Research, development and production all under one roof. A team dedicated to make filaments that meet your demands. Always.
INSIDE OUR FACTORYForward AM is part of BASF and in Emmen the FFF department of Forward AM is housed, where the Ultrafuse filaments are produced and sold. We are one of the largest manufacturers in Europe with an exclusive focus on filaments for FFF printing.
It started in 2012 when we made the first monofilament for 3D printing upon request of a printer manufacturer.
Since then, we have developed a broad product portfolio.
End of 2015, being Innofil3D, we invested in new production equipment.
Computer-controlled machinery combined with many years of experience delivers reliable, accurate and consistent filament.
We select the best raw materials available from renowned suppliers.
All our products are 100% traceable to the source.
Innofil3D was acquired by BASF in 2017 and the BASF Ultrafuse brand was created in 2018 for more industrial filaments. In November 2019, BASF Forward AM was launched – the BASF branch for Additive Manufacturing. Ultrafuse is the product group name for all FFF materials from BASF Forward AM.
We rely on 25 years of experience in polymer development and filament extrusion.
BASF Forward AM is integrated into a worldwide network of renowned raw material suppliers, compounders, research institutes, and additives manufacturers.
Development takes place in our own laboratories and pilot plant facilities including testing of printing behavior on selected 3D printers.
We develop materials that give 3D printing professionals the competitive edge: improve productivity (faster and reliable printing), lower costs, reduce time to market and print with high-performance materials.
If you require a customized FFF filament for specific applications, you will find our team of creative and experienced Ph.D. polymer chemists and 3D print specialists as competent partners.
Upscaling of newly developed filaments takes place in 3 comprehensive steps:
New filaments are extensively tested before introduction so you can be sure it will meet your expectations.
All relevant technical and safety data is available for all our products.
Our commitment to material science has made us the first filament manufacturer to release transparent standardized material data for 3D-printed parts according to ISO 178, ISO 179 and ISO 527.
Our drive: the perfect filament for your 3D printing application.
We select the best raw materials available from renowned suppliers. These arrive at our factory in pellets, which are packed in big-bags or octabins of 1000 kg each.
First step is to carefully dry these pellets prior to processing them. This ensures the best printing results.
For some filaments, we mix different materials together in order to get the specific printing properties for the application.
We prefer to use raw materials which are safe to use and which are safe for the environment.
Most of our materials are safe for food contact.
All our products are 100% traceable to the source.
The extruders are the heart of our production lines.
Pellets are mixed under high pressure and high temperature into a homogenous mass. The melted polymer is pushed through a spinneret to form the filament: a long, thin line of plastic.
The filaments are cooled down according to a predefined temperature profile.
All processes are computer controlled to make sure the diameter of every filament is accurate and within tightest tolerances. Consistency of the filament, also between colours and batches, is crucial to ensure the same performance every time.
Diameter and ovality are measured inline by a laser device.
The winding station winds the filaments on a reel.
The machine guides the cooled down filament under light tension on the reel from side to side during winding, to prevent tangling during unwinding on the 3D printer.
Final manual and visual checks are done by the operator: diameter and roundness check, color and filament consistency.
The amount of filament on every reel is carefully measured.
After winding, the filaments are stored for 24 hours to cure.
We can handle different reel sizes, ranging from appr. 300 grams to 8.500 grams net content.
The final steps in which we make sure that the filament is packed in an attractive and functional way.
Reels and retail boxes are labeled and wrapped in high strength foil for protection by a shrinking machine.
The retail boxes can be used many times and are easy to open and close.
The retail boxes are packed in a cardboard box for transport which offers maximum protection and fits perfectly on a pallet.
After the pallet is labeled and wrapped in foil it is ready for transport to any part of the world.
All Ultrafuse products are 100% traceable to the source.