Solvay expands offering of high-performance polymers for 3D-printing simulation

Solvay adds 10% carbon fiber filled KetaSpire® polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and neat Radel® polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) to e-Xstream engineering’s latest release (2019.0) of Digimat®-Additive Manufacturing (AM) software. These products complement the neat KetaSpire® PEEK AM filament already available for simulation on e-Xstream engineering’s Digimat®-AM platform.

“Our growing range of AM filaments underscores Solvay’s determination to establish itself as an industry leader in this rapidly evolving market,” says Christophe Schramm, Additive Manufacturing business manager in the company’s Specialty Polymers global business unit. “Digimat®-AM allows customers to simulate the printing process and successfully predict the thermomechanical behavior of 3D-printed designs in order to ‘print right the first time’.”

These new materials will benefit from e-Xstream engineering’s Digimat®-AM Advanced Solver. This software offers highly accurate, predictive modeling data for Solvay’s AM filaments over a wide range of critical characteristics, including detailed warpage and residual stress, to help designers and engineers optimize the process and minimize part deformation before printing. For highly demanding applications, Digimat® further enables design validation by predicting the printed part performance (stiffness, strength, etc.) as a function of the material and the printing process parameters.

“With the addition of Solvay’s new AM grades, we now have a wider portfolio of 3D printing grades in Digimat® to provide cutting-edge new materials to push the design and application boundaries in this dynamic market,” adds Roger Assaker, CEO of e-Xstream engineering and Chief Material Strategist for MSC Software. “As a result of our partnership, we bridge the gap in simulation engineering between high-performance polymers and demanding printing processes such as Fused Filament Fabrication.”

® KetaSpire and Radel are registered trademarks of Solvay.

® Digimat is a registered trademark of e-Xstream engineering, an MSC Software company of Hexagon.

Solvay is an advanced material and specialty chemicals company, committed to developing chemistry that addresses key societal challenges. Solvay innovates and partners with customers worldwide in many diverse end markets. Its products are used in planes, cars, batteries, smart and medical devices, as well as in mineral and oil and gas extraction, enhancing efficiency and sustainability. Its lightweighting materials promote cleaner mobility, its formulations optimize the use of resources and its performance chemicals improve air and water quality. Solvay is headquartered in Brussels with around 26,800 employees in 61 countries. Net sales were €10.1 billion in 2017, with 90% from activities where Solvay ranks among the world’s top 3 leaders, resulting in an EBITDA margin of 22%. Solvay SA (SOLB.BE) is listed on Euronext Brussels and Paris (Bloomberg: SOLB.BB – Reuters: SOLB.BR) and in the United States its shares (SOLVY) are traded through a level-1 ADR program. Financial figures take into account the announced divestment of Polyamides.

Solvay Specialty Polymers manufactures over 1500 products across 35 brands of high-performance polymers – fluoropolymers, fluoroelastomers, fluorinated fluids, semi-aromatic polyamides, sulfone polymers, ultra-high performance aromatic polymers, and high-barrier polymers – for use in Aerospace, Alternative Energy, Automotive, Healthcare, Membranes, Oil and Gas, Packaging, Plumbing, Semiconductors, Wire & Cable, and other industries. Learn more at www.solvayspecialtypolymers.com.

Media Relations
Enrico Zanini
Solvay Specialty Polymers
+39 02 2909 2127
enrico.zanini@solvay.com

Alan Flower
Industrial Media Relations
+32 474 117 091
alan.flower@indmr.com

Marla Witbrod
Solvay Specialty Polymers
+1 770 772 8451
marla.witbrod@solvay.com

Joe Bennett
AH&M Marketing Communications
+1 413 448 2260 Ext. 470
jbennett@ahminc.com

Source: solvay.com

Related Articles

Solvay to present on metal-to-plastic conversion at MD&M West 2019

Solvay’s Zeniva® PEEK enables durable all-polymer knee implant

Solvay specialty polymers takes additive manufacturing to the next level