Victor Fernandez HP
Global chemical firm, BASF has announced it’s ramping up its collaboration with HP to deliver new 3D printing materials through the HP Jet Fusion Open Platform.
Unveiled earlier this year with HP’s Jet Fusion 3D Printing Solution, the HP Open Platform approach invites materials manufacturers to collaborate on the development of new materials and work with customers to formulate materials for specific applications. BASF and HP are now strengthening the partnership to accelerate the learning cycle on requirements and specifications necessary to develop materials for large-scale production. BASF is committed to integrating the ideas generated from this exchange to speed the development of a variety of new materials for enhanced 3D printing products.
BASF has industry-leading experience in the development of plastics and is putting a strong emphasis on its additive manufacturing output by significantly ramping up activities to support the development of materials specific to industrial applications. BASF has established a new dedicated business unit in BASF New Business GmbH (BNB) and created an Application Technology Centre for 3D printing in Heidelberg, Germany dedicated to developing customised material solutions and downstream applications for customers.
“BASF brings tremendous expertise in materials for mass production to the 3D printing industry,” explained Tim Weber, Global Head, 3D Materials & Advanced Applications, HP. “By partnering with companies that have a long history in developing new materials with customers in the manufacturing industry, we want to bring 3D printing from small batch series to industrial large-scale production.”
“In collaboration with HP, we combine our understanding of customer needs and applications along with expertise in materials,” Dietmar Geiser, responsible for BASF’s 3D printing strategy at BASF New Business added. “The HP Open Platform is driving the advancement of materials for large-scale industrial use of 3D printing in production, and BASF will play an integral role in materials development”.
BASF already develops various materials and ready-for-use formulations for several established 3D printing technologies including plastics, ceramics or metals parts. One example is the recently launched Ultrasint PA6 X028, a polyamide-6 powder for sintering which provides superior mechanical stability and higher heat resistance compared to component parts fabricated with other polyamides currently used in the 3D industry.
