Center of Excellence to Advance 3D Printing Technology Launched by Arkema

Arkema, King of Prussia, Penn., is opening up its new 3D Printing Center of Excellence at its Sartomer Exton, Pa. facility on July 30. Sartomer, a business line of Arkema, is a pioneer in designing engineered resins for UV-curable additive manufacturing marketed under its N3xtDimension brand. These photo-cure 3D printing materials yield products with thermoplastic-like mechanical properties for applications such as dental, sports and electronics.

In this advanced R&D lab, Sartomer and its partners aim to further develop cutting-edge 3D printing resins through innovative material research and collaboration. The new center houses most UV-based technologies: stereolithography (SLA), digital light processing (DLP), and multi jet printing (MJP). It provides a collaborative space for chemists and application engineers to develop custom resins for customer needs.

The lab will complete Arkema’s existing global R&D network dedicated to the fast-growing 3D printing market, a driver of Arkema’s future growth. Said Sumeet Jain, global director, 3D Printing at Sartomer. "Sartomer is a historic partner for 3D printing pioneers…We're launching the 3D Printing Center of Excellence to deepen our support of the visionaries working to develop innovative 3D printed materials."

Arkema views itself as ideally positioned to bring 3D printing to a full manufacturing scale with a unique line-up of polymer materials available in filament for extrusion, in powder for sintering and in liquid for UV-curing, backed by a deep understanding of end-user applications and needs. “3D printing will further expand in to mass manufacturing through innovative advanced material technologies and partnerships with market leaders,” said global business director Guillaume de Crevoisier, who coordinates the 3D Printing activities for Arkema.