DuPont Performance Materials, a division of DuPont (Wilmington, Delaware / USA; www.dupont.com), has introduced filament forms of its "Hytrel" thermoplastic elastomers, "Zytel" PA polymers and "Surlyn" ionomers for the 3D printing market.

The company said the availability of these high-performance materials will enable users to achieve the true benefits of 3D printing, notably greater design freedom, lightweighting and reduced product development cycles, thus allowing for rapid prototyping, part production and mass customisation.

Meanwhile, DuPont has installed a 3D suction blow moulding machine at its China Research & Development Centre (CRDC) in Shanghai. Unlike conventional blow moulding equipment, this particular machine is said to be unique in enabling the production of an air duct with a complex 3D shape. DuPont has also developed in-house simulation tools to predict the suction process and parison twist in the mould to optimise product and tooling design.

The company said the 3D air duct offers advanced weight- and cost-saving solutions for turbo engines and will support the needs of automotive industry customers in China and the Asia-Pacific region.

DuPont said China has seen double-digit growth in vehicles with turbo engines in the past five years as a result of stringent regulations and rising demand. Growth is expected to double again in the next five years.

The 3D suction blowing machine is the second that DuPont has installed in Asia – the first was added at its Japanese technical centre in 2015.