Evonik and LEHVOSS form strategic partnership in industrial 3D printing

The specialty chemicals company Evonik and the chemical and mineral specialties group LEHVOSS Group are entering into a strategic partnership in the field of industrial 3D printing. The core content of the collaboration consists of two task packages: LEHVOSS will develop its own 3D printing formulations based on Evonik’s PA613 polymer chemistry under its own LUVOSINT product branding. LEHVOSS will include Evonik’s INFINAM PA 6005 P (PA613) polymer powder in its own product portfolio on September 1, 2023. In this way, both industrial partners aim to open up new applications in the automotive sector.

“The cooperation with LEHVOSS is very special for us, because this is the first time in our thirty-year history that we are entering into a partnership with another material manufacturer. The expertise team is expected to produce specialty formulations to enable new 3D applications,” says Sylvia Monsheimer, head of industrial 3D printing at Evonik.

INFINAM® PA 6005 P is a plastic powder from Evonik based on polyamide 613 for laser sintering technologies such as SLS. The material is produced using Evonik’s own special precipitation process at the Marl Chemical Park and is suitable for 3D applications in the higher temperature range. Compared to other difficult-to-process materials in the polyamide 6 family, INFINAM PA 6005 P impresses with low water absorption – less than 3 percent – which has a positive effect on processability in the 3D printing process and the dimensional stability of the printed component.

New PA613-based formulations for 3D printing

LEHVOSS has already developed a carbon-fiber-reinforced powder variant for laser sintering from Evonik’s PA613 base polymer under the brand name LUVOSINT PA613 9711 CF. The materials expert compounds special carbon fibers into the individual plastic particles. Carbon fibers bonded in this way comply with applicable occupational safety regulations. By adding Evonik’s unreinforced INFINAM PA 6005 P to its own product portfolio, LEHVOSS now offers both formulations from a single source.

“Working with Evonik and using an already excellent base polymer made it easier for us to develop a customized product for our customers’ technical application,” says Dr. Stefan Schulze, 3D printing team leader at LEHVOSS.

With its LUVOSINT and LUVOCOM 3F product lines, LEHVOSS Group offers innovative and customized plastics for 3D printing. These are adapted to the most common manufacturing processes, such as Powder Bed Fusion, Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) and Fused Granulate Fabrication (FGF). The materials are characterized by good processability and excellent material properties.

Evonik is pooling its expertise in 3D printing in the innovation growth area of additive manufacturing. The strategic focus here is on the development and production of new high-performance materials for all major polymer-based 3D printing technologies. In this context, Evonik has organized its product range of ready-to-use materials under the new INFINAM brand.