The Virtual Foundry recently won a patent for its proprietary process for extruding metal, glass or ceramic powder with a thermoplastic binder into continuous filament suitable for use in fused filament 3D printers.

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Once an object is printed using this hybrid material, it is sintered to remove the plastic binder. This process produces an object of consistently high purity – up to 98% of the base material. The Virtual Foundry’s plastic-infused metal, ceramic and glass filaments have the potential to revolutionize metal additive manufacturing, because they enable objects to be 3D printed on inexpensive FDM equipment.

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This breakthrough has been made possible by continuing advancements in powdered metallurgy and sintering practices. “Together, our hybrid filaments, FDM printers and sintering ovens represent a new, more affordable, open-source platform for metal additive manufacturing,” explains Bradley Woods, founder of The Virtual Foundry. “We believe they will have an impact on every category […]

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