Arkema takes part in FORMNEXT Connect 2020

Arkema will participate in Formnext Connect, the 2020 virtual alternative of the exhibition, to present its latest innovations in specialty materials for all major 3D printing technologies and to exchange with the global AM community. Through digital seminars, Arkema continues to maintain a close relationship with its customers and partners to support the fast growing 3D printing market and to develop the new manufacturing technologies in these times of a global pandemic.

3D Printing Solutions by Arkema, a market leading product portfolio including:

Advanced Liquid Resins and Photoinitiators for radiation curing

The range of products commercialized under the brand N3xtDimension® enables market-leading performance possibilities with overall excellent properties such as high resolution, wavelength independency, processability and regulatory compliance. The range offers customized solutions and enables freedom of design, essential to push additive manufacturing to the next level.

NEW:

  • With the recent acquisition of Lambson Ltd, N3xDimension® resin solutions enhances its offering with selected photoinitators and unique cationic resins into its custom liquid resin systems solutions.
  • New developments expand our range of engineered resins: water soluble resindesigned for 3D printing applications requiring rapid dissolution, new high-impact strength resin enabling the manufacturing of performance functional parts and new hybrid resindelivering engineering level performance across multiple platforms and adjustable to differentwavelengths.
Thermoplastic powders for powder bed fusion

  • Orgasol® Polyamide 12: With the unique particle shape and narrow particle size distribution, Orgasol® Invent Smooth powders are the perfect material for the prototyping of small, complex parts, yielding an incomparably smooth surface. Meanwhile, the outstanding viscosity stability and excellent recyclability are otherimportant benefits of Orgasol® Invent Smooth powders: thanks to the unique, patented polymerization process, the powders show very low refresh rate.
  • Rilsan® Polyamide 11: As a high performance 100% biosourced polyamide, Rilsan® Polyamide 11 has been specifically developed for 3D printing, and is available under two grades: Rilsan® Invent Natural and Rilsan® Invent Black. Rilsan® Polyamide 11 is now the material of choice to design and manufacture final production parts by additive manufacturing with its unparalleled mechanical strength and durability, used in parts manufacturing process in the fields of cars, trucks, planes and medical devices.
  • Rilsan® Polyamide 11 (Reinforced): Rilsan® Polyamide 11 (Reinforced) has opened up the scope of possibility in terms of application and properties, these materials exhibit unique properties, such as increased stiffness for higher temperature applications and superior dimensional stability but also specific features like conductivity or electrostatic dissipative properties.
  • Pebax® TPE: the partially biobased thermoplastic elastomer developed for selective laser sintering (SLS) provides the ideal combination of the usual strength of polyamides plus the flexibility and elasticity of polyethers/polyesters.

Thermoplastic pellets for filament extrusion

  • Kepstan® PEKK: As high performance thermoplastic, Kepstan® PEKK offers an outstanding combination of mechanical strength, chemical resistance, low flammability, and high use temperature. Filaments made from Kepstan® PEKK resins can be used to produce functional parts in the most demanding applications, such as amorphous or semicrystalline parts in the FFF process.
  • Altuglas® 3D PMMA Resin: Acrylic resin is highly desirable for its optical clarity, surface finish, and outdoor weatherability. The Altuglas® 3D acrylic resin is specially formulated to make more intricate parts and prototypes that are both transparent and functional with the recommended printing parameters.
  • Kynar® PVDF: Polyvinylidene fluoride resins are the most durable polymers in the world, they are extremely resistant to harsh chemicals and UV radiation. This tough semi-crystalline fluoropolymer, formulated for printability, benefits from outstanding Z direction strength and ductility. Kynar® fluoropolymers are specified for printing chemical processing equipment, fluid transport parts, outdoor exposed elements, or jigs & fixtures.
  • Pebax® TPE: This unique polymer offers toughness and elasticity, filaments made from Pebax® resin are particularly well suited for functional prototypes or short run manufacturing. Pebax® elastomers are world renowned in sports, industrial, and footwear applications.

Arkema, a key player in the 3D printing value chain

Beyond offering an industry leading portfolio of materials, Arkema is committed to unlocking new opportunities by bringing comprehensive solutions and expertise along the additive manufacturing ecosystem and continue enhancing and expanding its strategic partnerships with particularly:

  • Continuous Composites: Arkema, through its Sartomer Business, partnered with Continuous Composites from its inception with the joint ambition to accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing to new industries. Through our partnership, the innovative company is applying Sartomer’s photocurable resins, materials expertise, laboratories capability and application experience to complement the CF3D® technology. Continuous Composites is progressing their facilities and technology capabilities through expansion and significantly increased build volumes. Arkema is honored to be associated to this milestone and to play a role in bringing CF3D to commercialization.
  • 9TLabs: the company has developed a technology that automates the manufacture of composites using additive manufacturing (AM) and advanced software algorithms. This technology will enable the mass production of composite parts using our Kepstan® Arkema and 9T Labs will jointly develop the market, focusing on high-volume mass-production applications and material certification in order to accelerate large-scale adoption of the technology.
  • Adaptive3D: Adaptive3D photo-resins are based on N3xDimension® advanced UV-curable liquid resins and are printable for high-throughput manufacturing of functional complex 3-dimensional plastic and rubber parts in a wide range of applications. With this investment in Adaptive3D, Arkema takes a new milestone that will create exciting opportunities for new applications in footwear, medical, automotive and electronic appliances, among others.

Additive manufacturing optimizes design, driving a reduction in the raw materials used and in the losses incurred during the prototyping and manufacturing phases. By developing solutions that can be used to reduce the weight of land and air vehicles and thereby lower fuel consumption, Arkema contributes to the United Nations’ SDG 13: “Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.”