Evonik launches carbon black PA12 INFINAM powders and more
And a new flame-retardant PA12 developed for HP's Jet Fusion 5600 Series
German chemicals company Evonik launched two new PA12 3D printing materials at Formnext last week, further expanding its INFINAM powder range for powder bed fusion platforms. The new products, INFINAM 6013 P and INFINAM 6014 P, are both PA12-based powders with carbon black encapsulated in the core of each thermoplastic particle. Evonik and HP also unveiled a new flame-retardant PA12 powder for the consumer electronics market at the industry event.
The addition of carbon black, a form of engineered carbon regularly used to reinforce plastics and rubbers (such as tires), gives the PA12 powders superior UV resistance as well as better resistance to surface abrasion and wear. These enhanced properties make INFINAM 6013 P and 6014 P highly suited for outdoor applications. “These properties make our carbon black powder an ideal material for producing 3D printed items destined for use outdoors—especially in applications that need to withstand an elevated exposure to heat and light, such as those found in the aerospace and automotive industry,” commented Arnim Kraatz, director of Powder Bed Fusion at Evonik.
The carbon-black-embedded 3D printing powders are produced using an innovative precipitation process and Evonik adds that the new materials are engineered for high flowability, homogenous sintering and greater isotropy. The addition of carbon black to the PA12 also enhances the pigmentation uniformity of the powder. These new powders will be sold directly by Evonik.
In addition to the new carbon-black-embedded materials, Evonik also introduced a new flame-retardant PA12 powder, developed in cooperation with HP Inc. The new fire retardant product, HP 3D HR PA12 FR, is also notable for its 50% reusability rate, which will unlock greater efficiency—both in terms of cost and sustainability—and is particularly viable for applications in the consumer electronics market.
“We are very excited to be introducing the new HP 3D PA12 FR, a halogen-free flame-retardant polymer enabled by Evonik,” said François Minec, VP and Global Head of 3D Polymers at HP Inc. “Our long-term partnership is key to developing innovative solutions to continue growing the industry.” Dominic Stoerkle, head of Evonik’s High Performance Polymers’ Long Chain Polyamides product line, added: “We are proud of the fruits of this successful partnership with HP Inc., as it is the latest application of an encapsulation technique enabled by Evonik’s specially pioneered precipitation method.”
This new PA12 powder, manufactured at Evonik’s site in Marl, Germany (itself powered 100% by renewable energy), is compatible with the HP Jet Fusion 5600 Series, a relatively new solution built for scalable, industrial 3D printing. The flame-retardant powder will be available for sale via HP.
