Clariant Bio-based White 3D Printer Filament is supplied as a white FFF spool; the exact polymer composition and pigment loading are not disclosed in the supplier literature. Before printing, the spool is conditioned at 20 °C and 40% RH. If opened above 60% RH, the filament moisture can exceed 0.25 wt% within 6 h. Moisture-related hydrolysis creates surface micropits and reduces linear die swell. Drying at 60 °C for 4 h in a forced-air oven returns the moisture content to a printable range. On a Cartesian fused filament machine with a 0.4 mm hardened steel nozzle, the stable extrusion window is 210 °C to 220 °C. Bed temperature on untextured PEI sheet is 60 °C. White pigment raises the first-layer extrusion multiplier to 1.02 to 1.04 on open-frame machines to avoid edge lifting. In a production farm of 20 Cartesian machines, edge lifting increased from 2% to 18% of builds when the first-layer line width was reduced below 0.38 mm. Avoid blending with amine-catalysed epoxy fillers or amine-rich adhesives because residual amines accelerate hydrolysis of the bio-based polyester phase. Published data for this specific product configuration is limited; each downstream route must validate the exact grade against the target standard before production release.

When Orthotic Check Sockets Are Printed for Fit Validation

Clinical orthotic workshops use the white filament to build diagnostic check sockets, not definitive orthoses. The part is printed with 2 perimeter walls, 15% gyroid infill, and 0.15 mm layer height. This shell-to-infill ratio provides enough lateral stiffness for fitting while allowing fast iteration. The white surface improves contrast for marking trim lines and pressure zones under clinical lighting. Compliance for a skin-contact diagnostic shell requires ISO 10993-5:2009 on printed coupons, because the final printed boundary layer differs from the raw resin. If the socket remains on skin for more than 24 h, ISO 10993-10:2010 sensitisation data is also required. The process is run at 215 °C nozzle, 60 °C bed, and 35 °C enclosure air temperature. A 0.4 mm nozzle with 0.42 mm extrusion width and 55 mm/s print speed prevents white pigment nonuniformity in the shell. The finished check socket is annealed in water at 80 °C for 10 min to reduce residual stress at the heel cup. The terminal part is a diagnostic shell used only for gait analysis and trimline verification. It is not a medical device in this configuration unless the manufacturer completes local device registration requirements. Bio-based carbon content can be quantified by ASTM D6866-22; however, the carbon-14 fraction of the specific Clariant white grade has not been published, so a validation sample should be sent to a radiocarbon laboratory before making bio-based content claims.

In dental aligner thermoforming, the master model is printed at 100% rectilinear infill with 0.10 mm layer height. Any internal void creates a vacuum leak that collapses the heated sheet unevenly. The white surface is cleaned with isopropyl alcohol after printing, then sealed with a water-based dental stone sealer. Layer lines alone retain silicone release agent unevenly, causing localized sheet sticking. The model is kept at 55 °C on a vacuum former platen while the aligner sheet reaches 160 °C to 180 °C. The process boundary is not tensile strength but compressive creep. Under repeated 0.6 MPa forming pressure, the model must not deform more than 0.05 mm at the cusp tips. Compliance for the master is indirect; the final aligner is tested under ISO 20795-2:2013 if marketed as an orthodontic appliance. The printed master is used only as process tooling. A production run of 200 forming cycles on a single model is possible when the model is post-cured in a dry oven at 80 °C for 30 min. The terminal output is a disposable or reusable aligner master, not the aligner itself.

Why Do Investment Casting Burnout Patterns Need an Ash Residue Limit?

White bio-based filament is used to print sacrificial patterns for lost-wax investment casting of small nonferrous parts. The pattern is printed with 8% triangular infill and 0.20 mm layer height, because low internal volume reduces thermal expansion pressure inside the ceramic shell during burnout. The shell is built with a standard colloidal silica binder and alumina-silica slurry. The white pattern’s burnout cycle is ramped at 2 °C/min to 250 °C, then held for 1 h, then ramped to 600 °C. Ash content is the critical compliance point. ASTM D5630-22 is used to verify residue below 0.5 wt% for aluminium and below 0.1 wt% for aerospace-grade stainless steel castings. Published data for the specific Clariant white grade is limited, so a foundry must run a trial burnout and measure residual ash in a laboratory muffle furnace before releasing the first casting. The pattern’s terminal output is a metal part after shell dewaxing and pouring. The white filament itself is consumed entirely, leaving only casting geometry. A dimensional compensation factor of 1.5% to 2.0% is applied to the STL because the investment shell expands during high-temperature firing.

Because refrigerated packaging prototypes are moved between 4 °C cold storage and 23 °C laboratory air, printed parts from this filament are exposed to rapid water condensation at layer interfaces. The part is printed at 30% cubic infill with 0.16 mm layer height and 3 perimeters, then dried at 50 °C for 2 h and coated with a solvent-free acrylic sealer. The sealer closes surface pores and prevents condensation from entering the infill network. Dimensional stability is checked under ISO 527-2:2012 for tensile modulus after conditioning at 4 °C and 80% RH for 48 h. This test is used because the packaging prototype must maintain snap-fit engagement with polyethylene liners after cold-chain simulation. The whiteness of the material provides colour-matched mockups for dairy or pharmaceutical packaging with a ΔE below 1.5 after UV exposure for 24 h according to ASTM G154-23. The terminal output is a packaging prototype for fit, leakage, and photometric evaluation. It is not a food-contact article because FFF porosity cannot meet EU 10/2011 migration limits without post-processing validation.

Vacuum Forming Tools with Low-Temperature Land Areas

Low-volume vacuum forming tools are printed from this filament at 100% honeycomb infill and 0.12 mm layer height. The tool surface must remain below 70 °C during sheet contact. Continuous contact with sheets heated above 120 °C softens the land area and causes a loss of draw ratio geometry. The printing process uses 3 perimeters, 20 mm/s outer-wall speed, and a 0.3 mm internal ironing pass to seal the vacuum holes. After printing, the tool is sealed with a two-part epoxy laminating resin to prevent air leakage along layer lines. The mixing ratio is 100:35 by mass for the resin system. The terminal forming process runs at 0.4 MPa to 0.5 MPa pre-stretch air pressure, which is below the tool’s compressive creep threshold after 50 cycles. ISO 75-2:2013 method A is used to confirm the heat deflection temperature of the printed tool before the first sheet run. The output is a vacuum-formed tray or blister from PETG or PS sheet. The printed tool is retained for short batch runs only, because repeated heating above 70 °C gradually densifies the infill and changes plateau flatness.

In anatomical teaching models, the white filament is printed at 20% grid infill with 0.18 mm layer height to reduce model weight and material consumption while preserving cortical shell stiffness. The white surface is sanded with 220-grit then 400-grit paper before annotating vessels and nerve pathways. Batch-to-batch dimensional variation is checked by scanning the model against the source CT reconstruction. A tolerance of ±0.25 mm at the mid-diaphysis is maintained. Compliance for a cadaveric training model does not require ISO 10993 testing unless the model is intended for repeated handling by students with broken skin. REACH SVHC documentation for the raw filament must still be archived. The material is not radiopaque, so it cannot mimic cortical bone in X-ray attenuation. Model-based imaging phantoms require internal insertion of barium-doped inserts. The terminal product is a tactile model for muscle insertion and fracture-line teaching, not a surgical aid. A storage condition of 20 °C and 40% RH is used to prevent layer swelling between teaching sessions.

Consumer Electronics Enclosure Aging Limits at 45 °C / 85% RH

Consumer electronics design teams use the material for enclosure prototypes at 40% gyroid infill and 0.15 mm layer height. The white surface is used to evaluate shadow lines, button travel, and snap-fit latching. The printed enclosure is stable at 23 °C and 50% RH, but under 45 °C and 85% RH for 96 h, dimensional warpage of 0.4 mm across a 150 mm span has been observed in unsealed parts. This is measured by ISO 178:2019 flexural testing after the aging period. The compliance boundary is flammability. UL 94 HB testing is not automatically passed by the bio-based white filament, and moulded grades showing HB cannot be assumed to transfer to FFF surfaces because layer interfaces provide a different ignition path. A burn-bar test must be run on 3.0 mm printed plaques before any internal enclosure decision. The process runs at 215 °C nozzle, 60 °C bed, and 30 mm/s outer-wall speed to reduce elephant’s foot at the first layer. The terminal output is a working functional prototype with clips, bosses, and screw bosses. It is not a production housing unless post-processed and material-specific UL documentation is completed.