Alphacam GmbH

SAF ™ 3D printing technology

SAF ™ 3D printing technology

Stratasys' Selective Absorption Fusion ™ SAF ™ technology is an industrial-grade powder-based additive manufacturing solution that provides production-level throughput for functional components.

With SAF technology, an infrared absorbing liquid (HAF - High Absorbing Fluid) is selectively applied to a layer of powdery material using industrial print heads. Under the printer's melting lamps, this infrared-sensitive liquid heats up more than the surrounding material. In this way, the powder particles are “selectively” fused, but the material next to them is not.

The SAF technology relies on proven, industrial print heads as well as an innovative method of powder control. A high assembly density and a printing and melting process in one operation enable a higher production throughput. A uniform temperature profile on the print bed produces uniform, reproducible results.
This property is due to the fact that powder, heat and highly absorbent liquid are used completely differently than with other PBF printing solutions.

SAF technology uses piezo-electric print heads that have proven themselves in various industrial fields. These printheads are suitable for high temperature environments to fuse polymers with higher melting points. The control and distribution of the polymer powder in the printer has a direct effect on the printing results. The SAF technology uses the unique Big Wave ™ powder control for this purpose. It ensures that the powder is always distributed over the entire print bed and that there are no thin areas that could lead to overheating.
Big Wave technology brings excess powder straight back into the feeder. This rapid reuse minimizes the heat impact on the powder and reduces powder hardening (which affects the mechanical and thermal properties of the polymer). No new powder needs to be refilled during the printing process, so operating costs are reduced.