German speciality chemicals and plastics producer Evonik (Essen; www.evonik.com) has developed a new powder in its PA 6 series for 3D printing. The powder, which was launched in collaboration with Chinese company TPM3D (Shanghai; www.tpm3d.com), exhibits excellent flowability and application properties, Evonik said. The company will produce the material at its site in Marl / Germany.

Features of the PA powder include high mechanical strength along with excellent chemical and temperature resistance. It has a heat deflection temperature of around 195 °C and has low water absorption of below 3%, which Evonik said positively affects processing ability and the dimensional stability of printed 3D parts. “New, ready-to-use materials that are optimally adapted to the individual printer and expand the range of application to higher temperatures move the 3D printing industry one step further towards series production,” said Mark Zhao, founder and CEO of TPM3D. He added that there is strong demand for 3D solutions in the higher-temperature range, for example in the automotive and electronics industries.

Evonik, which regards itself as a leading producer of PA 12 powders, said the 3D printing market is booming and growing at double-digit rates.

TPM3D was founded in 2014 as a joint venture between Stratasys (Eden Prairie, Minnesota / USA; www.stratasys.com) and Chinese company Trump Precision Machinery (Beijing; https://trumpsystem.en.china.cn).