Braskem launches portfolio for 3D printing in South America

Filaments, pellets and polypropylene powder can be used in industrial and desktop printers, expanding the versatility of the processes and producing more resistant and Stable pieces

Braskem took another important step in its innovation strategy and launched this month a portfolio with exclusive products for the additive manufacturing industry, popularly known as 3D printing, a market in full expansion in the country. The sector, whose main features are the decentralization of production and customization of solutions, has also helped in the confrontation of the new coronavirus through the production of face-shields masks and mechanical respirator components, for example.

Braskem’s solutions from polypropylene (PP) proved to be attractive and ideal for additive manufacturing, based on recyclability, impact resistance and dimensional stability of the raw material, which has durable hinge resources, and also a density lower than other types of plastics. The PP for 3D printing can be found in pellet and Filament forms, both produced in Brazil, and powder imported from the United States. In addition, the products can be used in both industrial 3D printers, and desktop computers.

Braskem’s PP filaments, which are available in diameters of 1.75 mm and 2.85 mm, were developed having the user in mind and deliver a better balance of mechanical properties, dimensional stability and printing performance to users. On the other hand, polypropylene powder, developed for the selective laser sintering process (SLS) – process that uses laser to synthesize polymer powder -, is the result of partnership with ALM (Advanced Laser Materials), subsidiary of EOS North America, and stands out because of its mechanical performance, dimensional stability of the printed parts and high reuse rates of the dust remaining on the printing bed at the end of each cycle. The PP product in pellets form was developed in collaboration with Titan Robotics, with focus on the innovative ATLASTM industrial scale pellet extrusion platform.

For the manager of Innovation and Technology for Additive Manufacturing at Braskem, Fabio Lamon, the company’s new portfolio allows processes for 3D printing to become even more sustainable in Brazil. “The additive manufacturing, by itself, is a process whose nature is not wasteful, as it is based on the manufacture of a three-dimensional part by adding layers of raw material from a 3D digital file, which enables total freedom of shape and eliminates losses and waste common in several traditional manufacturing processes. It should be noted that the polypropylene developed for this application has the same recyclability as other thermoplastic resins produced by Braskem and used in other transformation processes, which reinforces our commitment to sustainability and circular economy,” he says.

3D printing is becoming more and more relevant for Braskem, as a manufacturer of raw material, due to market growth perspective. It is a disruptive technology with a strong appeal for transformational innovation, which drives the development of solutions, relevant in the context of industry 4.0 and sustainability aspects, as it is a fully decentralized manufacturing process that minimizes material losses and disposal, in addition to logistic impacts.

The company’s first initiatives in this area began in 2013, in the Printing the Future project, a partnership with Made In Space, a NASA supplier, for developing a 3D printer for zero gravity operation. The equipment produced and sent to the International Space Station, in 2016, uses Braskem’s I’m green^TM bio-based polyethylene, produced from sugarcane, and won in 2019 the support of a recycler in which the astronaut team will be able to transform plastic waste into raw materials for the production of new items.

Products in filament and pellet form for direct use in 3D printers can be acquired directly from Braskem, and products in powder form are marketed globally by ALM (Advanced Laser Materials). Braskem’s PP filaments can also be acquired through 2M3D, official distributor of Braskem’s 3D printing filaments for South America.

“As the largest producer of thermoplastic resins in the Americas, Braskem is always evolving and improving its portfolio to meet the needs of our clients. The launch of the portfolio for 3D printing is another step in our evolution. We are excited about the performance of our polypropylene in relation to other materials available on the market and we believe that availability in pellet, filaments and powder form helps to further strengthen the great potential we see for the global 3D printing market”, says Jason Vagnozzi, business director of Additive Manufacturing at Braskem.

3D printing in the prevention against the new coronavirus

In July, Braskem donated 120 reels of plastic filaments to produce face shield masks and parts of artificial respirators, essential items for fighting the covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the company has sent its team of additive manufacturing specialists to support the work of twelve 3D printing research centers, in the states of Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo.

The polypropylene filament (PP) produced by Braskem for use in 3D printers was converted into stems for around five thousand face-shields, distributed to health professionals who work in public hospitals in the relevant regions of the research centers.

In Bahia, the product was donated to the Department of Science and Technology of the State of Bahia, which redistributed it to seven SENAI technology centers in the state. In Rio de Janeiro, the initiative benefited the 3D printing research center of the form (PUC-RJ). In Rio Grande do Sul, the Science and Technology Park (Tecnopuc) of PUC-RS and the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)coordinated by the Brothers in Arms group, received the filaments. In São Paulo, the material was delivered to 3D Criar e Inkubetech, who support the Hígia Project.