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Stainless Steel 316L
Single Alloy Stainless Steel 316L (100% Stainless Steel)
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About Stainless Steel 316L
Stainless Steel 316L is manufactured using ExOne’s "Triple Advanced Compaction Technology" with a binder jetting system. Unlike our Steel that is steel infused with bronze, this material is a single alloy, 100% Stainless steel 316L. Stainless Steel 316L is an industrial metal used in many applications from cookware to surgical tooling. It is highly corrosion resistant and has high strength in low and high temperature environments.
Common Applications
Manufacturing Heat Exchangers, Medical Tools, Fasteners, Mounting Brackets
Material Properties
Corrosion Resistance
Easily Machined and Polished
High Tensile Strength at High Temperatures
Handling and Care
Skin-Friendly
Not Food Safe
UV Stable
Interested in Stainless Steel for your project?
CONTACT OUR SALES TEAMFrequently Asked Questions
What finishes are available?
Natural: Ceramic media blasted to achieve a matte, somewhat rough surface Polished: Tumbled-polished to achieve a smooth surface
How is this material made?
ExOne's binder jetting technology produces the parts with their combined "Triple Advanced Compaction Technology" that compacts powder into a more dense green state. This process does not require the bronze infusion step and instead goes straight into the furnace to produce single alloys parts that are +97% dense.
What is the difference between Steel and Stainless Steel?
Our Steel material is a mix of 60% Stainless Steel and 40% Bronze, whereas our Stainless Steel is 100% Stainless Steel, also known as a single alloy. Since Stainless Steel 316L is not infused with bronze, stilts are not required leaving the surface free of any artifacts from stilts.
How do I get a quote and place an order for this material through Shapeways?
For now, you must contact a sales representative to request a quote and place an order in Stainless Steel 316L. We plan on making this material available through our instant quoting platform soon. Since this is a new technology, we want to provide more assistance initially to help ensure that Stainless Steel 316L will meet your project needs.
What is Stainless Steel 316L?
Stainless steel is an iron alloy that contains chromium, which causes the metal to be corrosion resistant. AISI 316L (American Iron and Steel Institute) or EN 1.4404 (European Standard or euronorm) is a type of stainless steel that contains lower amounts of carbon than 316 or 1.4401 that improves its weldability.
Technical Documents
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Applications
Mechanical Parts
Bike Parts
Structural Parts
Technology
Selective Laser Melting
- Bounding Box
- Wall Thickness
- Wires
- Surface Details
- Escape Holes
- Clearance
- Interlocking Parts
- Multiple Parts
- Accuracy
- Design Tips
- Pricing
BOUNDING BOX
Maximum
127 × 127 × 76.2 mm
Minimum
15 × 15 × 3 mm
Your model should be within the minimum and maximum bounding box sizes. The maximum bounding box represents the largest model that our printers can produce. The minimum bounding box size is the smallest dimension in which we can print in this material.
WALL THICKNESS
Min Supported Wall Thickness
0.8 mm
Min Unsupported Wall Thickness
1 mm
A supported wall is connected on at least two sides. Walls in your model must meet the minimum measurements to ensure it survives the printing and cleaning process. Thin walls are prone to warping during printing and are fragile to clean. Objects that meet the minimum requirements may still be rejected based on the geometry in which case our production team will communicate with you if the design needs improvements and can assist you to strengthen your model.
WIRES
Min Supported Wires
0.8 mm
Min Unsupported Wires
1 mm
A geometry is considered a wire when it is thinner in both unconnected directions than its length. Wires that are under our suggested minimums are prone to breaking in the cleaning process.
SURFACE DETAILS
Min embossed detail
1 mm high & wide
Min engraved detail
1 mm deep & wide
We recommend these minimum measurements for details like embossing or engraving, based on printer resolution.
ESCAPE HOLES
Single Escape Hole Diameter
5.0 mm
Multiple Escape Hole Diameter
2.54 mm
Pressurized air is used to blast excess powder from models that are hollow, or contain hollow cavities. In order for us to safely do this, escape holes need to be larger than 5.0 mm in diameter. For models larger than 50.00 mm³ we require two or more escape holes at least 2.54 mm in diameter.
A single escape hole at the end of a cavity will not allow material in the corners near the escape hole to fully escape. So we recommend multiple escape holes at both ends of the cavity.
CLEARANCE
0.3 mm
Clearance is the space between two parts, e.g. space between gears or a ball and socket joint.
INTERLOCKING AND ENCLOSED PARTS
No.
Stainless Steel is printed by depositing a liquid binder onto a bed of steel powder one layer at a time. The product is then removed from the printer and sintered in a furnace. While the product is being transferred from the printer to the furnace, it exists in a delicate "green state" which does not support interlocking parts.
MULTIPLE PARTS
Up to 250.
ACCURACY
±5%
DESIGN TIPS
Some details are lost during polishing
Polishing gives this material a beautiful finish, but can have an impact on fine details. During the polishing step, fine or sharp-edged details may be polished down or even broken off. Keep this in mind when you're designing fine details.
Internal cavities can not be polished
We can only polish well-reachable surfaces, so tight internal spaces may remain unpolished.
Keep embossed and engraved details shallow
Engraved details must not be too deep, and embossed details must not be too tall. The width of your detail must be the same or greater than how far it juts out from the surface (or sinks in for engraving). Engraved details that are too deep will cause issues when casting. Embossed details that are too tall are more likely to chip and break during production (unless the detail meets the minimum wall requirements).
PRICING
How will the price of my model be calculated?
- Material Volume - the amount of material needed to 3D print your product
- Bounding Box Volume - the amount of space your product takes up in the printer
- Production - associated production costs including labor; quality control; machine maintenance; general utilities; and other supporting services required to 3D print your product
What is the minimum price per part?
- Natural - $40
- Polished - $40
