Fabulous Redefines Food Sector 3D Printing with EU-Certified BLUECARE Polymer Powder and Expands “Safety and Security” Material Portfolio

Since its establishment in 2014, Fabulous, co-founded by the visionary Coulet brothers, has been a pivotal force in assisting French companies across diverse industries in the successful integration of additive manufacturing technologies. For years, their expertise centered on guiding businesses through the complexities of 3D printing adoption, fostering innovation, and streamlining production processes. However, 2020 marked a significant and strategic turning point for the company. Fabulous embarked on a bold new venture, initiating a complementary activity focused on the development of advanced powder materials specifically tailored for the burgeoning 3D printing sector. This strategic pivot underscored their commitment to addressing critical material gaps in the industry, and it has now culminated in a groundbreaking introduction: BLUECARE, an innovative new polymer powder designed to revolutionize applications within the highly demanding food sector.

Leveraging its extensive experience in industrializing cutting-edge technologies and bolstered by a strategic reinforcement of its technical capabilities, Fabulous is now proud to offer an initial, comprehensive range of specialized materials. These new offerings are meticulously engineered to meet the evolving and increasingly stringent requirements of various industrial sectors, ensuring seamless compatibility with established industrial polymer powder bed technologies such as Laser Sintering (LS), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), High Speed Sintering (HSS), and Infrared Sintering (IRS). This material development represents a significant step forward, promising to unlock new possibilities for manufacturers. According to co-founder Arnault Coulet, Fabulous is not merely offering new products but is truly bringing a novel value proposition to the market. He emphasizes, “Fabulous, an expert in 3D polymer materials and their diverse applications, is now bringing premium innovation to a market that is rapidly transitioning towards production-scale additive manufacturing and is actively seeking dedicated materials that precisely meet their sophisticated application requirements.” This statement highlights Fabulous’s understanding of the industry’s maturation and its proactive approach to supplying solutions for real-world manufacturing challenges.

BLUECARE: The Inaugural Material in Fabulous’s Groundbreaking “Safety and Security” Range

In sectors where safety and integrity are paramount, such as Food, Defense, and Health, the demands placed on 3D printing materials are becoming increasingly precise and non-negotiable. Recognizing this critical market need, Fabulous strategically created its innovative “Safety and Security” range. This specialized portfolio is meticulously designed to address the unique challenges and stringent regulatory requirements of these high-stakes industries, catering to a market segment poised for significant growth in additive manufacturing adoption. Currently, this pioneering range, conceptualized and developed entirely by Fabulous, comprises three distinct products. Its core objective is to deliver powder materials that possess functionalities and certifications previously unavailable on the broader additive manufacturing market. These materials are distinguished by their exceptionally high added values and advanced functionalities, making them ideal for demanding production environments. Each product within the “Safety and Security” range offers very specific properties, opens up specialized applications, and carries essential certifications, underscoring Fabulous’s commitment to delivering tailored, high-performance solutions.

At the forefront of this new range is Fabulous’s flagship material, BLUECARE, which has been engineered to meet the stringent requirements of international food industry regulations. What truly sets BLUECARE apart in the additive manufacturing market is its unique distinction of holding EU n° 10/2011 certifications. This crucial certification unequivocally validates its suitability for direct and indirect contact with food and alcoholic substances, making it an unprecedented solution for food processing equipment and components. Beyond its exceptional food-grade compliance, BLUECARE boasts a carefully optimized set of mechanical and tribological properties, which are particularly well-suited to the rigorous demands of the food industry. These properties ensure durability, wear resistance, and long-term performance in challenging operational environments. Fabulous’s co-founder articulates the material’s significance: “BLUECARE is a unique powder material on the additive manufacturing market, which meets the functionalities and certifications specific to the food industry. This represents a significant leap forward for manufacturers seeking to integrate 3D printing into their food-contact applications without compromising on safety or performance.”

As its distinctive name suggests, BLUECARE powder enables the mass production of plastic parts in a vibrant blue color. This specific color choice is far from arbitrary; it carries profound significance and is intuitively understood within the food industry for a critical safety reason. Since virtually no food product is naturally blue, this color serves as an invaluable visual indicator. The blue hue allows for the rapid and optical identification of the presence or absence of plastic foreign bodies in food products, greatly enhancing “foreign body detection” protocols. This innovative feature is a cornerstone of food safety management, enabling swift removal of any plastic contaminants before they reach consumers. BLUECARE powder’s versatility extends to a wide array of applications within the food industry. It can be utilized to produce essential components such as food conveyor hinges, ensuring smooth and hygienic product movement, or suction nozzles on bottling lines, guaranteeing precise and contamination-free filling. Crucially, BLUECARE empowers manufacturers to produce final parts that are designed for permanent and direct contact with food, opening up entirely new possibilities for customized, safe, and efficient food processing equipment.

Currently, BLUECARE is readily available and actively marketed across Europe, offered at a competitive price point of €66 per kilogram. Furthermore, it boasts an impressive continuous refresh rate of approximately 50% (meaning one part for one part), which optimizes material usage and reduces operational costs for manufacturers. The rapid market adoption of BLUECARE is already evident, with partner customers having commenced production of parts using this innovative material as early as January 2021. Notable early adopters include IDPRINT 3D, a prominent 3D printing service bureau based in France, and OCEANZ, a leading printing service located in the Netherlands. These early successes highlight the material’s immediate impact and its proven capability to deliver tangible benefits in industrial settings.

Pioneering Applications of BLUECARE: Real-World Impact

The practical utility and efficacy of BLUECARE powder are vividly demonstrated through its early industrial applications. In the case of IDPRINT 3D, this innovative material was instrumental in the design and production of modular food conveyor belts, each measuring an impressive 30 cm in width. This project showcases BLUECARE’s capability for creating functional, large-scale components for the food industry. Mr. Panchot, the discerning manager of IDPRINT 3D, enthusiastically attests to the success of this application, affirming that BLUECARE is perfectly tailored to his company’s needs. He elaborates, “BLUECARE is the ideal material for additive manufacturing of parts for food conveyors, effectively eliminating the need for manufacturing a traditional mold, which would be prohibitively expensive for the specific number of parts required. This material has not only offered cost savings but also unprecedented design flexibility and speed in production.” This example underscores the economic advantages and agility that 3D printing with specialized materials like BLUECARE brings to customized, small-to-medium batch production in the food sector.

Similarly, at Oceanz, another forward-thinking 3D printing service, Fabulous’s BLUECARE material was successfully employed in the sophisticated manufacturing of food nozzles. These nozzles are critical components designed for direct interaction with confectionery products, posing unique challenges due to the presence of abrasive sugar. Frank Elbersen, a sales engineer at the Dutch company, highlights the specific advantages of BLUECARE in this demanding environment: “This nozzle is in direct contact with the confectionery, which, containing sugar, necessitates a material that can withstand abrasive effects. The BLUECARE material stands out as one of the purest raw materials currently available for production applications in this field. Furthermore, a significant operational advantage is that the material can be effortlessly cleaned with standard cleaning agents after the production process, ensuring optimal hygiene. 3D printing with this exceptional material therefore opens up entirely new doors for innovative and efficient manufacturing within the food industry, allowing for bespoke designs and rapid iterations previously unattainable.” These compelling testimonials from early adopters validate BLUECARE’s superior performance and its transformative potential for food contact applications.

The “Safety and Security” range from Fabulous extends beyond food-grade materials to encompass other critical sectors, including a versatile selection of Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) powders. These TPU materials are available in a range of hardnesses, specifically from 65 to 85 ShoreA, offering designers and engineers a broad spectrum of mechanical properties to suit various application needs. Notably, this range includes a specialized TPU that holds certification for direct skin contact, elevating it to a medical-grade material. This makes it an ideal choice for the demanding and sensitive markets of prosthetics, orthotics, and orthopedics, where biocompatibility, flexibility, and patient comfort are paramount. The ability to 3D print custom prostheses and orthoses with certified materials significantly enhances personalized healthcare solutions. Rounding out Fabulous’s diverse “Safety and Security” range is an additional TPU variant specifically formulated to favor a superior “rebound effect.” This particular material is expertly designed for the production of advanced soles and innovative shoe components for the highly competitive footwear sector, promising enhanced performance, comfort, and durability in athletic and specialized footwear applications.

Fabulous: Strategic Developments Aligned with Market Evolution

In its continuous pursuit of meticulously responding to and anticipating market needs, Fabulous has strategically decided to introduce a new type of powder packaging. This innovative packaging is specifically dedicated to catering to the requirements of users operating desktop SLS machines, acknowledging the distinct demands of this growing segment of the additive manufacturing market. Arnault Coulet explains the rationale: “It will be more compact and better adapted to their specific needs, ensuring easier handling, storage, and material management for smaller-scale operations.” This thoughtful consideration for diverse user bases underscores Fabulous’s commitment to comprehensive customer satisfaction. However, the pioneering developer and supplier of advanced materials has no intention of resting on its laurels. To further enrich and expand its already impressive “Safety and Security” range, other highly anticipated powder materials are already in the pipeline. These include a cutting-edge polymer-metal composite, promising enhanced mechanical properties and new application possibilities, and an advanced medical-grade powder specifically formulated for the healthcare sector, both of which are projected to be available by the end of 2021. Beyond its standard product offerings, Fabulous also provides highly specialized custom material formulation development services. Available for production volumes starting from 600 kg, this bespoke service allows companies seeking a material precisely tailored to their unique and specific application requirements to collaborate directly with Fabulous’s expert R&D team, ensuring optimal performance and compliance.

To further accelerate its ambitious development trajectory, encompassing both intensive research and development (R&D) efforts and strategic sales expansion, Fabulous recently secured a significant round of funding from private investors. This French company has set its sights firmly on the expansive American market, with crucial FDA certifications currently in progress, demonstrating its global aspirations and commitment to meeting international regulatory standards. These newly acquired funds are instrumental, empowering the company “to provide truly impactful solutions to industry, to accelerate the development of 3D printing with advanced materials that genuinely meet the complex application needs of end-users across various sectors,” concludes Arnault Coulet. This investment will enable Fabulous to scale its operations, enhance its material innovation capabilities, and expand its market reach, solidifying its position as a leader in specialized additive manufacturing materials. To delve deeper into the innovative world of Fabulous and explore their complete range of advanced materials and services, please visit their official website HERE.

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