Nov 2, 2016 | By Benedict
French 3D printer manufacturer Prodways has entered into a strategic partnership with Ohio plastics company A. Schulman to develop laser sintering powders for 3D printing. The pair will attempt to achieve greater and faster development of new industrial applications.
As an established provider of 3D printing systems and materials, French company Prodways picks its collaborators carefully. The company offers a range of premium 3D printers with an open materials platform, seeking to develop high-performance materials both at its own facilities and in cooperation with others. The company’s new partnership with A. Schulman, which will be explained more fully at the forthcoming formnext conference in Frankfurt, Germany, will look to build on Schulman’s experience with industrial customers in order to develop laser sintering powders of the highest quality.
A. Schulman, headquartered in Akron, Ohio, is a leading supplier of plastic compounds and composites which are used as raw materials in a number of industries. By partnering with Prodways, it will work with further high-profile customers to develop custom solutions for a variety of problems. R&D teams from both companies will continue to identify best manufacturing processes and propose innovative new materials, with a focus on 3D printing above other manufacturing processes.
3D printed parts made with Prodways materials
“A. Schulman’s broad understanding of plastics, special technical and manufacturing expertise, and deep experience with all powder additives and modifiers helps optimize the performance, appearance and processability of polymers to meet the most demanding application requirements,” commented Alban D’Halluin, Prodways Technology CEO. “By partnering with A. Schulman, Prodways will access state-of-the-art compounding know-how to develop materials which are economical, reliable and whose mechanical properties are not yet reachable with 3D printing.”
Prodways already sells a number of industrial plastic laser sintering 3D printers, developed in partnership with Hunan Farsoon Technologies, a Chinese 3D printer specialist. Those printers, which fall under the ProMaker P Series, are marketed at businesses seeking rapid prototyping or part production solutions, and are suitable for applications in aerospace, automotive, healthcare, design and architecture, consumer products, energy, and academia.
Prodways ProMaker P4000 laser sintering 3D printer
At present, Prodways laser sintering powders fall into three categories: polyamides PA12 and PA11, and elastomeric TPU. All of these materials are optimized for Prodways ProMaker 3D printers, but the company also makes liquid resins for its range of MOVINGLight digital light processing (DLP) 3D printers.
While not an additive manufacturing specialist, A. Schulman hinted in 2014 that it was ready to pursue 3D printing ventures.
Posted in 3D Printing Materials
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