BASF, a leading chemical company, and HP, a leader in industrial 3D printing, announced an expansion of their strategic alliance to advance digital manufacturing. Together, the companies are working with innovators in the auto, consumer, medical, and industrial manufacturing sectors to open new market opportunities, jointly develop new best-in-class applications, and achieve unmatched quality, breakthrough economics, and more sustainable production.

At the center of the collaboration is the launch of a first-of-its-kind polypropylene (PP) for additive manufacturing. The HP 3D High Reusability PP enabled by BASF was developed and qualified for HP’s Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D printer.

BASF and HP have a long history of innovating together. BASF is a foundational partner in HP’s 3D printing materials ecosystem and the two companies have collaborated on an array of sustainable and innovative materials including ULTRASINT TPU01 thermoplastic polyurethane released last year. Developed for HP’s Jet Fusion 5200 3D Series, the new PP enables the 100% reuse of collected surplus powder, leading to less waste and more efficient production.

Already, the Forward AM team and HP are working with industry leaders including Extol, GKN/Forecast 3D, Henkel, Oechsler, and Prototal to jointly develop applications with the new material. Polypropylene has historically been a highly desirable material in industrial manufacturing due to its low cost, colorability, chemical resistance and UV stability with nearly unlimited use in the world’s leading industries including consumer appliances and the $2 trillion automotive market. The availability of a new additive material that replicates a traditional material used for a variety of auto parts found in vehicles’ interior, exterior, and under-the-hood offers significant advantages for auto makers.

BASF
www.basf.com

HP Inc.
www.hp.com/go/3Dprinting