after printing. 

Leah Melling, marketing, sales and technical support manager at 3DGBIRE, explained: “This partnership with CMG Technologies will make it easier and faster than ever for customers to print metal parts and prototypes on FFF or FDM 3D printers and finish them with de-binding and sintering – all here in the UK. 

“Previously, parts had to be shipped to Germany for processing, which was costly and time consuming, so we were naturally very keen to bring a de-binding and sintering offering into the UK that will ultimately enable business to realise the enormous cost and time savings of additive manufacturing.”

The development helps businesses to reduce lead times, allowing them to quickly produce prototypes and begin production with additive manufacturing, whilst avoiding expensive tooling and mould costs if high volumes are not required. 

Parts are produced with Ultrafuse 316L and 17-4PH filaments, which contain high levels of stainless steel and polymer binders to enable easy printing. The binder content is then removed from the printed part via a catalytic de-binding process, and the part is then sintered to a high density to achieve its hardness and strength. The parts produced by this process are virtually identical to those produced by MIM or CNC, which are more costly manufacturing methods for small batches.