Discover the new benefits of Ultrasint® PA11 with Sculpteo!

Posted By Stephany Vaussanvin on Dec 8, 2022 | 0 comments

Nylon PA12 is one of the most extensively used engineering thermoplastic materials for additive prototypes and end-use product manufacturing. However, as companies and clients demand cleaner, more sustainable materials, PA11 quickly becomes the material of choice. 

Ultrasint® PA11 is a comparably priced eco-friendly material that consistently delivers high performance and durability. Trusted to perform in some of the most demanding environments, Ultrasint® PA11 is the perfect material for various applications. 

What are the benefits of using PA11 with Sculpteo?

With the above benefits in mind, we have good news! Sculpteo has expanded its capabilities to produce Ultrasint® PA11 in-house to cut down lead times from 11 days to 3-4 days and adjust pricing favorably for series prints in Ultrasint® PA11 for over 20 parts. It’s also now possible to produce bigger parts (up to 510mm) with SLS PA11. 

Also, the economy mode for your SLS PA11 printed parts is now available when checking out. Don’t need your parts right away? Select economy mode at shipping and get a reduced cost!

What is  Ultrasint® PA11? 

Ultrasint® PA11 is a bio-derived powder with exceptionally high toughness that offers outstanding flexibility and impact strength for all applications. If you need durable parts to withstand high mechanical loads and stress, then  Ultrasint® PA11 is the perfect option. 

Ultrasint® PA11 is based on 100% renewable biomass sources. Made from castor seed extracted from castor plants to make oil. The oil is then converted into the monomer (11-aminoundecanoic acid), which is finally polymerized into Polyamide 11. 

Making Ultrasint® PA11 a sustainable alternative to PA12 while offering even more advantages like skin-safe contact parts. 

Parts 3D printed with  Ultrasint® PA11 material are white and are printed using Selective Laser Sintering technology. Please consult our design guidelines to avoid problems during the additive manufacturing process. Checking the material design guidelines while creating your 3D file before you send it for 3D printing is highly recommended. 

The suitable and sustainable alternative to PA12 

As previously mentioned, if your parts require skin contact, Ultrasint® PA11 is the 3D printing material suitable for your part. Since it is derived from a biomass source, it is safe for medical, sports, and food contact applications. 

The most apparent benefits of its counterpart, PA12, are ductility, impact strength, abrasion, and fatigue resistance, especially at very cold temperatures. For these reasons, PA11 is the material of choice for production rather than prototyping. PA11 also has superior isotropic performance compared to that PA12. 

PA11 is well suited to help designers create products with new geometries and simplify their supply chains thanks to the benefits of its mechanical properties. For example, with PA11’s excellent ductility, parts can be designed with thinner walls, resulting in lighter, lower-cost parts, reducing waste and faster production times. With superior impact and abrasion resistance, PA11 parts have a longer serviceable lifetime, once again saving costs and reducing downtime for the systems in which they are applied. 

How does Selective Laser Sintering work?

Sculpteo uses a layer-by-layer process called Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) to manufacture Ultrasint® PA11 parts.

The Selective Laser Sintering technology uses a highly specific laser that sinters thin layers of powder together one layer at a time. After each round of lasering, the printing bed is lowered, and another layer of powder is evenly swept across the top for another round of sintering. This 3D printing process continues until the part is fully printed according to the 3D file.

Want to move beyond the status quo with high-performance, sustainable solutions? Ultrasint® PA11 offers a unique set of properties, positioning itself as the best option for 3D printing high-quality, durable and eco-friendly parts. 

Contact a sales representative to discuss further the needs of your project or part and how PA11 can meet those specifications.