EnvisionTEC & Somos Collaborate to Create Superior 3D Printing Materials for Users Worldwide

The 3D printing industry quickly went from fledgling to fast paced–and competitive as all get out. While much of the world economy thrives on business, it can be a dog-eat-dog scene, as most everyone knows. And it can get lonely at the top as well. Every so often though, a dynamic partnership comes along offering all the right ingredients for two successful companies to complement each other perfectly, with the goal being to benefit their customer base.

What better way to bring out the best around the world for users in 3D printing than to merge one of the leading producers of 3D printing solutions with one of the top materials manufacturers? For EnvisionTEC, founded in 2002, and a company with dual headquarters in Gladbeck, Germany and Dearborn, Michigan, it made perfect sense to team up with another international entity like Somos.

“Somos consistently produces cutting-edge materials for 3D printing,” says John Hartner, Chief Operating Officer of EnvisionTEC. “Working together will accelerate the possibility of producing large industrial parts with a high level of performance at much faster speeds.”

A world leader in additive manufacturing material development, Somos actually functions as a product brand of DMS, a global science-based company that focuses not only on materials development, but has a strong focus on innovative solutions that “nourish, protect and improve” performance globally from food to alternative energy to electronics and far more. They are dedicated to 3D printing, with the belief that it is a “major change agent for the world creating brighter lives for people today and generations to come.”

Developing materials for over 25 years, Somos has also been in the business of creating stereolithography resins. Currently, they have 15 different resins on the market, which are used in many applications, to include areas like the automotive industry and injection molding.

“We are very excited to be working with EnvisionTEC,” said Melissa Lutz, Business Director for Somos. “Their new, 3SP large-frame machines produce parts two to three times faster than the existing, industry-leading equipment. We can’t wait to develop high-performance materials that enable their equipment to expand into new industrial applications.”

The collaboration will strengthen both companies in that they can both improve and advance their own specialties and technologies as well as working together to make new applications–and most importantly– superior materials that offer:

• Heat resistance
• Durability
• High detail resolution
• Dimensional stability

As new materials are created, this should further solidify EnvisionTEC’s hold on the 3D printing market, where they already reign with their core based technology of selective light modulation which is currently being used in its DLP systems, popular in industries that produce items like jewelry, dentistry, and even specialized markets like those that produce hearing aids. With a strong commitment to providing their very best in 3D printing solutions for clients around the world, a collaboration with a company like Somos undeniably seems like a great choice–and we’ll be looking forward to following and reporting back on their progress.

What are your thoughts on this recently announced partnership?  Discuss in the EnvisionTEC / Somos forum thread on 3DPB.com.