On April 1, 2020, American 3D printer manufacturer Essentium Inc. announced a partnership with LEHVOSS Group, a chemical materials expert, to develop high-performance materials for high-speed extrusion (HSE) technology.
These materials include PEEK and High Temperature Nylon (HTN) series, which were specifically developed for production-grade 3D printing processes. To meet high-performance applications in the aerospace, automotive, oil and gas, biomedical and electronics manufacturing industries.
After two years of joint research and development between Essentium and LEHVOSS, these newly launched materials combine their respective material expertise. Thomas Collet, Director of 3D Printing Materials and Marketing, LEHVOSS Group, commented: "Working with Essentium is a win-win for our industrial customers, and we will work together to create a variety of 3D printing materials that meet the performance standards of end-use parts."
"This will not only shorten the time to market and reduce the cost of producing the highest quality parts, but also provide innovative products for new additive manufacturing applications."
High speed extrusion technology
Essentium is headquartered in the University City of Eastern Texas and is a developer of HSE and FlashFuse additive manufacturing technologies. FlashFuse is a "FDM welding" method. In this method, using the charge of the plasma can improve the strength of the 3D printed part on the Z axis.
On the other hand, HSE refers to Essentium's proprietary 3D printing platform, which uses a heating unit and nozzle to adjust the temperature to 20-600 degrees during 3D printing. HSE was originally released in 2018, hoping to solve the speed and strength problems of traditional FDM / FFF 3D printers. In 2019, Essentium demonstrated its 180-S 3D printer, which combines FlashFuse and HSE technology in one system.
Develop robust materials for the factory floor
LEHVOSS Group is a subsidiary of Lehmann & Voss & Co. Lehmann & Voss & Co is a chemical company headquartered in Hamburg. It was originally established in 1894 as a trading company. The LEHVOSS Group consists of companies in the chemical field, which develop, produce and sell special chemical and mineral products for various customers. The company provides two product lines dedicated to 3D printing: LUVOSINT and LUVOCOM 3F, dedicated to SLS and FFF 3D printing technologies, respectively.
Essentium explained that many 3D printing materials are not specifically developed for 3D printing, so their low material performance inhibits the development of additive manufacturing. Through cooperation with LEHVOSS, LEHVOSS's extensive experience in thermoplastic high-performance compounds is combined with Essentium's knowledge in polymers and compound chemistry to develop production materials for a variety of industrial applications.
Therefore, Essentium launched a series of PEEK and HTN materials developed using LEHVOSS 'LUVOCOM 3F compound. Their design purpose is to provide easy printing performance, non-deformable characteristics, heat and chemical resistance characteristics and high mechanical strength, in order to produce high-quality factory-end components. The material is certified for use on Essentium ’s HSE 3D printing platform and is suitable for use in mechanical engineering, medical technology, and automotive.
Dr. Brandon Sweeney, head and co-founder of Essentium Materials R & D, concluded: “Legs like LEHVOSS, we have a real partner, and he shares with us his enthusiasm in applying materials science innovation to accelerate industrial scale additive manufacturing. We We have seen strong demand for our PEEK and HTN materials and look forward to developing new materials that will give manufacturers confidence and confidence that they can shift from prototyping to full production using 3D printing. "