New tribo-filament from igus pledges cost-effective production of special 3D printed parts for food industry
iglidur 1151 is a “blue, easy-to-process material and has the best friction and wear values in its class”, says igus. This new tribo-filament is a further development of the iglidur 1150 all-rounder filament. Due to its blue colour, parts can be produced that are highly visible in the food industry.
“Compliance with FDA (US Food & Drug Administration) 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.”
All-rounder material
Since 2017, igus has successfully supplied its all-rounder material iglidur 1150 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 1150. We have now developed iglidur 1151,” explains Dean Aylott, product manager of 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,” adds the company. “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.
Stand-out colour
“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, iglidur 1151can be processed on any 3D printer where the nozzle temperature can be adjusted to 250ºC.”
iglidur 1151 has similar mechanical properties to iglidur 1150, in terms of strength, toughness and layer adhesion. “iglidur 1151 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,” states igus.