Page 50 - Plastics News December 2017

PRODUCT NEWS

A. Schulman unveils PA6-12T

. Schulman Inc. is stepping up its game and stepping developed has specialty applications. But Steele thinks
Ainto a new arena: the materials market that serves it has benefits that certain manufacturers need."This
the 3D printing industry. One of the chief challenges the material is definitely easy to use, and it's very, very rigid,"
burgeoning industry additive manufacturing industry he said.It's being launched in Europe now and will hit the
faces, however, is finding new materials with which 3D U.S. market in the first quarter of 2018, with Prodways
printers can work. Fairlawn, Ohio-based Schulman, with handling sales, Steele said.
its French partner, Prodways Technologies, have foray into It's not likely to significantly move Schulman's revenue
the truly innovative side. After agreeing to work jointly needle, at least at first. But it's important because it marks
on development efforts in November 2016, Schulman
Schulman's entrance into a new and growing industry,
where the company can engineer products that are less
commoditized than the plastics and materials Schulman
usually deals in."We are aiming to release other materials
that are not quite so specialized," Steele said of Schulman's
future plans.
That would be just fine for most players in the 3D industry,
which is always looking for new materials it can work
with and for new suppliers who will develop them, said
Darrell Wallace, chief manufacturing officer and program
coordinator for Youngstown State University, which works
extensively with additive manufacturing technologies.

Wallace said many manufacturers prefer SLS technology,
and Prodways have unveiled their first product, a glass- because it produces parts that are uniform from their
reinforced nylon 6 sold under the name PA6-12T. outer edges to their inner core. However, manufacturers
The end result is a material that produces parts that often have to compromise to use the technology, if they
are tougher, more rigid and more heat resistant than even can.
competing materials, said John Steele, head of business "A lot of the materials we are able to print are not identical
development for Schulman's powder business in Europe, to the materials we use traditionally," Wallace said. "I may
the Middle East and Africa. have a particular polymer I like to use, but that polymer
Those characteristics mean PA6-12T can be used to make in its present form might not be suitable to 3D printing. So
parts that are not possible with other materials, including we're often limited to a variant of a polymer or member
for industries that manufacture automotive, aerospace of the same polymer family." As more materials become
or medical parts or devices.The material is designed for available, the number of opportunities we have to use 3D
selective laser sintering. printing increases."
Steele hopes Schulman and Prodways' new product can What's more, as the new materials demonstrate different
compete with or replace nylon 12 used in SLS."Probably 95 strengths, they can be used for new purposes. For
percent of the industry in SLS is using PA12, and PA12 has example, if a material is heat resistant enough, it can
a number of limitations, one of them being resistant to be used to print molds that will be used by traditional
high temperatures under the hood, which it's not," Steele injection molders to make plastic parts.
said.The new product won't necessarily revolutionize "The better materials we get — like the new material that
the industry — 3D printing is still a fairly slow process, Schulman has — that opens up the number of opportunities
and the new material Schulman and Prodways have we have as well," Wallace said.

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