Fil­ament iden­ti­fi­ca­ti­on di­rect­ly in the plas­tic

A masterbatch for the identification of materials in industrial 3D printing has been realised by , Blankenhain together with its development partner Tailorlux. "This allows the authenticity of licensed plastics to be unmistakably determined in the filament that is processed in this additive manufacturing process," explains Lars Schulze, Head of Colour Development and Material Sciences.

The idea of : "We work a marker into the filament that can be used to check whether the correct material has been used. It is permanent in the component and cannot be removed." A hand-held measuring device - also from Tailorlux - can identify the fuse marker in the material or component and thus assign its origin.

At Formnext 23, the simple measuring function was demonstrated with a 3D printer from our partner CR-3D. The measuring electronics were integrated directly into the printing unit and can therefore provide a tamper-evident check and thus perfect counterfeit protection even before 3D printing begins.

In its development, Tailorlux relies exclusively on security pigments from Tailorlux.
Batch dosages can be realised from as little as 1%. The batch can be customised depending on the customer's security requirements for their products. So far, the marker has mainly been used for PLA and PETG. However, PA and PC have also been trialled.