| HS Code | 365048 |
| Material Type | Polyetherimide (PEI) - ULTEM 9085 |
| Tensile Strength | 68.6 MPa (9,950 psi) XY |
| Tensile Modulus | 2,482 MPa (360,000 psi) |
| Elongation At Break | 5.5% |
| Flexural Strength | 110 MPa (16,000 psi) |
| Flexural Modulus | 2,413 MPa (350,000 psi) |
| Notched Izod Impact | 53 J/m (1.0 ft-lb/in) |
| Heat Deflection Temperature At 0 45 Mpa | 153°C (307°F) |
| Heat Deflection Temperature At 1 82 Mpa | 127°C (260°F) |
| Glass Transition Temperature | 185°C (365°F) |
| Density | 1.34 g/cm³ |
| Specific Gravity | 1.34 |
| Dielectric Strength | 13.8 kV/mm (350 V/mil) |
| Thermal Conductivity | 0.22 W/m·K |
| Coefficient Of Thermal Expansion | 5.6E-5 m/m/°C (3.1E-5 in/in/°F) |
| Flammability | UL 94 V-0, FAR 25.853 |
| Food Contact | NSF 51 |
As an accredited 3D Systems Fused Deposition Modeling Material ULTEM factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
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In high-bypass commercial aircraft cabin air distribution systems, the ULTEM 9085 grade of 3D Systems Fused Deposition Modeling Material is processed on extrusion-based additive platforms with actively heated build chambers held at 180–195 °C and nozzle setpoints between 365 °C and 390 °C. The application family includes overhead gasper nozzles, environmental control system duct adapter flanges, avionics wire-routing brackets, and stowage latch housings where 14 CFR Part 25 cabin interior flammability rules apply. Compliance is screened under FAR 25.853(a) vertical burn and FAR 25.853(d) heat release and smoke emission requirements, commonly benchmarked to OSU peak heat release of 65 kW/m² and two-minute total heat release of 65 kW·min/m², with smoke density measured by ASTM E662. The formulation addition ratio for this feedstock is 0 phr fiber or flame-retardant filler; ULTEM 9085 is an unfilled, proprietary polyetherimide blend whose component ratio is fixed by the resin supplier. Any regrind addition above 10 wt% reduces the flame-smoke-toxicity margin and is not permitted for cabin-certified parts. The production process requires high-temperature dual-extruder hardware; parts longer than 450 mm in the XY plane demand chamber temperature uniformity better than ±5 °C to prevent corner curl and interlayer delamination. On build cycles exceeding 60 h, desiccant-bank drying at 120 °C for 4 h before processing maintains feed moisture below 0.02 wt%, because moisture-driven hydrolytic degradation shifts melt viscosity and creates voiding at contour-to-raster boundaries. Terminal parts are installed as FAA-screened cabin air nozzles, duct adapter flanges, cable standoffs, and stowage bin latch housings.
Rail vehicle interior components printed from the ULTEM 9085 grade are evaluated under EN 45545-2:2020 requirement set R1, with the applicable hazard level confirmed through EN 45545-1:2013 vehicle classification. Heat release is measured by ISO 5660-1:2015, smoke density by ISO 5659-2:2017, and lateral flame spread by ISO 5658-2:2019; the unfilled resin system is screened for the maximum average rate of heat emission and Ds max endpoints normally required for interior horizontal and vertical surfaces. The formulation addition ratio is 0 phr reinforcing fiber, while black pigmentation is introduced through a resin-matched masterbatch at 2–3 wt%; halogen-bearing color packages are excluded because they can raise smoke density during post-flashover testing. Processing for large passenger seat back shells and cable trunking uses a build chamber at 185–195 °C, 0.010 in slice height, and contour-plus-raster toolpaths with alternately reversed raster orientation every layer to reduce in-plane residual stress. After support removal, parts are annealed at 180 °C for 2 h in a forced-air oven with ramp rates of 1–2 °C/min, then inspected for warpage against a granite datum with a dial indicator tolerance of ±0.005 in/in over the longest dimension. Terminal product types include passenger seat back shells, armrest caps, HVAC duct segments, cable trunking brackets, and driver console enclosures.
Because steam sterilization at 134 °C introduces hydrolytic stress and dimensional relaxation, unfilled ULTEM 1010 FDM feedstock is selected for surgical cutting guides, drill guides, trial sizers, and hospital sterilization trays that must survive repeated autoclave cycles without cracking. The compliance pathway for patient-contacting devices includes ISO 10993-5:2009 for cytotoxicity and ISO 10993-10:2010 for irritation and skin sensitization when tested on the finished FDM surface; the resin itself is frequently supplied with a USP Class VI monograph, but that does not exempt the manufacturer from validating the printed surface, support removal chemistry, and cleaning protocol. Published autoclave cycling data for FDM ULTEM 1010 specifically is limited; resin-level thermal stability data must be supplemented by part-level performance qualification. The formulation addition ratio is 0 wt% filler, 0 phr plasticizer, and 0 phr nucleating agent; the material is 100% polyetherimide resin. Printed solids use 100% infill, 0.010 in layer height, and closed-loop extrusion calibration at 1.00–1.03 times nominal filament feed to eliminate internal voiding. After support dissolution and rinsing, parts are cleaned with 70% isopropanol, then autoclaved at 134 °C for 4 min with a 30 min dry phase. Operational boundaries are explicit: the material should not be exposed to chlorinated solvents, phenol, or strong alkaline detergents above 60 °C, because environmental stress cracking can develop at layer lines. Terminal products include single-use surgical drill guides, patient-specific implant trial sizers, and reusable sterilization baskets for operating-room tray sets.
For semiconductor wafer transport cassettes, burn-in sockets, and process development fixtures, ULTEM 1010 is selected for its glass transition temperature of approximately 217 °C and its resistance to common cleaning chemistries. Compliance for electronic manufacturing environments is typically screened under UL 94 V-0 at 0.030 in thickness, RoHS 2011/65/EU substance restrictions, and ASTM E595 outgassing; however, published outgassing results from the FDM vendor for this specific build configuration are limited and should be generated for vacuum chamber applications. The formulation addition ratio is 0 wt% carbon black, 0 wt% antistatic additive, and 0 phr migratory slip agent. Unfilled ULTEM 1010 is not a static-dissipative grade; surface resistivity remains in the 10^14–10^15 Ω/sq range at 23 °C and 50% relative humidity, so ESD-sensitive wafer handling requires external ionizers, conductive topcoats, or metal grounding clips rather than resin compounding. The downstream production route for FDM-built fixtures includes 0.010 in layer slicing, a heated chamber at 180–200 °C, and a post-print annealing step at 200 °C for 2 h under nitrogen to reduce residual stress before precision machining of locating features to ±0.002 in. Operational incompatibility includes oxygen plasma exposure, which gradually erodes the polyetherimide surface; such parts are restricted to non-plasma process steps and test environments. Terminal parts enter as wafer cassette bodies for non-plasma process steps, burn-in socket frames, and development-stage handling combs.
Underhood connector housings, charge-air sensor adapters, coolant manifold mock-ups, and transmission control unit brackets are printed from unfilled ULTEM 1010 to support functional validation of automotive power management systems before injection tooling is committed. Environmental test compliance is referenced to ISO 16750-4:2010 temperature cycling, SAE J1455 electrical and electronic service conditions, and UL 94 V-0 flammability; the material also falls under REACH and RoHS 2011/65/EU documentation requirements for production-intent prototypes. Formulation addition ratio is 0 phr filler and 0 phr external lubricant; if demolding or connector insertion aids are needed, silicone-based release is limited to 0.05 g/m² because higher transfer rates can contaminate downstream sealing and adhesion processes. The FDM production route uses a 0.010 in slice height, 180–200 °C build chamber, and 100% solid fill for pressure-tight housings; threaded brass inserts are installed with heat-staking at 220 °C after drilling or printed pilot holes. Printed parts are annealed at 200 °C for 2 h to stabilize the amorphous polyetherimide and reduce residual stress before thermal cycling from −40 °C to 150 °C. Resistance to automatic transmission fluid is based on amorphous polyetherimide chemical resistance; published immersion data for printed ULTEM 1010 in current ATF packages is limited, so fluid-exposed prototypes should be tested under ISO 16750-5 because amine-containing fluid additives can induce environmental stress cracking at layer interfaces. The operational boundary is set at 170 °C continuous exposure under mechanical load; short excursions above 180 °C in non-load-bearing sensor clips are acceptable only with stack-up-specific validation because thermomechanical creep accelerates near the glass transition. Terminal product types are underhood connector housings, sensor brackets, coolant manifold test parts, and ECU mounting prototypes.
For carbon fiber prepreg layup tooling, vacuum forming fixtures, and production trimming jigs, ULTEM 1010 FDM feedstock is used to produce master tools that must hold vacuum integrity and dimensional accuracy through low-temperature composite cure cycles. The compliance framework for tooling is not end-use certification but includes dimensional inspection under ISO 2768-1 general tolerances and flexural property retention after dry heat aging; thermal performance is referenced to ASTM D648-18 heat deflection temperature, with ULTEM 1010 typically showing a deflection temperature near 213 °C at 264 psi for solid resin specimens. The formulation addition ratio is 0 wt% fiber reinforcement, 0 phr filler, and 0 phr coupling agent; the printed tool surface is post-sealed with a filled epoxy tooling paste applied at 50–100 g/m² to fill layer grooves before final machining. The downstream production sequence begins with high-temperature FDM deposition at 0.010 in layer height and 100% solid fill, followed by flash removal, vacuum baking at 150 °C for 4 h, epoxy sealing, and CNC machining to ±0.003 in/in over the working surface. A final annealing step at 200 °C for 2 h is required to improve interlayer adhesion and prevent tool surface shifting during first heat-up. Operational limitations include vacuum bagging pressures not exceeding 80 psi at 180 °C tool surface temperature; above that threshold, creep in the unfilled polyetherimide can distort parting lines. Terminal products are prepreg layup mandrels, vacuum holding fixtures, drill jigs, and autoclave tooling masters.
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3D Systems Fused Deposition Modeling Material ULTEM is a polyetherimide (PEI) thermoplastic supplied for high-temperature fused deposition modeling platforms. The product is offered in two principal resin configurations: ULTEM 1010, an unfilled PEI, and ULTEM 9085, a polyetherimide-polycarbonate blend. The unfilled grade has a density of approximately 1.27 g/cm³ under ISO 1183-1:2019; the blend grade is documented near 1.34 g/cm³. The material is not a general-purpose desktop filament. Extrusion hardware must sustain melt setpoints from 350 °C to 380 °C, and the build chamber must hold temperatures above 140 °C to prevent interlayer stress. The product is usually supplied as a spooled monofilament in machine-specific cartridges or cassettes. Published dimensional data for 3D Systems-specific spooled ULTEM filament are limited; therefore, diameter and ovality tolerances must be obtained from the machine user manual or lot certificate. In industrial fused deposition modeling, filament diameter is commonly controlled to ±0.05 mm and ovality below 0.03 mm; deviations beyond this range produce over- and under-extrusion pulses that appear as banded density variations in the printed wall.
The polyetherimide repeat unit contains aromatic imide groups, which provide high glass transition temperature and inherent flame resistance. In melt processing, the polymer behaves as a pseudoplastic fluid with shear-thinning behavior at high shear rates; the unfilled grade has a lower melt mass-flow rate than the blend grade. This difference explains the higher chamber and nozzle demand of ULTEM 1010. Material certification documents should be requested with each lot; relevant test methods include ISO 527-2 for tensile properties, ISO 178 for flexural properties, ISO 75-2 for heat deflection temperature, ISO 11357-2 for glass transition temperature, and ISO 1183-1 for density. For North American projects, the corresponding ASTM methods are ASTM D638-14, ASTM D790-17, ASTM D648-16, and ASTM D3418-15.
Before extrusion, the filament is dried to a moisture target below 0.02 wt%. Desiccant drying at 120–150 °C for 4–6 h with a supply dew point below −30 °C is standard. PEI absorbs atmospheric moisture; at relative humidity above 50%, spooled filament can regain enough water to produce hydrolysis porosity and nozzle popping during a single work shift. Production-scale extrusion systems for this product class are typically equipped with hardened tool-steel or stainless-steel nozzles, single-screw extruders of 24:1 to 30:1 length-to-diameter ratio, and melt filtration to 25 µm. PTFE-lined hot ends are unsuitable because molten PEI at 350 °C exceeds the continuous-use limit of fluoropolymer liners and generates particulate contamination.
Thermomechanical failure modes observed in high-temperature fused deposition modeling include z-axis interlayer cracking, corner lifting, and void formation at bead interfaces. The amorphous PEI matrix does not undergo crystallization-induced shrinkage, but residual stress from the melt-to-chamber temperature differential remains significant. Toolpaths using short continuous beads, rounded transitions, and localized build plate adhesion reduce stress concentration. Build orientation is a design variable, not a post-processing correction: tensile and flexural values in the z-axis are typically 50–70% lower than in-plane values. Because PEI is amorphous, it does not crystallize during solidification. The absence of a crystalline phase removes one source of shrinkage but increases sensitivity to solvent stress cracking compared with semicrystalline polyaryletherketones. The coefficient of linear thermal expansion below the glass transition is roughly 50–60 µm/m·°C; this value is used in finite-element models of tool-to-part interaction during cool-down.
Published representative FDM part data for comparable PEI grades are shown in Table 1. These values are generated from Type 1 specimens under ASTM D638-14 and heat deflection measurements under ASTM D648-16; they are orientation-dependent and should not be substituted for lot-specific validation. The unfilled ULTEM 1010 grade provides tensile strength of 81 MPa in the XZ orientation, while ULTEM 9085 provides 47 MPa. The elongation ranking reverses: ULTEM 9085 retains approximately 5.8% elongation at break versus 3.3% for ULTEM 1010.
| Property | ULTEM 1010 | ULTEM 9085 | Test method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tensile strength, MPa | 81 | 47 | ASTM D638-14 |
| Tensile modulus, MPa | 3200 | 2150 | ASTM D638-14 |
| Elongation at break, % | 3.3 | 5.8 | ASTM D638-14 |
| Flexural strength, MPa | 144 | 105 | ASTM D790-17 |
| Flexural modulus, MPa | 3400 | 2500 | ASTM D790-17 |
| Heat deflection temperature at 1.82 MPa, °C | 216 | 153 | ASTM D648-16 |
| Glass transition temperature, °C | 215 | 186 | ASTM E1640-18 |
The heat deflection temperature gap between the two grades is marked: 216 °C for ULTEM 1010 versus 153 °C for ULTEM 9085 at 1.82 MPa. This difference places ULTEM 1010 in tooling and fluid-handling applications where thermal exposure is more severe, whereas ULTEM 9085 is selected where lower chamber temperature, higher elongation, and airframe flammability documentation dominate.
Three boundaries control the process. The melt setpoint must remain above the softening point but below the degradation onset of polyetherimide; sustained temperatures above 400 °C produce carbonized residue in the barrel and dark particulate in the extrudate. The chamber cannot be omitted or substituted with a passive enclosure. Open-chamber fused deposition modeling systems produce z-axis delamination and corner lifting because the thermal gradient exceeds the residual stress capacity of the part. A practical minimum chamber temperature for ULTEM 9085 is 140 °C; ULTEM 1010 typically requires 180–200 °C. The feedstock must be maintained below 0.02 wt% moisture, and lot-to-lot melt flow variation must be checked because changes in melt flow index alter bead shape and interlayer fusion. Incoming lot certificates should report melt mass-flow rate under ASTM D1238-13 and glass transition temperature under ISO 11357-2:2020.
In aircraft cabin interior ducting and galley components, the material is selected where flame, smoke, and toxic gas limits govern design. Resin supplier documentation for this polymer class references UL 94 V-0 flammability classification and FAR 25.853 fire performance testing; the validity of a specific printed part depends on thickness, build orientation, surface finish, and installation geometry. In medical instrument fixtures and sterilization trays, PEI grades may be assessed under ISO 10993-1 biological evaluation and United States Pharmacopeia Class VI extraction protocols, but resin compliance does not confer device-level clearance. Composite layup tooling and soldering fixtures use ULTEM 1010 where autoclave or wave-solder exposure near 180 °C would soften polycarbonate and ABS tooling. Tooling builds are usually printed with sparse infill and then sealed to limit air entrapment; the tool surface is machined or sanded to reduce vacuum bag edge leaks.
Exposure conditions define operational boundaries. PEI has useful resistance to steam, hydrogen peroxide plasma, and ethylene oxide when processed into annealed, low-stress parts. Steam sterilization at 134 °C can relax toolpath-generated residual stress and produce dimensional drift; therefore, parts should be annealed and constrained during validation. Hot concentrated acids, chlorinated solvents, dimethyl sulfoxide, and strong alkaline cleaners above pH 9 at elevated temperature can attack the imide linkage or cause stress cracking. Amine-based additives and amine-cured adhesives should be excluded from post-processing because they can chemically degrade the polymer backbone. Compatibility testing should reference ISO 11135 for ethylene oxide sterilization and ISO 14937 for vaporized hydrogen peroxide processes, rather than relying on resin-only chemical resistance charts.
Certificate-level data from resin suppliers do not replace part-level testing on the installed FDM platform. The compliance matrix in Table 2 lists the documentary categories commonly associated with this product, but each entry must be confirmed against the specific lot certificate and print parameter set. Build orientation, part density, and post-processing can alter flammability, biocompatibility, and mechanical performance by more than 30%.
| Category | Designation | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Flammability classification | UL 94 V-0 at grade-specific thickness | Resin documentation; part-level test required |
| Aerospace fire performance | FAR 25.853 | Part-level test required after installation geometry |
| Biological evaluation | ISO 10993-1, USP Class VI | Resin-level data; device validation required |
| Restricted substances | REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006, RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU | Lot certificate review |
Stock control for PEI filament should include desiccant-sealed canisters and humidity indicator cards. Once a canister is opened, a 24 h exposure limit at 23 °C and 50% RH is a common operational rule. If the material exceeds this limit, re-drying at 120 °C for 4 h may recover processability, but repeated moisture cycling can create surface hydrolysis defects that persist after drying. Spool changes on production platforms should be performed in low-humidity staging areas, and part queues should not exceed the time required to complete the build because partially printed PEI can absorb moisture at the exposed bead surfaces during extended pauses.
Compared with polycarbonate and ABS FDM feedstock, the differentiating property is heat deflection temperature. Representative published FDM part data place ABS-M30 tensile strength near 36 MPa and polycarbonate near 68 MPa under ASTM D638-14, while ULTEM 1010 reaches 81 MPa and shifts the heat deflection limit from approximately 96–138 °C to 216 °C. Compared with polyetheretherketone and polyetherketoneketone FDM feedstocks, PEI does not require the highest chamber and nozzle setpoints, but it also does not develop semicrystalline solvent resistance. This places the product between engineering thermoplastics and polyaryletherketones in the process-temperature and chemical-resistance envelope. The trade space is narrower: filament drying, nozzle setpoint, and chamber temperature must be controlled within tighter ranges, and build orientation-dependent mechanical data must be used for finite-element analysis. Published datasheets for 3D Systems-specific spooled configurations remain restricted to machine qualification documents; the values presented here are drawn from publicly available resin and FDM part data for comparable PEI grades and should be confirmed against the installed platform.
