Solvay: Updated Sinterline Technyl PA6 Powders and HUB Platform at formnext

As we get ever closer to this year’s formnext event, taking place in Frankfurt from November 19-22, more and more 3D printing industry companies are making announcements ahead of the show about what innovations they will be showcasing this year, from new 3D printing systems and unique applications to new materials.

Belgian advanced materials and specialty chemicals company Solvay Performance Polyamides is taking advantage of this event opportunity to present improvements to its Sinterline Technyl powder solutions for high-temperature SLS 3D printers.

The company’s Sinterline Technyl polyamide 6 (PA6) powder range, which was made compatible with 3D printing functional parts three years ago, achieves high mechanical performance while also providing easy processing. The Technyl brand, a part of Solvay Performance Polyamides, has provided polyamide 66-based solutions for applications in automotive, construction, electrical and electronics, consumer goods, and more for over 65 years.

Now, Technyl’s PA6 powder range has been upgraded and optimized in order to reduce the production cycle, so that Sinterline can speed up its move from functional prototyping applications to 3D printed serial production. Based on a patented polymer and specific formulation – offering a manageable processing window – the Sinterline Technyl PA6 line of AM powders is perfect to use with a large amount of SLS 3D printers that are adapted for high-temperature polymer materials. These powders offer both the thermal performance, and mechanical properties, that are necessary for making many 3D printed parts for low to medium volume production and functional prototyping purposes. Solvay hopes that perhaps some of this PA 6 could displace the ever dominant PA 12 powder that is near-ubiquitous in sintering.

But the latest improvements to its Sinterline Technyl PA6 isn’t the only thing Solvay is showcasing at next week’s formnext – the company is also introducing its unique HUB by Sinterline platform, which supports Sinterline products with advanced 3D printing services.

The platform connects the MMI Technyl Design 1 predictive 3D printing simulation, which models and forecasts the mechanical performances of parts, with APT, Sinterline’s functional prototyping service and application testing center. This combination provides Sinterline customers with greater capabilities for achieving optimized part performance and efficient design.

“The industry has realised the full potential of additive manufacturing and is moving from prototyping to serial production. To accelerate this transformation, solutions need to be developed to deliver real functional prototypes, closer in performance to injection molding parts. This is where Sinterline enables affordable customisation of functional 3D printed parts that could not previously be manufactured without great expense, time and material wastage. Parts’ performance is improved thanks to HUB by Sinterline, an advanced service platform which includes predictive simulation capabilities specifically designed for additive manufacturing,” Dominique Giannotta, Sinterline Additive Manufacturing Leader for Solvay Performance Polyamides, said in a news release.

To see the company’s updated Sinterline Technyl PA6 powder range for yourself, and learn more about the new HUB by Sinterline platform, visit Solvay’s Technyl Booth F19 in Hall 12.1 at formnext in Frankfurt next week.

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