Rapid 3DShield Boron Carbide Filament

Print non-toxic thermal-neutron shielding on the FFF printer you already have. Rapid 3DShield Boron Carbide is 50–60% boron carbide in a PLA-based binder. Parts absorb neutrons straight off the print bed, with no debinding, sintering or machining.

Available Formats:
Spools: 1.75mm and 2.85mm diameters in 0.25kg and 0.5kg weights
Pellets: 1kg jars

Filament Density:
1.30–1.50 g/cc

Ceramic Content:
55.0% ± 5.0 boron carbide

High Compatibility:
Works with virtually any open-architecture 3D printer—no proprietary hardware or specialized equipment required. Also compatible with 3D printing pens.

👉 Our list of Trusted 3D Printers – Click Here

Easy Printing Experience:

• Print with a 0.6mm hardened steel, standard flow nozzle

• Prints similar to PLA

• Minimal to no warping

• Ensure the filament feeds straight into the extruder

• Less hygroscopic than PLA

• Do not dry this filament—drying will degrade the binder

👉 More information on printing – Click Here

Used as Printed, Not Sintered
Boron carbide sinters at about 1,956 °C (3,553 °F), beyond most furnaces. Neutron absorption comes from the boron content, so parts are used in their green state.

Applications:

• Neutron detector shielding

• Liners, masks and collimators

• Beamline, sample-environment and neutron-imaging fixtures

• Prototyping

• Research

• One-off and short-run manufacturing

• Reducing or eliminating tooling and machining costs

Additional Links:

👉 SDS and TDS – Click Here
👉 Research Papers – Click Here

Explore More Filaments:

• High Carbon Iron Filamet™

• 316L Stainless Steel Filamet™

• Bronze Filamet™

All print just like PLA on most open-architecture 3D printers.

Recycle empty spools with the spool buy-back program – Click Here

Large orders may be subject to longer lead times. Contact us for more accurate lead times.

FAQ

❓ Can I print this on my printer?
✅ Almost certainly. It works on nearly all open-architecture FFF/FDM printers with a 0.6 mm hardened steel nozzle.

❓ Can I sinter it?
✅ No. It is designed to be used as printed.

❓ Does it block gamma rays or X-rays?
✅ Not well. Boron and carbon are light elements. Use Rapid 3DShield Tungsten for photons.

❓ How strong are printed parts?
✅ Sturdy enough to handle and install, but they won't carry load as well as the base PLA would on its own. Mount load-bearing parts in a holder.