LEHVOSS is developing a new flame-retardant 3D printing filament
Andrew Wheeler posted June 25, 2020 |

High temperature filaments use ceramic fillers to achieve a high level of thermal stability.

The chemical company LEHVOSS Group announced the introduction of a new 3D printing filament with flame retardant properties. The high-temperature polyamide has ceramic fillers in order to achieve a sufficiently high thermal stability to retard very high temperatures without losing its structural stability.

With the new filament LUVOCOM 3F PAHT, users can 3D print and produce flame-retardant components with a layer thickness of 0.4 millimeters. These components meet the guidelines for the safety of the flammability of plastic materials for parts in equipment and appliances, known as UL-94 V0. According to the company, this standard was achieved on an affordable desktop printer. As an example, they used an Ultimaker S5 3D printer to print flame retardant components that reached UL-94 V0.

(With the kind permission of the LEHVOSS Group.)

The filament is compatible with similar FFF desktop 3D printers (Fused Filament Filament). However, there are already pressure profiles for the Ultimaker S5 on the CURA marketplace, while profiles for the Ultimaker S3 are in progress.

No special temperature-controlled pressure chamber is required to heat the filament. It can also be used together with other materials, HIPS or high impact polystyrene. HIPS is a carrier material that is generally used in combination with ABS filaments. It dissolves after printing with d-lime, so there is no need to remove the carrier material after a part has been 3D printed. The new material can also be used with polyvinyl alcohol (known as PVOH, PVA, or PVAl) backing material, a synthetic polymer that dissolves in water.

Manufacturers who use 3D printers to build electrical components may appreciate access to a practical filament with thermal insulation and flame retardant properties from the new LEHVOSS Group material.

Bottom line

There are already some flame retardant filaments on the market from companies like Makerbot with the PC-ABS FR filament, Markforged with the Onyx FR and the Novamid AM1030 FR from DSM. The demand for these products is growing and more options to choose from are generally better for customers using 3D printers to build components that require electrical insulating properties from materials with high enough thermal stability properties to meet industry standards such as UL-94V0 .