Overview

The incredibly fast-growing 3D printing — or Additive Manufacturing — industry is challenging plastics manufacturers to consider how this technology will impact their market, operations and products. Unlike traditional manufacturing, such as injection molding, the 3D printing process introduces a new level of variability. These inconsistencies can significantly impact material properties based on how your test specimens are printed.

Our Plastics for Additive Manufacturing Program (Blue Card Program) provides you with data that facilitates preselection of 3D printed materials and components for use in various end products. It defines the requirements necessary to recognize plastics intended for 3D printing, helping prove the safety, integrity and usefulness of those materials.

Essentially, our Blue Card Program provides third-party certification that you are using a tested and certified material and that your materials are being monitored at regular intervals to ensure ongoing compliance.

When to use the UL Blue Card Program

The Blue Card Program is to be applied when the material has been processed using one of the following 3D printing technologies:

Material extrusion

Powder bed fusion systems

Vat polymerization

Material jetting

Binder jetting

Sheet lamination

Direct energy deposition

The Blue Card also includes:

Information about the 3D print technology used to process the material

3D printer model designation

Test specimen build-parameters that are specific to the technology, e.g., build plane, raster angle, air gap, etc.

Multiple safety- and performance-related property ratings tested to appropriate standards

Blue Card versus Yellow Card

The Blue Card differs from the Plastics Recognition Program (Yellow Card) in that the Blue Card publishes plastics materials and components intended for use in 3D printing. The Yellow Card is typically applied for traditional manufacturing technologies, such as blow molding, extrusion, film blowing, injection molding, rotation molding and vacuum forming.

IMPORTANT NOTE : None of the performance properties/ratings from a UL Recognized material (Yellow Card) can be applied when that material is used in a 3D printing process to print a 3D part.

How to get a UL Blue Card

A Blue Card is automatically issued when a material intended for 3D printing receives a UL Recognized Component Mark. Certified materials are added to the UL iQTM and UL’s Prospector® databases.

Boost product discoverability – Extend your Blue Card with a White Card

You can add additional value to your Blue Card by increasing coverage to include the performance properties that your international customers are looking for. The White Card, an extension at the bottom of a Blue Card and Yellow Card, relates to global standards, as opposed to those typically relevant in North America. Receiving a White Card enables you to promote your product‘s performance credentials to the world — giving you the opportunity to reach more markets than ever before.

Who benefits from the UL Blue Card?

Material and component manufacturers – Since certified materials are added to the UL iQTM and UL’s Prospector® databases, your Blue Cards are immediately visible to thousands of designers, engineers and suppliers searching for a material or component provider that can meet certain safety and performance requirements.

End-product manufacturers – Our certified plastics services were designed to save you time and money during the certification process and our Follow-Up Services (FUS) help ensure that your products continue to meet our Standards for safety and performance.