Germany’s BASF develops 3D printing materials for HP Jet Fusion 3D printers

Recently, the German chemical company BASF and the printer manufacturer HP announced an agreement Collaboration to develop printing materials for HP's Jet Fusion 3D printer. BASF claims to have a wide range of materials in the chemical industry to develop 3D printing materials.

When launching the first 3D printer, printing giant HP has made it clear that it is willing to cooperate with the company. In terms of specific 3D printing applications, HP has cooperated with BMW, Nike and other companies, and in terms of materials, it has cooperated with Evotron and Arkema. Now, the German chemical company BASF has reached a cooperation with HP. It is reported that BASF's North American company is headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey. According to foreign media reports, HP and BASF are preparing to strengthen their partnership to develop and produce 3D printing materials on a large scale.

According to BASF, it has the broadest range of materials in the chemical industry to develop 3D printing materials for the Jet Fusion 3D printer. These materials include thermoplastic engineering plastics, polyurethane, acrylic and other photopolymers, photoinitiators, functional additives, stabilizers, pigments, and metal materials. Some of these materials can be used in HP's 3D printers.

"The partnership with BASF is very beneficial for HP because of the company's expertise in the mass production of 3D printing consumables," said Tim Weber, HP's global head of 3D materials and advanced applications. Working with companies with long histories in materials development and manufacturing, we hope to transform 3D printing from small batch production to large-scale industrial production.”

In order to enable BASF to quickly develop 3D printing materials, HP put forward corresponding requirements and specifications. Not only that, HP and BASF will exchange views again, and after that, BASF will develop a "new material" to enhance 3D printing product design. In addition, the company's chemical experts plan to expand the range of 3D printing materials, such as the overall combination of plastics, ceramics and metals.

"In cooperation with HP, we apply our expertise and combine our customers' needs and applications to develop materials." said Dietmar Geiser, head of 3D printing strategy at BASF, "HP's open platform promotes large-scale industrialization of materials. production advancements, and BASF will play an integral role in the development of this material.”

Unlike laser sintering, HP's Jet Fusion 3D printing technology applies a layer of fusion agent to the desired shape on a bed of polymer powder, after which the fusion agent and powder fuse with each other. The polymer powder is just a fusion agent applied on the print head, which means that the device needs to create the desired layer shape in a very short time.

In order to cooperate with the development of 3D printing business, BASF has established a 3D printing application technology center in Heidelberg, Germany.