Arkema invests in elastomer 3D startup

Paris – Arkema SA has led the second round of fundraising campaign by US elastomers additive manufacturing startup Adaptive3D, which aims to bring its materials technology to commercialisation. 

Based in Plano, Texas, Adaptive3D specialises in high performance photopolymer resins for the manufacture of flexible parts and lattice structures.

The company supplies a range of materials that match the properties of elastomers such as silicones, polyurethanes and rubber and enable additive manufacturing of “tough, strain-tolerant, tear-resistant rubbers,” said Arkema in a 28 Oct statement. 

The printable photo-resins, Arkema said, are optimised for “high-throughput manufacturing” of functional parts in a wide range of applications in the consumer goods, healthcare, industrial, transportation and oil & gas markets.

According to its website, Adaptive3D's materials are "flexible & tough", offer a strain tolerance range of 150%-450%, have a broad range of durometer (from Shore A 20-90) and enable rapid post-processing.

Arkem expects the investment, the details of which were not disclosed, to complement its expertise in UV liquid resin material design and advance its strategy to accelerate 3D printing manufacturing technology development.

The two companies have already collaborated in a number of technical and commercial developments and the investment will aim to expand the partnership in new material development and commercialisation.

Arkema said it will also contribute its technologies such as photoinitiators and thio-based materials to enhance Adaptive3D product offerings.

"Challenging the aging model of injection-moulded rubbers, Adaptive3D is now scaling production and distribution to deliver shelf-stable, print-stable, one-part photoresins that yield superior, manufactured end parts,” said Walter Voit, founder and CEO of Adaptive3D.

The company’s resins, he said, enable customers to “topologically optimise and micro-architect their polymeric products to provide a sustainable competitive advantage."

Other investors in Adaptive3D include Dutch materials supplier DSM; US speciality chemicals company Chemence; pharmaceutical device supplier West and coal-to-products specialist Ramaco Carbon.