Nov 17, 2015 | By Alec
German chemical giant BASF has announced that it has developed an interesting new 3D printable material in collaboration with 3D printing experts Farsoon Hi-Tech and Laser-Sinter Service. The new material – a polyamide-6 powder for SLS 3D printing – features a high strength and excellent heat stability, and will offer clients excellent quality production options through this new collaborative 3D printing service.
If you’ve never heard of the companies, BASF is about as old as the chemistry industry itself and is one of the most powerful players in the field, being founded 150 years ago in Germany and today employing more than 113,000 people. While not exactly famous for 3D printable materials, they are looking to change that with this new collaboration. Laser Sintering Service (or LSS) might be more familiar as a pan-European provider of SLS and SLA 3D printing services, while Hunan Farsoon High-tech Co., Ltd., to give its full name, is a Chinese manufacturer of industrial 3D printing equipment.
Together, the team aims to develop tailored 3D printing solutions for clients, in terms of materials 3D printers and printing services. The first result is this fascinating 3D printable material, a polyamide-6 powder for SLS 3D printing that can be altered for specific applications. As the collaborators explain, this innovative PA6 material is remarkable for featuring a much high material strength and far better heat stability than the more commonly used polyamide-12. It is also perfect for recycling.
This will be available through their new service platform. ‘We offer an open platform where customers are free to use materials of any manufacturer,’ says Guido Elbrecht, Managing Director at LSS. ‘Furthermore our collaboration with BASF and Farsoon is open for potential customers to jointly develop solutions for functional applications where materials, equipment and processing are aligned.’
The idea is that it will be 3D printed on Farsoon’s 3D printers, through the LSS service platform. ‘We want to offer our customers materials more suitable for series production, for example of functional components. This is achieved by their processing properties and in combination with the machine of Farsoon,’ adds Dr. Dirk Simon, Business Director Innovation Business Unit 3D-Printing. Farsoon was also very happy with the fruits of this collaboration, said company chairman Dr. Xu Xiaoshu. ‘Our experience in developing laser sintering systems as well as material processing combined with BASF’s experience in material development has allowed for the creation of a highly robust machine suitable for a wide range of applications and materials,’ he said.
Posted in 3D Printing Materials
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