Posted to News on 7th Sep 2021, 00:00
Igus develops a blue tribo-filament for cost-effective 3D printed parts for the food industry
Responding to customer demand, iglidur I151 is a blue, easy-to-process material and has the best friction and wear values in its class. This new tribo-filament is a further development of the iglidur I150 all-rounder filament from Igus. Due to its blue colour, parts can be produced that are highly visible in the food industry. Compliance with FDA and EU 10/2011 regulations means the material is safe to be in contact with food and further qualifies the high-performance plastic for use in the food and cosmetics sectors.
Since 2017, Igus has successfully supplied its all-rounder material iglidur I150 as a high-quality 3D printing material. The filament is very easy to process on conventional 3D printers. Special parts can be produced quickly and cost-effectively using the FDM 3D printing process. “However, many customers, especially in the food industry, wanted a blue and FDA-compliant filament that has similar properties to iglidur I150. We have now developed iglidur I151,” explains Dean Aylott, product manager for 3D printing at Igus UK.
The new tribo-filament is suitable for printing components with high wear-resistant properties. Because the material is enriched with solid lubricants it does not require additional lubrication, ruling out the possible risk of contamination. The printed components are compliant with FDA (US) regulations and EU Regulation 10/2011 and are therefore ideally suited for use in the food and cosmetics industries. The blue colour – which really stands out in a food production environment – ensures high detectability, if a part were to accidentally enter a food batch. And iglidur I151 can be processed on any 3D printer where the nozzle temperature can be adjusted to 250°C.
Igus says iglidur I151 has similar mechanical properties to iglidur I150 in terms of strength, toughness, and layer adhesion. It was also convincing in wear tests in the Igus test laboratory compared to standard plastics such as ABS and nylon, and has a service life up to 100 times higher. The new filament can be ordered directly as rolling stock from the online shop.
Alternatively, users can order their wear-resistant iglidur material from the Igus 3D printing service. Simply upload the STEP data, select the material, quantity and order the individual parts directly. The new tribo-filament for the food industry was launched on April 20th at the Ultimaker Transformation Summit and I151 will soon be available on the Ultimaker Marketplace. Here, users of Ultimaker 3D printers benefit in that all the material profiles are already included so that printing can begin immediately without any pre-sets.
