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Flame-retardant materials for 3D printing

Print safer parts

Meet the UL94 V0 standard

Flame-retardant 3D printing materials are designed to reduce fire spread and meet the highest safety standards.
The UL94 V0 rating is the most demanding classification for fire resistance in plastics.

Flame-retardant materials make it possible to produce safer, more reliable parts for demanding industrial environments.

What the V0 rating means

The V0 rating is the highest level of the UL94 standard.
It means a material self-extinguishes quickly and does not produce flaming drips that could ignite cotton.

The UL94 standard and what it means

The UL94 rating assesses how a material behaves when exposed to a flame. A V-0 rated polymer self-extinguishes quickly, while a conventional one keeps burning for much longer.

HIPS

HIPS V0

Requirements for the V0 rating
(UL94 vertical burn test)

Criterion V0 requirement Test
Self-extinguishing time ≤ 10 seconds after each flame application 2 applications of 10 s
Total burning time ≤ 50 seconds in total 2 applications
Flaming drips No drips that ignite cotton allowed Cotton placed underneath
Resulting rating V0 Highest UL94 level

V0 materials for 3D printing

V0 rating according to UL94.

PC/ABS FR V0 — High impact and heat resistance
ABS FR V0 — Good dimensional stability
PA6 FR V0 — High mechanical strength
PA12 FR V0 — Stability and chemical resistance
ASA FR V0 — UV and outdoor resistance
PPS FR V0 — High thermal and chemical resistance

Typical applications

Materials rated UL94 V0 are commonly used in sectors such as electronics, industrial automation, rail, aerospace and defence to make electrical enclosures, electronic component mounts, technical housings, guards, cable ducts and parts located near electrical components and heat sources. Thanks to their self-extinguishing behaviour and fire resistance, they make it possible to produce safer components for applications where regulations and reducing the risk of flame spread are key.

Conclusion

Choosing V0-rated materials and meeting the UL94 standard makes it possible to produce safer, more reliable parts ready for demanding industrial applications, especially in sectors where fire resistance is a key requirement.
At R3DIMENSION we work with V0-certified flame-retardant technical materials and can produce large-format industrial parts while maintaining the stability and quality these advanced materials require.

In this article
01 What does a V-0 rating mean? 02 The UL 94 standard and fire ratings for materials 03 What does a material need to achieve UL 94 V-0? 04 Flame-retardant materials for FDM 3D printing 05 Applications of fire-resistant and flame-retardant materials 06 Our summary on flame-retardant materials

At R3DIMENSION we design and build large-format industrial 3D printers, made for technical materials and real industrial production.

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