Ultrasint® PA11
3D printing material

Ultrasint® PA11 is a bio-based 3D printing material. Discover the benefits and applications of this sustainable material.

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Characteristics

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Do you know that you can send back your Nylon PA11 for recycling?

Ultrasint® PA11 Material Guide

What is Ultrasint® PA11?

Ultrasint® PA11 is a bio-derived powder with exceptionally high toughness. This material has the particularity of offering high ductility and impact strength for all applications. Do you need durable parts able to withstand high mechanical loads and stress? Ultrasint® PA11 is an option to consider.

Ultrasint® PA11 is based on 100% renewable biomass sources. The Castor seed is extracted from the castor plant to make oil. The oil is then converted into the monomer (11-aminoundecanoic acid), which is finally polymerized into Polyamide 11.

 

This PA11 material is a sustainable alternative to PA12, offering interesting properties for your components requiring skin contact. Parts 3D printed with this PA11 material are white.

Ultrasint® PA11 is printed using Selective Laser Sintering. Please keep in mind that you will have to respect specific design guidelines to avoid any problem during the additive manufacturing process. Be sure to check the material design guidelines while creating your 3D file and before you send it for 3D printing. 

What are the possible applications for this material?

  • Medical 

Approved for skin contact

As this material is resistant and approved for skin contact, making it possible to create made-to-measure medical devices such as orthopedic parts.

  • Impact resistance

Charpy impact unnotched: 198 kJ/m2

Ultrasint® PA11 has a good impact resistance making it particularly adapted to the automotive sector for example, to manufacture car interior components. 

  • Living hinges

As Ultrasint® PA11 can withstand high mechanical loads and stress which makes it a perfect solution to manufacture living hinges. 

Pricing​

The printing price of your design is calculated automatically the moment it is uploaded. As you modify your object (changing material, finishing, size, using batch control or hollowing feature, etc.) you will note that the price changes automatically. The pricing is based on a series of factors, including total volume, object size, and bounding box – to name a few.

The estimated shipping time is also calculated automatically as the object is uploaded and each time you make a modification on it. Delivery time should be added to processing time.

For more information, check our pricing page

How does Selective Laser Sintering work?

Sculpteo uses a layer by layer process called Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) to manufacture Ultrasint® PA11 parts.

The Selective Laser Sintering technology uses a highly specific laser that sinters thin layers of powder together one layer at a time. After each round of lasering, the printing bed is lowered and another layer of powder is evenly swept across the top for another round of sintering. This 3D printing process continues until the part is fully printed according to the 3D file.

Maximum size raw (white/unpolished):300 × 300 × 590 mm
Maximum size polished:300 x 220 x 200 mm

x+y+z ≤ 540 mm
Maximum dyed regular:180 x 220 x 220 mm
Maximum size dyed in black:350 x 310 x 310 mm
Maximum size dyed polished:180 x 220 x 220 mm

The maximum size of your models are limited by the physical size of our 3D printers – nothing can be printed larger than the printer bed.

Due to the printing process, your objects will have upskin and downskin. Upskin is a little concave, whereas downskin will show slight convex. Upskin will appear on the top of your object, downskin at the bottom. This is important to consider when you set the orientation of your 3D model. If the upskin and downskin will affect your design, set the orientation beforehand and we will honor it, if you are not sure, our technicians will choose the best one.

Standard layer thickness100µm
AccuracyX-Y : +/- 0,3 % (min : 0,4mm)
Z :  +/- 0,6 % (min : 0,6mm)

Minimum wall thickness  0.8mm

Stemmed elements with support0.8mm
Stemmed elements without support1.5mm

Minimum height and width details

Embossed : 0.5 mm 


Engraved : 0.5 mm

Ratio Depth / width

1/1 

A detail’s minimum precision is mainly determined by the resolution of our 3D printers. However, during the cleaning process, a fine layer of detail can also be lost. In order for a detail and text to be visible we recommend following our recommended sizes at the very least.It’s possible that particularly fine embossings and engravings will not be visible, as the carving could get filled with excess powder that is later unable to be cleaned out. If an embossing or engraving is an essential part of your design we recommend making them as deep as possible. To ensure a better powder removal (thus a better detail visibility), the width of your details must be at least as big as depth.
Enclosed parts ?Yes
Interlocking parts ?Yes


Our material has the ability to print the most complex designs of our materials . An example of a complex design is a volume enclosed within another volume, like a chain or a ball joint connection. Our printers have the ability to print a fully interlocked chain, with no support structures to remove.

Minimum spacing between fixed walls0.5 mm
Minimum clearance between parts0.5 mm


For a successful 3D print a minimum clearance between objects is required to allow excess material to be sand blown out. If this space is not left within the design, the object will be a solid. This is particularly important for articulated objects – as the space left between the walls will define the object’s ability to move.


Do not forget

Clearance should be at least 0.5 mm, however that is the minimum for small objects. Larger objects require more space between their parts. This is due to the HP printing process. Our printer beds are heated during the process, and larger objects are heated for longer periods. A small space between large objects runs the risk of melting together as it remains under heat for a long period of time. In some other cases, holes should be added to allow us to drain for the excess powder material within the clearance.


Hollowing ?  Yes: 5mm

Our online hollowing optimization tool has the ability to greatly reduce the price and the weight of a print by reducing the amount of material used.

Using the tool requires adding two holes to your model, which will serve as the drain for the excess powder material within the object. The minimum size of these holes is determined by our website. Otherwise, it is possible to hollow your object manually in your 3D modeling software.

Value (Dry)

Value (Cond)

Method

Tensile Strength

52 MPa (X) / 54 MPa (Z)

45 MPa (X) / 46 MPa (Z)

ISO 527-2  (23°C) 

Tensile Modulus

1750 MPa (X) / 1800 MPa (Z)

1100 MPa (X) / 1250MPa (Z)

ISO 527-2 (23°C) 

Elongation at Break

28% (X) / 24% (Z)

45% (X) / 31% (Z)

ISO 527-2 (23°C) 

Tensile Strength

31 MPa (X) / 29 MPa (Z)

28 MPa (X) / 26 MPa (Z)

ISO 527-2  (80°C) 

Tensile Modulus

370 MPa (X) / 420 MPa (Z)

300 MPa (X) / 360 MPa (Z)

ISO 527-2 (80°C) 

Elongation at Break

>150%  (X) / 51% (Z)

>150% (X) / 54% (Z)

ISO 527-2 (80°C) 

Charpy Impact unnotched

184 kJ/m² (X) / 85 kJ/m² (Z)

198 kJ/m² (X) / 85 kJ/m² (Z)

ISO 179-1

HDT B (0.45 MPa, dry)

176°C

176°C

ISO 75-2

* The test conducted by Sculpteo has shown different values for the elongation at break and tensile strength. Please contact us for further details

They use Ultrasint® PA11:

Ready to 3D print with Ultrasint® PA11

With Sculpteo’s online 3D printing service you’re just a few clicks away from professional Ultrasint® PA11 3D printing. Your 3D model is printed with the highest quality and delivered straight to your door. 

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