Metal FDM Filament

Virtual Foundry Bronze Filamet™ — 1.75 mm, 0.5 kg

Print real bronze metal parts on the FDM printer you already own. After a single kiln firing, your print becomes 86–90% pure 89/11 tin bronze — the alloy used for putters, sculpture and decorative metalwork for centuries.

86–90% Bronze (89/11 Tin) Works on Any FDM Printer Prints Like PLA Easiest TVF Material to Print Beginner-Friendly
The Virtual Foundry Bronze Filamet 1.75mm 0.5kg spool

Start here — pick the right path for you

Three ways to begin, depending on what you already own.

New to metal FDM

Start with the complete bundle

The Getting Started Bundle includes the Bronze filament, Filawarmer, crucible and refractory ballast in one purchase — everything you need to print and sinter your first part (kiln sold separately).

View the Getting Started Bundle →
Already have a kiln + crucible

Just grab this spool

If you already have a hardened steel nozzle, a sintering kiln rated to 970°C and a crucible, this 0.5 kg spool is all you need to add bronze to your workflow.

See the spool specs →
Need a kiln

Add the TVF FireX Kiln

Standard ovens cannot reach sintering temperature. The FireX is purpose-built for TVF metal filaments and reaches the temps copper, bronze and steel need.

View the FireX Kiln →

Real bronze metal, printed on a desktop FDM printer

Bronze Filamet™ is a metal-loaded 3D printing filament that turns any standard FDM printer — Bambu Lab, Prusa, Creality or any open machine — into a desktop metal foundry. You print the part as you would with PLA, then fire it in a kiln. The plastic binder burns off and the bronze particles fuse into solid 89/11 tin bronze.

Bronze is The Virtual Foundry’s easiest material to print and sinter, and prints with minimal warping. If this is your first time printing metal, this is the most forgiving place to start.

New to metal FDM? Metal-loaded filaments contain real metal powder held together by a printable binder. The print itself is called a “green part” — light, plastic-like and fragile. The kiln firing (sintering) is what turns it into solid bronze. The full process is explained below.

How it works — the 4-step process

From spool to solid bronze metal in four steps. Allow roughly 1–2 days total for a typical small part — most of which is the sinter cycle running unattended in the kiln.

1~2–6 hrs

Print

Print your part on any FDM printer with a hardened steel nozzle. Slower speeds (around 30 mm/s) build a stronger green part with better layer adhesion.

2~10 mins

Pack

Nest the green part in refractory ballast (sintering carbon or alumina powder) inside a stainless steel crucible. The ballast supports the part as the binder burns off.

3~12–24 hr cycle

Sinter

Fire the crucible in a kiln up to ~970°C. Most of this is unattended ramp, hold and cool-down time. Binder burns off and the bronze particles fuse into solid metal.

4~30 mins

Finish

Once cool, brush off the ballast and clean your part. Expect roughly 15–20% linear shrinkage — design for it by scaling your model up ~120–125% in the slicer.

Difficulty: beginner-friendly for the print stage and the most forgiving TVF metal at the kiln stage. The schedule is well-documented and tolerates small errors.

Before & after — what the transformation looks like

The biggest mental leap with metal FDM is understanding what comes off the printer vs. what comes out of the kiln. Here’s the journey from spool to solid bronze:

Step 1 — Raw Material
Bronze Filamet spool Bronze-loaded filament

Plastic binder + ~88% bronze powder, on a 0.5 kg spool

→
Step 4 — Finished Metal
Sintered bronze putter head finished metal part Solid 89/11 tin bronze

86–90% pure tin bronze after sintering — real weight, finish and machinability

Note: the “green part” that comes off your printer looks like a matte bronze-coloured plastic. The kiln firing is what turns it into the solid metal piece on the right.

Why this filament

Easiest TVF material to print

Bronze is the most beginner-friendly metal in the TVF range. Minimal warping, wide print window, and a forgiving sinter schedule.

Genuine 89/11 tin bronze

Finished parts are 86–90% pure 89% copper / 11% tin bronze — the same alloy used in cast bronze sculpture, hardware and golf putters.

No proprietary hardware

Works on any open-architecture FDM printer with a hardened steel nozzle. No locked-down systems, no vendor lock-in.

Prints like PLA

Familiar print profile, low temperatures, no enclosure needed. The easiest entry point into metal FDM.

Beautiful finished surface

Bronze takes a polish or patina well. Sand, polish or chemically age finished parts to match cast bronze workflows.

USA-made, fully supported

Manufactured in South Central Wisconsin by The Virtual Foundry. Direct technical support from the team that makes the material.

How it compares to other ways of making a bronze part

If you’re evaluating Bronze Filamet™ against your alternatives, here’s how it lines up:

  Bronze Filamet™ Bound metal printer
(e.g. Markforged Metal X)		 Lost-wax bronze casting CNC machining
Equipment cost to start FDM printer + ~AU$1.5–5k kiln AU$150k+ system Furnace + crucibles + moulds AU$10k+ mill or outsource
Per-part cost (small part) Material only Proprietary cartridges Mould + casting time Stock + machining hours
Skill required FDM-printer level Operator training Skilled trade CAM + machining skill
Lead time (one-off part) ~1–2 days in-house 1–3 days in-house 2–6 weeks via foundry Days to weeks
Geometry freedom High (any FDM-printable shape) High Medium (mould constraints) Low (subtractive limits)
Best for Putters, jewellery, sculpture, prototypes, hobby Production-grade industrial parts Traditional bronze sculpture, hardware Tight-tolerance functional parts

Equipment costs are indicative AUD and vary by supplier and configuration. Comparison is general guidance for evaluation, not a formal benchmark.

Printing tips

  • Route filament straight from spool to extruder — minimise curl and snap risk
  • Use a Filawarmer if filament feels stiff or brittle from spool memory
  • Increase first layer width and slow first layer speed for solid adhesion
  • Scale your model up 120–125% in the slicer to compensate for sinter shrinkage
  • Compatible with both direct drive and Bowden setups

Common applications

  • Custom putter heads and golf hardware
  • Decorative hardware, knobs and door pulls
  • Sculpture and small-scale art castings
  • Functional prototypes and short-run production parts
  • Custom jewellery and wearables
  • Educational and research builds

What you can make

Sintered bronze putter on the golf course
Custom bronze putter — printed and sintered on a desktop FDM
Bronze putter head workshop shot
Sintered bronze putter head — 86–90% pure tin bronze
Bronze Filamet print examples
Real bronze metal parts — printed on any FDM, sintered in a kiln
Sintered bronze parts gallery
Bronze takes a polish, patina or chemical age beautifully

Specifications

Specification Details
Final metal content (post-sinter) 86.0–90.0% bronze (89/11 tin bronze)
Filament density 4.10–4.50 g/cc
Diameter 1.75 mm (±0.05 mm)
Spool weight 0.5 kg
Required nozzle 0.6 mm hardened steel, standard flow
Sintering temperature ~900–970°C
Linear shrinkage (post-sinter) ~15–20% in all dimensions
Hygroscopicity Less hygroscopic than PLA — do NOT dry
Printer compatibility Any open-architecture FDM (see trusted printers list)
Origin Made in South Central Wisconsin, USA

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a special printer?

No. Any open-architecture FDM printer will work — Bambu Lab, Prusa, Creality Ender, Flashforge and similar machines are all compatible. The only hardware requirement is a hardened steel nozzle, because the abrasive metal particles wear out standard brass nozzles very quickly. See the trusted printers list →

What kind of bronze is this?

89/11 tin bronze — 89% copper, 11% tin. This is the same alloy used in cast bronze sculpture, traditional bronze hardware and high-end golf putters. Finished parts are 86–90% pure bronze with the rest being trace binder residue.

Is this safe to use at home or in a workshop?

Printing the green part is no more hazardous than printing PLA. Sintering is the part to plan for: kilns reach ~970°C and the binder burns off as smoke and odour during the early ramp. Place your kiln in a well-ventilated area such as a garage, workshop or outbuilding (never indoors near living spaces), keep flammable items clear, and use heat-resistant gloves when loading and unloading. Always read the SDS before use and follow the kiln manufacturer’s safety instructions.

How long does the whole process take?

Allow roughly 1–2 days end to end for a typical small part. Printing usually takes 2–6 hours; packing the crucible takes about 10 minutes; the sinter cycle (ramp + hold + cool-down) typically runs 12–24 hours mostly unattended; and finishing takes around 30 minutes. Most of the clock time is the kiln running on its own.

Do I need to dry the filament before printing?

No — and you should not. Bronze Filamet™ is less hygroscopic than PLA, and the organic binder that holds the metal particles together is heat-sensitive. Putting it in a filament dryer or food dehydrator will degrade the binder and ruin the spool.

What kind of kiln do I need?

You need a kiln capable of reaching ~970°C (1778°F). The TVF FireX Sintering Kiln is purpose-built for this material. Standard pottery kilns rated to 1000°C or higher will also work. Household ovens cannot reach the required temperature.

How much will my part shrink?

Roughly 15–20% linear shrinkage in every dimension during sintering. Scale your model up by 120–125% in your slicer before printing to compensate. The exact figure varies with infill density and part geometry.

Can the finished part be polished or aged?

Yes — sintered bronze finishes the same way as cast bronze. You can sand, polish, brush or chemically patina the surface using standard bronze finishing techniques. This is part of why Bronze Filamet™ is popular for putters, hardware and decorative work.

What else do I need to complete my first metal print?

Beyond the printer and kiln, you will need a stainless steel crucible, refractory ballast (sintering carbon or alumina powder) and heat-resistant gloves. The Getting Started Bundle bundles everything you need to get started in a single purchase.

What else you’ll need

To go from spool to finished metal part, you need a sintering kiln, a stainless crucible and refractory ballast in addition to your FDM printer.

Getting Started Bundle for Metal 3D Printing

The complete starter bundle — Bronze filament, Filawarmer, crucible, alumina, magnesium silicate and sintering carbon in one purchase. The fastest path to your first sintered bronze part.

TVF FireX Sintering Kiln

Purpose-built kiln for TVF metal filaments. Reaches the temperatures needed for copper, bronze and steel sintering.

Resources & documentation

Everything you need to plan, print, sinter and verify your first bronze part — straight from The Virtual Foundry.

Printer Compatibility

Trusted Printers List

The official TVF list of FDM printers verified to print metal filaments reliably. Check whether your machine is tested before you buy.

Check if your printer is supported →
Printing Guide

The Printing Process

The complete TVF printing handbook — profile setup, slicer settings, troubleshooting print defects and step-by-step technique tips.

Read the printing guide →
Sintering Guide

Debinding & Sintering

The full kiln workflow: ramp schedules, hold times, cool-down profiles and ballast packing techniques.

View the debinding & sintering guide →
Safety & Tech Data

SDS & TDS Documents

Safety Data Sheets and Technical Data Sheets for Bronze Filamet™ and the rest of the TVF metal range.

Download SDS & TDS documents →
Research

Research Papers & Whitepapers

Independent and TVF-published research on the mechanical, thermal and chemical performance of sintered Filamet™ parts.

Browse research papers →
Video Library

TVF YouTube Channel

Printing demos, sintering walkthroughs and customer builds. The fastest way to see the full workflow before you commit to it.

Watch on YouTube →

Made in South Central Wisconsin, USA. World-class technical support provided for all TVF products.

(TVF-FILAMET-BR-175)

SKU TVF-FILAMET-BR-175
Brand The Virtual Foundry
Shipping Weight 1.0000kg
Shipping Width 0.300m
Shipping Height 0.090m
Shipping Length 0.300m
Shipping Cubic 0.008100000m3

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