Royal DSM, a global company in nutrition, health and sustainable living, has launched a new glass-filled polypropylene (PP) pellet material developed especially for 3D printing. It enables the production of structural applications using fused granulate fabrication technology.
Widely used for its mechanical, thermal, and chemical performance, polypropylene (PP) is the second most frequently used polymer worldwide. Automotive, industrial or infrastructure manufacturers looking to adopt additive manufacturing technology for low volume or decentralized production – where the elimination of tools helps decrease cost – want to typically use the same material they are familiar with from traditional manufacturing.
To meet this growing need, DSM is introducing a glass-filled PP for fused granulate fabrication (FGF), suitable for additive manufacturing. Arnilene AM6001GF (G) – the (G) stands for granulates – stems from the same base material used in high volume production and is optimized for FGF 3D printing. By combining materials know-how, expertise in modeling and simulation, design for additive (versus traditional manufacturing), and printing expertise, DSM secured all of the desirable mechanical, thermal, and chemical performance of glass-filled PP with the flexibility of a proven 3D process.
The new Arnilene AM6001GF (G) is ideal for the direct printing of structural, lightweight applications for automotive, infrastructure and water management, and tooling. Geoff Gardner, innovations director Additive Manufacturing at DSM, commented, “Availability of engineering-grade materials with the right property set is the next step in the additive manufacturing revolution. Developed by our experts, Arnilene AM6001GF (G) offers industrial customers an industry-standard material with robust mechanical, thermal, and chemical performance in an additive manufacturing format. Using a material they already have experience with, they can fully focus on 3D printing and its benefits for their business.”
