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ELIX Polymers has added two new grades to the Ultimaker Marketplace for 3D printing equipment FDM applications. The move was made together with three partner companies producing filament from ELIX ABS: 3R3D, Filoalfa brand owner Ciceri de Mondel and Print-me. The companies in the partnership cooperated within the Ultimaker Material Alliance Program.

The two new ABS grades are ELIX 3D-FC and ELIX ABS 3D-HI. ELIX 3D-FC is certified for medical and food contact applications, complying with the ISO 10993-1 and USP Class VI standards determining biocompatibility. Certification covers the whole material recipe, including color pigments (the material is available in different colors).

The second grade, ELIX 3D-HI, is a high-impact ABS grade with reportedly lower density than other ABS grades and offering very high impact resistance, even at very low temperatures. Impact performance is comparable with ABS/PC, which has a higher density, making the new grade particularly suitable for automotive applications where weight-saving is an issue.

Both new ELIX grades offer superior layer adhesion and 3D printing results, the company stated. Possible applications include functional prints of prototype parts (assembly tests in automotive, for example), industrial/medical tooling (jigs and fixtures) and short series of personalized parts.

During the Hannover Messe in April, Ultimaker announced that its Ultimaker Material Alliance Program had already inspired more than 80 companies worldwide to develop material print profiles for FFF 3D printing. The program was launched a year earlier to meet the growing demand for industrial-grade engineering 3D printing materials.