Novamid AM1030 FR: Royal DSM Releases Flame-Retardant FDM Material

While Royal DSM, hailing from the Netherlands, is a global company based on science and promoting sustainability for individuals and industries everywhere, they continue to make substantial impacts within the 3D printing realm too. Now, they are tackling the ever-present issue of safety in the workplace with the release of Novamid AM1030 FR, the first UL Blue-Card-certified filament for open systems.

A flame-retardant for manufacturers in need of an easy-to-use material to run in open 3D printing systems, Novamid AM1030 FR offers a great solution, stemming from the Novamid line. Certified as V0 at 1.6 and 3.2 mm, the PA6/66 material is meant for intensive applications used within industries like automotive and electronics.

DSM tested the new material on an Ultimaker S5 3D printer in a UL-certified lab, creating a sample part for evaluation. The flame retardant will work with any open-platform, FFF 3D printer, opening the door for manufacturers around the world looking for solutions to meet necessary regulations.

“Moving additive manufacturing to full scale industrial production requires more materials that meet customer and market needs,” said Nirali Surati, Product Manager Additive Manufacturing at DSM. This innovation in flame-retardant materials unlocks affordable 3D printing for applications that need to meet governmental and industry regulatory standards with regard to flammability.”

Novamid AM1030 FR is a non-halogenated, relatively environmentally friendly, high-performance material.

“Because of 3D printing’s continued penetration into industrial applications, we have noticed increasing end-user demand for standardization, predictability, and reliability of FFF 3D printing. Thanks to the collaboration between DSM and Ultimaker, it is now possible for industrial customers to produce functional parts that are validated by safety and compliance company UL (Underwriters Laboratories),” says Stefan Weyrich, Business Development Manager Materials at Ultimaker.

Both Royal DSM and Ultimaker continue to promote using 3D printing to make positive change. We have seen some incredible stories from users traveling to pick up trash and recycle plastics into 3D printed items on their Ultimaker to upcycling into 3D printed prosthetics. Innovations abound, and today many of them are connected with environmentally-friendly efforts. DSM is famous for its collaborations with many other startups around the world, along with funding many of them too—most recently this was the case as they led a round of funding with Additive Manufacturing Technologies.

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