3D Printing with Z-ULTRAT Plus Filament on Zortrax Inventure

Zortrax Inventure is a professional dual-extrusion 3D printer that accurately prints with resilient ABS-based filaments like Z-ULTRAT Plus. Compared with standard ABS, Z-ULTRAT Plus has better interlayer adhesion, can withstand stronger impacts, and is less susceptible to abrasion. It’s perfect for prototyping heavy duty parts but it needs high temperatures during both extrusion and cool down. Zortrax Inventure can handle it with ease.

ABS vs. PLA 

A choice between Z-PLA and Z-ULTRAT Plus  depends on your needs. Polylactic acid (PLA) has almost no shrinkage and high hardness, but is brittle andFacts PLA filaments are hard but brittle while ABS filaments are less hard but also less brittle. PLA deforms in temperatures reaching 60 °C (140 °F). Prototypes made of ABS are more enduring and more popular in the industry. deforms in relatively low temperatures around 60 °C (140 °F). Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) has higher shrinkage, but is resistant to way higher temperatures and impacts. That’s why an ABS-based material is a typical choice for functional prototypes as it makes them more enduring. Designing Zortrax Inventure, we have identified three areas where we could make prototyping easier and more efficient. First, we needed to make standard ABS easier to print with. Second, we had to make it 3D print with high dimensional accuracy.

A 3D printed bicycle cassette attached on the rear wheel’s axis.

Third, to enable 3D printing of complex shapes, we had to make ABS-based materials work with PVA-soluble support filament. Zortrax Inventure has been built as an answer to all those challenges.

Z-ULTRAT Plus

Z-ULTRAT Plus is an enhanced ABS-based filament dedicated for Zortrax Inventure. It can withstand stress reaching up to 31.32 MPa (4540 psi). It’s flexural modulus stands at 1.51 GPa (219 ksi).Facts Z-ULTRAT Plus shrinks significantly less than standard ABS. Excellent interlayer adhesion makes Z-ULTRAT Plus stronger. This filament 3D prints at 245 °C (505 °F).  ABS chemical composition has been improved to reduce cracking and shrinkage. The material also has nearly perfect bed and interlayer adhesion. Z-ULTRAT Plus is strong enough for functional prototypes of parts or entire mechanisms meant to withstand extensive testing over long periods of time. We have been able to 3D print a functional bicycle cogwheel out of Z-ULTRAT Plus. After attaching it onto a real bike we could actually ride it. It worked. But its resilience comes at a price. The material prints at temperatures reaching 245 °C (505 °F) which is way too high for standard PVA soluble support material.

A 3D printed bicycle cassette before PVA support dissolution in the Zortrax DSS Station.

It guarantees high dimensional accuracy only where there is relatively hot in the printing chamber. To make it work in Zortrax Inventure, we started with the tackling the temperature management.

Printig Chamber

To handle high temperature materials, Zortrax Inventure has been designed around an enclosed, heated printing chamber. This way, hot filament getting out of the nozzle Facts Zortrax Inventure maintains 80 °C (176 °F) in the printing chamber when working with Z-ULTRAT Plus. The model is cooled down to room temperature during the last 10 min. of the 3D printing process. All layers cool down simultaneously at the same exact rate to eliminate warping. doesn’t rapidly cool down to ambient temperature. Instead it is kept at around 80 °C (176 °F) until the entire model is 3D printed to avoid warping, cracking, and shrinkage. Only then Zortrax Inventure cools it down further to room temperature. All layers cool down simultaneously at the same rate. Moreover, in Zortrax Inventure the printing chamber is an isolated environment. There are no sudden temperature drops caused by air currents or air conditioning.

A bike’s rear wheel with a 3D printed cassette.

The temperature is uniform across the entire build space through the entire printing process. That’s how we have ensured models 3D printed with Z-ULTRAT are dimensionally accurate. Then there is the soluble support.

Soluble Support 

Z-SUPPORT Plus is a PVA-based soluble support filament designed to work with Z-ULTRAT Plus. It can  be 3D printed in temperatures reaching 245° C (505° F), Facts Z-SUPPORT Plus is a PVA-based support filament designed to work with Z-ULTRAT Plus. The material dissolves in water with no additional solvents required. Zortrax DSS Station is a soluble support removal device designed to efficiently dispose of PVA support structures. enough to make it work with high temperature ABS-based materials. The filament’s main ingredient is polyvinyl acetate (PVA), which is easily dissolvable in water, nontoxic, and biodegradable. Apart from water, there no additional solvents needed to remove it from your models. To make dissolvable support removal easier, we have also designed the Zortrax DSS Station. The device circulates water at the right temperature to improve the rate of support structures dissolution.

A 3D printed bicycle cassette with support material still on.

While it is possible that some amount of support material will remains on the model, it is easy to remove it with a brush.

Benefits of Inventure 

High-temperature ABS-based materials are perfect for 3D printing functional prototypes, but they are usually recommended for more experienced users. Facts Untrained staff can 3D print complex prototypes with Z-ULTRAT Plus on Zortrax Inventure. Z-SUITE software has all predefined setting in place so there is no need for expertise. Zortrax Inventure has been designed to reduce shrinkage and warping of ABS-based filaments.  Zortrax Inventure makes working with them easy even for untrained staff. First, the integrated Zortrax Ecosystem consist of hardware, software, and materials designed and tested to work together. Z-SUITE slicer has all predefined settings to make Z-ULTRAT Plus easily 3D print with Z-SUPPORT Plus. It works as a package. Second, Zortrax Inventure printing chamber has been designed for dimensionally accurate 3D printing of high-temperature materials.

3D printed bicycle cassettes: the one with support structures on the left and the one without them on the right.

Third, even intricate shapes can be 3D printed due to the soluble support system. That’s how Zortrax Inventure can easily handle resilient high-temperature materials like Z-ULTRAT Plus.