Braskem, the largest polyolefins producer in the Americas and leading producer of biopolymers in the world, and Advanced Laser Materials (ALM) a leader in materials development for additive manufacturing (AM), today announced the availability of polypropylene  (PP) powder for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) industrial 3D printing.

Braskem and ALM began their partnership in 2018, focusing on the development of innovative polyolefin-based powders for SLS. This new polypropylene powder for SLS is the first product launched under the joint collaboration. The launch brings enhanced benefits to the SLS AM process including lightweighting, moisture resistance, durable living hinge capabilities, improved recyclability, chemical resistance, enhanced processing stability, as well as elongation at break and flexibility is comparable to injection molding PP grades.

Jason Vagnozzi, Braskem Additive Manufacturing Leader, North America, commented, "Looking to the future, we see exciting new opportunities for innovation in the additive manufacturing markets. As a global leader in polyolefins, collaborating with ALM who offers the largest selection of laser sintering solutions and is a pioneer of materials development for industrial 3D printing was a natural fit, creating a powerful combination. Bringing these two organizations together made it possible to transform our innovative vision into reality, with our polypropylene for additive manufacturing delivering superior printing capabilities versus other available materials."

As the first commercial product launch between Braskem and ALM, today's announcement forms the foundation upon which both companies intend to expand their range of offerings to include additional polyolefins for laser powder bed fusion over time.

"ALM material variety has long been a limiting factor in the adoption of AM for serial production. We continue to partner with leading material manufacturers with the aim of diversifying the SLS portfolio unleashing the true potential of AM. Collaborating with Braskem as the leading provider of polypropylene in the U.S. is the perfect match to offer a true PP solution to the additive market. We aim to offer a product that is superior in quality and reliability, that is also scalable in supply and very competitive in price," says Donnie Vanelli, Senior Vice President of EOS Life Cycle Solutions.

SLS is an AM process that uses lasers and thermal energy to sinter polymer powder to produce the highest quality three-dimensional, solid geometries. SLS technologies are used in industrial applications for a broad array of manufacturing segments such as automotive, aerospace, packaging, consumer goods, and more.

ALM and Braskem invite companies who are interested to trying and being first on the list to get access to this new and exciting material to send an email to Life_Cycle_NA@eos-na.com .