ULTEM™ 9085 is a PEI thermoplastic with a high strength-to-weight ratio and desirable flame, smoke, and toxicity (FST) characteristics.
It is a go-to engineering material in demanding industries like aerospace, automotive, and oil & gas for high-temp tooling, functional prototypes, and high-value production parts that must meet or exceed industry FST requirements.
Markforged has leveraged this advanced material with the FX20, which takes the performance and mechanical qualities of ULTEM™ 9085 filament further with Continuous Fibre Reinforcement (CFR) to print even stronger parts.
The FX20 reinforces ULTEM™ 9085 with continuous Carbon Fibre strands, producing stronger, stiffer, and more heat-resistant fixtures and parts that perform under extreme structural stress.
ULTEM™ 9085 – the super-plastic
ULTEM™ 9085 is an ultra-high performance polyetherimide (PEI) thermoplastic that is amorphous, so it has no constant melting point, opening the door to tooling and fixtures that must withstand high temperatures.
The material is flame-retardant and self-extinguishing, rated to UL 94-V0, with no toxic fumes or smoke during combustion.
Without composite fibre reinforcement, ULTEM™ 9085 has a tensile strength over twice that of standard ABS. It is stronger than PC-ABS, nylon 12, and most filled filaments, such as ABS-CF, demonstrating outstanding performance.
It maintains high strength at high temperatures, with a heat deflection temperature north of 150°C, a glass transition temperature over 180°C, and one of the highest dielectric strengths of any 3D printable thermoplastic.
ULTEM is resistant to various chemicals, such as automotive fluids, oils, aqueous solutions, alcohols, and most solvents.
These characteristics make it a top choice for high-temp tooling, aerospace and aircraft components, heating system fixtures, housings and ducts, semi-structural components, and electrical components.
ULTEM 9085 is often compared with PEEK which offers impressive performance but also presents a challenge due to its semi-crystalline properties, which can cause delamination, warping, and dimensional inaccuracies during printing.
ULTEM is a more cost-effective and easier-to-print alternative that provides greater fusion within layers and superior dimensional stability. It is ideal for printing large parts – especially with composite reinforcement.
ULTEM™ 9085 with the Continuous Fibre Reinforcement
ULTEM™ 9085 is an amazing material but when paired with composite materials, it is one of the most capable engineering materials on the planet.
The Markforged FX20 can print ULTEM™ 9085 as a primary build material instead of Onyx and reinforce it with Carbon Fibre strands.
Continuous Fibre Reinforcement can improve the surface finish, tensile strength, impact resistance, rigidity, and temperature and chemical resistance of ULTEM™ 9085 parts by reinforcing them with long-strand composite fibres.
Why would you want to do this? Because despite ULTEM™ 9085’s brilliance, it has limited strength with thin walls and features, so it is not always suitable for structural components and parts exposed to extreme loading.
CFR offers a solution that can significantly increase strength, stiffness, abrasion resistance, and other qualities. In other words, you can modify ULTEM™ 9085 to suit a broader and more diverse range of applications.
Markforged’s FX20 3D printer delivers unprecedented speed, accuracy, quality, reliability, and size. Its generous build capacity at 525mm x 400mm x 400mm and heated build chamber, capable of maintaining up to 200°C, make it the biggest, fastest, and most reliable 3D printer Markforged has ever produced.
Find out more
To find out more about ULTEM™ 9085 and the FX20, call us on 01765 694 007 or email [email protected].
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Image credits: Markforged.