The Addbor N25 filament. Photo via Additive Composite.
22 Dec
Blog

Additive Composite and Add North 3D develop 3D printing filament with neutron shielding capabilities

Swedish 3D printing material developer Additive composite Uppsala and Add North 3D worked together to develop a polymer composite for radiation protection applications.

The material called Addbor N25 is a combination of boron carbide and nylon and was developed and manufactured as a filament optimized for 3D printing. The radiation protection capabilities are provided by the boron carbide element which provides effective absorption against neutrons. Additive Composite explains that the material can therefore be useful in research facilities, in the nuclear industry or in other places where radiation sources are used. Addbor N25 can be purchased from the Additive Composite website starting at SEK 9,500 ($ 988) / 750g.

Adam Engberg, CEO of Additive Composite stated, “Additive manufacturing is changing the number of products that are designed and manufactured. We believe that Addbor N25 is contributing to this development and helping both industry and large research institutions to replace toxic materials that could ultimately contaminate the environment. “

“Our new product is the first in a series of radiation protection materials that we are currently developing.”

The Addbor N25 filament. Photo via Additive Composite.

Filament production in Sweden

Additive Composite was founded in 2018 and aims to develop new solutions for research and commercial applications that take advantage of additive manufacturing. The company, based in Uppsala, a city near the Swedish capital Stockholm, mainly focuses on the development and marketing of composite materials for additive manufacturing.

With its developed materials, the company also offers an additive manufacturing service for users to manufacture individual custom components as well as small to medium-sized batches. The composite selection for Additive Composites includes gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3) composites, tungsten composites and more.

Add North 3D, on the other hand, is a filament manufacturer that mainly deals with the production of sustainable plastics such as PLA, which are made from renewable resources such as corn starch. Part of the company’s bioplastics research is funded by the Swedish government innovation agencies Vinnova and Almi.

Add North 3D not only develops novel materials with Additive Composite, but also maintains an established partnership with other Swedish developers of graphene nanocomposite materials Graphmatech. The two companies formed a partnership in 2018 to develop a new range of Graphene-based materials for use with FFF / FDM technology. This led to the development of Koltron G1, their first jointly developed product, made with Graphmatech’s Aros graph Material. The filament is a highly electrically and thermally conductive polymer for additive manufacturing. It is also flame retardant and resistant to a range of chemicals, UV light and high continuous working temperatures.

Part 3D printed with Addbor N25 filament. Photo via Additive Composite.Part 3D printed with Addbor N25 filament. Photo via Additive Composite.

The Addbor N25 filament

The development of the Addbor N25 filament is based on original research at Uppsala University. The material, combined with the freedom of design offered by 3D printing, was designed to provide effective shielding against scattered radiation, as manufacturers can create complex shapes for any situation.

Additive Composite explains that the new filament is a suitable alternative to cadmium metal, a toxic metal commonly used in industrial workplaces. The company suggests that with the added benefit of geometric flexibility, the Addbor N25 filament could potentially replace the use of cadmium for radiation protection applications. Boron carbide makes up 25 percent of the total weight of the filament. The nozzle temperature of the Addbor N25 is between 250 and 270 degrees, has a tensile strength of 50 to 58 MPa and a flexural strength of 52 to 81 MPa.

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The picture shown shows a part 3D printed with the Addbor N25 filament. Photo via Additive Composite.

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Printing tests on the final composite magnetic filament. Photos on the University of Seville.
03 Dec
Blog

Seville researchers develop novel technique of composite filament manufacturing

Researchers from the University of Seville, Spain has developed a new process for making highly customizable composite filaments for the FFF 3D printing process.

The process uses pellet-like polymer capsules filled with magnetic additives. Using a 3devo Composer 450 filament manufacturer – a single-screw desktop extruder – the team was able to produce a special composite filament from the capsules that has an even distribution of additives and excellent printability properties.

Printing tests on the final composite magnetic filament. Photos on the University of Seville.

Formulation of filaments for FFF

Filaments and materials in general can be further functionalized with additives – particles that are embedded in the base matrix and add strength or some other desirable property. In the case of polymer filaments, achieving a very uniform additive dispersion can significantly increase homogeneity and maximize mechanical properties throughout the material. This usually requires several extrusion cycles with a twin screw compounder in order to really use the entropy effects.

While the cyclic method is effective, it is often impossible without special production equipment that a research laboratory may not always have available, let alone the time it takes to spend multiple extrusion runs. As a result, materials studies are sometimes limited to the compositions and filler concentrations offered by commercial companies – a potential impedance to science.

PLA capsules and steel powder

The first part of the Seville study involved the formulation of the new particle-filled capsules. The scientists used commercially available PLA pellets to 3D print a grid of open hollow capsules (almost like an ice cube tray). The team then filled each capsule with soft magnetic maraging steel powder before the lids were closed with PLA lids and sealed with acetone. The result: a range of highly customizable PLA pods filled with magnetic powder.

Printing and filling the capsules. Image via the University of Seville.Printing and filling the capsules. Image via the University of Seville.

Then it was time to extrude the newly developed capsules to make the final filament. Since the capsules were completely sealed, the risk of the magnetic additive building up and being retained in certain places in the extruder was eliminated. The PLA shells reached the melt zone of the extruder in one piece so they could maintain their filler levels throughout the process.

SEM image of the magnetic steel in the PLA matrix. Image via the University of Seville.SEM image of the magnetic steel in the PLA matrix. Image via the University of Seville.

X-ray tomography imaging of the resulting filament indicated that the batch had produced a smooth and continuous composite material with a uniform magnetic powder distribution. The researchers cite the need for a single extrusion run on a relatively inexpensive single screw extruder as the main advantage of the process. Despite the lack of industrial resources, the team continued to be able to create a predictable and reproducible filament composition and intends to expand research to other polymer matrices and additives.

X-ray tomography showing the even distribution of the steel in the PLA matrix. Image via the University of Seville.X-ray tomography showing the even distribution of the steel in the PLA matrix. Image via the University of Seville.

For more details on the study, see the article entitled ‘Novel process for the production of functional composite filaments for additive manufacturing on a laboratory scale‘. It is co-author of Á. Díaz-García, JY Law, A. Cota, A. Bellido-Correa, J. Ramírez-Rico, R. Schäfer and V. Franco.

Multi-material composite filaments have grown in importance in recent years as the technology used for printing has advanced. Earlier this month 3D printer manufacturer RIZE debuted his new very durable RIZIUM fiberglass filament for use with its FFF 3D printers. The fiber-reinforced material has high dimensional stability and rigidity and is mainly intended for the manufacture of large parts.

Elsewhere, the U.S. Army has gone a step further and reinforced one polymer filament with another polymer filament. The high strength material has a Polycarbonate core and an ABS shelland is designed for use with low cost extrusion printers.

The 4th annual 3D Printing Industry Awards are coming up in November 2020 and we need a trophy. With the chance to be there to win a brand new product Craftbot Flow IDEX XL 3D printer, Enter the MyMiniFactory trophy design contest here. We are happy to accept submissions until September 30, 2020.

Subscribe to the 3D printing industry newsletter for the latest news in additive manufacturing. You can also stay connected by following us Twitter and like us Facebook.

Looking for a career in additive manufacturing? visit 3D print jobs for a selection of roles in the industry.

The picture shown shows the X-ray tomography of the evenly distributed steel in the PLA matrix. Image via the University of Seville.