Japanese chemicals and plastics group Mitsubishi Chemical (Tokyo; www.m-chemical.co.jp/en) announced it would be collaborating with German start-up AM Polymers (Willich; www.am-polymers.de). The companies aim to develop and distribute PBT powder for industrial 3D printing in sectors such as aerospace and automotive. A beta version of “Rolaserit PBT01” will soon be introduced for evaluation by the partners’ European customers. The new powder has a lower moisture absorption compared to polyamide 12, the currently preferred material for selective laser sintering (SLS) and powder bed fusion (PBF) processes.

AM Polymers produces and sells thermoplastic powders for additive manufacturing. A spin-off of Universität Duisburg-Essen, the company was founded in 2014 as AM Polymer Research. It currently distributes polypropylene and polyethylene powders for 3D printing.