In this blog post, we will discuss plastic additive manufacturers and the important role they play in enhancing the properties and functionality of plastics.
Plastic is an integral part of our daily lives. From the toothbrush we use every morning to the car we drive to work, plastic plays a crucial role.
However, did you know that not all plastics are created equal? Plastic additives are essential in providing unique properties and functionalities to various plastic products. These additives come from manufacturers specializing in creating formulations for different plastic types and applications.
In this blog post, we dive deep into the world of plastic additive manufacturers – who they are, what they do, and why their contributions matter so much in today’s world. So fasten your seatbelt as we embark on a fascinating journey exploring the complex yet critical world of plastic additive production!
What You Will Learn
BASF
Services and products:
- Product Carbon Footprint services
- Stabilization and protection solutions
- Technical support
- Sustainability support
- Regulatory support
BASF is a leading global producer of plastic additives that takes sustainability seriously and has recently added Product Carbon Footprint service to its VALERAS™ portfolio. Their unparalleled experience in stabilization, protection, technical sustainability, and regulatory support empowers them to offer solutions that enable circularity and support customers’ resource efficiency journey.
With creative additive platforms at their arsenal, they believe they are able to deliver valuable sustainable solutions while enhancing savings in terms of cost and resources for their clients.
Arkema
Facebook page: Facebook
Services and products:
- Additives for PVC
- Impact modifiers for engineering plastics
- Additives for building and construction applications
- Toughening agents for thermosetting resins
- Additives for Polyactic Acid (PLA)
Arkema is a leading global player in plastic additive manufacturing for PVC, bio-polymers, thermosetting resins and engineering plastics. Their wide range of acrylic and methacrylate-butadiene-styrene (MBS) impact modifiers and processing aids provides excellent solutions for reinforcement and processing of thermoplastics while their additives are perfect to toughen and enhance the processing gain in thermosetting resins.
They also offer specialized additives for PLA and building applications such as PVC window profiles, fences, decks and railings.
Azelis
Facebook page: Facebook
Services and products:
- Elastomers
- Natural and synthetic rubber
- Chemical additives
- Silica, carbon black, and pigments
- Technical sales support with expert advice
This Plastic Additive Manufacturer is a leading supplier of high-quality products, including elastomers, natural and synthetic rubber, chemical additives and fillers like silica, carbon black, and pigments to the rubber and plastics industry worldwide. They also offer technical sales support backed by specialist expertise for processes that adds value to their customer’s applications every time.
Volum-e
Company: volum-e.com
Facebook page: Facebook
Services and products:
- Plastic Additive Manufacturing processes for transforming plastic materials
- Specialization in accurate stereolithography (SLA) and productive selective laser sintering (SLS) processes
- One-stop-shop for finished parts with various finishing options such as sanding, milling, painting, metallization, varnishing, etching, and dimensional controls
- Countless finish options with short deadlines
- Competitive pricing due to optimized and experienced production processes
VOLUM-e is a leading Plastic Additive Manufacturing company that specializes in the stereolithography (SLA) and selective laser sintering (SLS) processes, among others. With over 25 years of experience, VOLUM-e offers one-stop solutions for finished parts with countless options for finishes and short deadlines.
Their optimized and competitive production processes make them pioneers in the industry since 1993.
MMB
Facebook page: Facebook
Services and products:
- Plastic additive manufacturing services
- 3D printing services
- Feasibility verification for 3D drawings
- Material pick and optimization of building platform
- Maintenance of entire machine park and research and technology actions
MMB is a Plastic Additive Manufacturing company that specializes in 3D Printing, producing parts from one to series with industrial scale machines for great mechanical properties and fine surface finishes. With their experienced team and advanced technology, MMB offers added values such as new material testing and process optimization.
UL Solutions
Facebook page: Facebook
Services and products:
- Certifying plastics materials for use in 3D printing
- Providing data for preselection of 3D printed materials and components
- Defining requirements for recognizing plastics intended for 3D printing
- Proving the safety, integrity, and usefulness of 3D printing materials
- Making recognized products searchable to thousands of suppliers
This plastic additive manufacturer offers a Plastics for Additive Manufacturing Program (Blue Card Program) to certify materials used in 3D printing. The program ensures the safety, integrity, and usefulness of those materials through defined requirements and testing procedures.
This allows suppliers to easily search for appropriate materials that meet their safety and performance needs.
Dow Inc
Facebook page: Facebook
Services and products:
- Durable Enhancer for achieving exceptional performance with demanding plastic composites
- Acrylic processing aids for providing high efficiency, surface smoothness, faster fusion and highly homogenous melts for plastic additives
- Hybrid additives (silicone and polyethylene) for increasing manufacturing efficiency, reducing processing temperature and torque, and enabling higher usage of recycled polyethylene in wood-filled systems
- Impact modifiers for enhancing impact efficiency for vinyl and high clarity and high-impact resistance for PVC packaging applications
- Specialty additives for improving ductility of injection molding, low temperature toughness and reduced melt viscosities for engineering resins
Durable Enhancer is a leading plastic additive manufacturer that offers innovative and effective solutions for achieving exceptional performance in thermoset and thermoplastic materials. Their specialized silicone resins, silane, and fluid additives enable the formulation of high-performance compounds and composites that meet industry demands.
They offer a wide range of additives for applications such as injection molding, film, rigid containers, PVC plastics, siding & decks, foam pipes & profiles formulations, window frames & lubricants with benefits including improved surface smoothness and impact efficiency.
3D Systems
Company: 3dsystems.com
Facebook page: Facebook
Services and products:
- Broad range of engineering materials for 3D printing
- Mimic a wide array of engineering plastics, elastomers, and composites
- Match specific application needs in terms of flexibility, durability, stiffness, toughness, stability, clarity, look and feel, bio-compatibility, temperature or water resistance, and more
- Materials innovation to expand production applications
- High-performing materials engineered by material scientists to address a broader portfolio of production applications
This Plastic Additive Manufacturer offers a wide range of engineering materials for 3D printing that can meet specific application needs, including flexibility, durability, and temperature or water resistance. They have recently developed new high performing materials for a broader portfolio of production applications such as flame-retardant black plastic and thermal & environmental stable long-term use parts.
Akro-Plastic GmbH
Services and products:
- Large-format 3D printing with granules
- High production speeds and large parts
- Printing with highly reinforced materials
- Processing of semi-crystalline materials with high dimensional stability
- Extrusion-based additive manufacturing processes (SEAM and FGF)
This plastic additive manufacturing company offers 3D printing with granules, which allows for high production speeds and large parts. Their SEAM and FGF processes use highly reinforced materials, including those with up to 60% glass fiber reinforcement.
They also offer printing of semi-crystalline materials such as polyamides or polyesters with exceptional dimensional stability.
Powderclad Technologies
Facebook page: Facebook
Services and products:
- Polymer filler compounding products from various alloys
- Custom metal powders tailored to specific polymer compounding needs
- High-volume supplier of atomized fine metal powders for nearly 50 years
- Metal and X-ray detectable plastic for food, beverage, and pharmaceutical products
- Metallic additives for improved wear, electrical, thermal, or dampening properties in various applications
This plastic additive manufacturer offers a range of polymer filler compounding products made from high-quality metallurgical alloys including 316L, 304L, 430L, and 410L. They are specialized in developing custom metal powders that can be tailored to meet specific polymer compounding needs.
Their atomized fine metal powders have been used for nearly five decades to provide wear resistance, electrical conductivity and anti-static properties to the compound. The inclusion of these metal powders helps improve metal detectability and magnetic properties of the product which makes it easier to identify contamination during quality control checks.
BYK
Company: byk.com
Facebook page: Facebook
Services and products:
- Innovative high-performance solutions for plastics converters and compounders
- Products for reinforced composites and PVC plastisols
- Easy-to-process multi-component additive systems based on innovative skin-core extrusion and compacting technologies
- Optimization of material properties such as flame retardancy and UV or light stability
- Collaboration with direct and indirect customers along the value chain to build and expand expertise continuously.
BYK is a global leader in providing high-performance plastic additives for various industries worldwide. Their innovative solutions for reinforced composites, PVC plastisols, and multi-component additive systems are highly regarded within the industry due to their excellent processing and material optimization qualities.
With close collaborations with customers along the value chain, BYK continuously builds expertise to anticipate new trends and create innovative applications for tomorrow’s growing demands.
Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc
Company: ccat.us
Facebook page: Facebook
Services and products:
- Introducing and demonstrating additive manufacturing with metals and 3D printing with plastics
- Assisting companies in selecting and procuring AM machine tools
- Offering AM technical training opportunities
- Producing ultra-high resolution parts with nearly infinite degrees of transparency, shading, and flexibility using plastic resins
- Developing solutions with metals including steels, alloys of aluminum, nickel, titanium, cobalt, copper, and refractory metals.
This Plastic Additive Manufacturer is a leader in introducing and demonstrating additive manufacturing with metals as well as 3D printing with plastics. They help manufacturers innovate and solve complex challenges by offering technical training opportunities, assisting in selecting and procuring the necessary machines, and producing ultra-high resolution parts using plastic resins such as ABS-like, polycarbonate, elastomer, and metals including steels, aluminum alloys of nickel titanium cobalt copper and refractory materials.
Markforged
Company: markforged.com
Services and products:
- Printing with composites for lightweight and strong parts
- Knowledge on differences between chopped and continuous carbon fiber, Kevlar™, and fiberglass
- Expertise in building composites strand by fiber-strand
- Recommendations on which combination of plastic and fiber to use for specific applications
- Assistance in reducing machine downtime, decreasing tool costs, and increasing factory throughput through the use of composite parts alongside traditional manufacturing methods.
This plastic additive manufacturer provides insights and knowledge on printing with composites to create lightweight parts with repeatable strength. They offer information on different composites such as chopped and continuous carbon fiber, Kevlar™ and fiberglass, explaining how they are built strand by fiber-strand, along with which combination of plastic and fiber should be used when.
They highlight the advantages of using composite parts in traditional manufacturing methods to reduce machine downtime while increasing factory throughput.
Spectrum Plastics Group
Contact phone: (330) 567-4750
Services and products:
- Additive manufacturing (3D printing) of medical components and products
- Proprietary processes for creating components with complex tolerances, geometries, and features
- Medical-grade materials used in manufacturing
- High-precision, medical-grade single and multi-lumen tubing
- Quick-turn quotes and delivery of functional prototypes within days
Spectrum is a plastic additive manufacturer that utilizes innovative additive manufacturing technologies to create medical components with complex features. Their proprietary processes and medical-grade materials set them apart from competitors, allowing them to produce high-precision products like single and multi-lumen tubing quickly and efficiently.
ORNL (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
Contact phone: (865) 241-6451
Services and products:
- Upcycled plastic waste materials for additive manufacturing
- Printable, high-performance materials for 3D printing
- Closed-loop strategy for reducing plastic waste and carbon emissions
- Research and development in polymer science
- Expertise in creating stronger, tougher, and solvent-resistant materials from waste plastic
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a leading research center for advanced scientific discovery and high-performance computing. They have developed an innovative technique that upcycles discarded plastics into new printable, high-performance materials for use in additive manufacturing (also known as 3D printing), significantly reducing plastic waste and carbon emissions associated with production.
Fraunhofer Institute for Casting, Composite and Processing Technology (IGCV)
Services and products:
- Plastics and composites processing using additive manufacturing techniques
- Series production of high-performance polymers for certified industries such as aviation and medical technology
- Research and development of Liquid Deposition Modeling for fiber-reinforced plastics with thermoset matrix
- Research and development of extrusion technologies, such as fused layer modeling
- Material characterization of additively manufactured plastic parts at elevated operating temperatures through cooperation with research and industry partners.
Fraunhofer IGCV is a leading research institute that focuses on plastics and composites processing through additive manufacturing. With its extensive experience in various technologies, the company provides innovative solutions for quick production of prototypes and high-performance polymers using certified industrial methods.
The team works with partners from industry and research to ensure material characterization of additively-manufactured plastic parts at elevated operating temperatures. Fraunhofer IGCV has a dedicated project called SeMplex that aims to develop semantic modeling strategies for complex dependencies in additive manufacturing processes.
AnyShape
Services and products:
- Design & Engineering Optimisation
- Metal Additive Manufacturing
- Plastic Additive Manufacturing
- Serialised Production
- Rapid Prototyping
This is a plastic additive manufacturing company that offers expert capabilities in 3D printing technologies such as Direct Metal Laser Sintering, Selective Laser Sintering, Fused Deposition Modelling, MultiJet 3D Printing and Continuous Fibre Composites. They also specialize in materials development and post-processing services for various sectors including aerospace, medical and automotive.
Ensinger
Company: ensingerplastics.com
Services and products:
- High quality 3D printing manufacturing
- Custom consulting and implementation
- Certified production processes for medical, aerospace, and railway industries
- 3D printed parts approved for medical, aerospace, and railway use
- Parts with outstanding properties such as isotropic strength, surface treatment, and pressure-tightness.
Ensinger is a Plastic Additive Manufacturer that provides high-quality 3D printing manufacturing services for medical, aerospace and railway industries. The company has certified production processes and offers custom consulting as well as implementation services to its clients.
Their 3D-printed parts are known for their outstanding properties such as isotropic strength, surface treatment and being pressure-tight.
BioSphere Plastic
Contact phone: (503) 530-8674
Services and products:
- Biodegradable additives for plastic products
- Faster plastic polymer biodegradation
- Economical biodegradation solutions
- Sustainable plastic technology aligned with a sustainable future
- Compatible biodegradable additives for virtually any plastic product
BioSphere is a leading US-based plastic additive manufacturer that offers quick, integrated, and shelf-stable biodegradable solutions. Their cutting-edge technology allows for faster and more economical biodegradation of plastic polymers, aligning with a sustainable future.
With compatible additives for virtually any plastic product, BioSphere gives their global customers a competitive edge in various industries.
Amcor Plastics
Services and products:
- Compounding and blending processes for consistent master-batches and blended products
- Technical team with knowledge of resins, additives, manufacturing processes, and equipment
- Assistance with foaming, molding, manufacturing film, extruding, or thermoforming
- Flame retardant additive “Amout”
- Slip additive “Amease” and chemical blowing agent “Amcell”
Amcor is an experienced Plastic Additive Manufacturer that has been providing high-quality solutions to customers’ manufacturing needs since 1992. Their technical team utilizes advanced technology and hands-on approach to deliver consistent masterbatch, blended products, and efficient products such as flame retardants, slip agents, chemical blowing agents with brand names “Amout”, “Amease” and “Amcell”.
They have expertise in various manufacturing processes offering valuable resources for foaming, molding, manufacturing film, extruding or thermoforming.
EOS
Contact phone: (206) 117-7622
Services and products:
- Comprehensive portfolio of 3D printer plastic materials
- Advanced plastic and polymer materials for selective laser sintering
- Optimal coordination of 3D printing materials, systems, and process parameters
- Continuous development of high-tech materials for special customer requirements
- Carbon reduced and neutral versions of PA 1101 and PA 2200 materials available
EOS is a leading manufacturer of plastic and polymer materials for 3D printing. With years of experience, they offer a comprehensive portfolio of high-tech materials that are perfectly suited for additive manufacturing.
Their advanced selection of 3D printing plastic materials allows for the production of highly individualized products in first-class quality, with tailored property profiles to meet specific customer requirements.
AIMPLAS (Institute of Plastics Technology)
Facebook page: Facebook
Services and products:
- Development of high-performance materials for FDM and SLS 3D printing
- Physical and/or chemical modifications of plastic materials for 3D printing
- Customization of materials to meet client requirements
- Expertise in modifying polymers with different fillers for specific functionalities
- Solutions for prototype production and final product development
AIMPLAS is a Plastic Additive Manufacturer that specializes in developing high-performance plastic materials for 3D printing, specifically for FDM and SLS technologies. Their solutions involve physical and/or chemical modifications to meet the requirements defined by the clients, providing options to adapt and create new materials based on adding value and additional characteristics to parts manufactured with this technology.
DivPlast
Facebook page: Facebook
Services and products:
- Real-time 3D printing price quoting app
- Acceleration Station powered by Carbon DLS process
- Economical production of end-use parts
- Design freedom for complex geometries, lattices, and texturing
- Wide selection of materials customized for mechanical properties, surface finish, and stability
This Plastic Additive Manufacturer offers a real-time 3D printing price quoting app called Acceleration Station, powered by Carbon DLS process. With design freedom and customization options, the company can produce end-use parts for many applications economically without tooling costs.
The nonporous products are comparable to thermoplastic injection molding and come in a wide selection of materials customized for specific mechanical properties, surface finish, and stability requirements.
Additive Manufacturing LLC
Contact phone: (877) 238-7907
Services and products:
- Additive manufacturing of metal and plastic components
- Rapid prototyping using 3D printing technologies
- CNC plastic machining for prototyping
- Injection molding and compression molding
- Sheet metal cutting using laser and water jet technologies
Additive Manufacturing LLC is a plastic additive manufacturing company that offers efficient and precise manufacturing solutions for metal and plastic components. With experienced project managers and tooling engineers leading the US-based team, they provide competitive pricing and quick lead times to cater to different production needs.
Eplus3D
Company: eplus3d.com
Facebook page: Facebook
Services and products:
- Exceptional materials expertise
- Comprehensive portfolio of highly developed plastic and polymer materials for laser sintering in additive manufacturing
- 3D printing materials, systems, and process parameters that fit together perfectly
- Ability to realize target property profiles in the best possible way for products
- Types of additive manufacturing polymer materials, including PA12, PA11, PA11CF, and PA12GF.
Eplus3D is a leading plastic additive manufacturer with comprehensive expertise in materials and 3D printing technologies. Their portfolio includes highly advanced polymer materials for laser sintering, which can be seamlessly integrated into the company’s systems and parameters to maximize product performance and target specific properties.
Eplus3D offers various types of 3D printing materials, such as PA12, PA11, PA11CF, and PA12GF with different characteristics like impact resistance and strength suitable for their customers’ applications.
Baerlocher
Company: baerlocher.com
Services and products:
- Sustainable additive solutions for packaging applications
- Expertise in using BAEROPOL T-Blends for flexible and rigid packaging
- Collaboration with polyolefin film value chain to increase use of recycled plastic
- Improvement of post-industrial and post-consumer recycled content in polyethylene film
- Baeropol T-Blends to resolve performance and processing inconsistency issues in recycled plastic.
Baerlocher is a global leader in plastics additives, specializing in sustainable solutions for flexible and rigid packaging applications. Their Baeropol T-Blends are innovative polymer stabilizers that improve the quality of post-industrial and post-consumer recycled content in polyethylene films.
Collaborating with industry leaders, Baerlocher strives to drive greater sustainability and promote recycling initiatives.
Nicolet Plastics
Company: nicoletplastics.com
Facebook page: Facebook
Services and products:
- Custom Plastic Injection Molding
- Additive Manufacturing
- Design For Manufacturability
- Tooling and Prototype Support
- Post Molding and Assembly Operations
Nicolet Plastics is a leading plastic additive manufacturer that offers cutting-edge, fast additive manufacturing services using Carbon 3D technology. With tool-free design flexibility and speed, Nicolet Plastics provides customized solutions for low-volume production, proof of concept, and complex product designs without compromising on the mechanical properties.
AZO GmbH + Co. KG
Facebook page: Facebook
Services and products:
- Uninterrupted supply of 3D printers with plastic powders or granulates
- Storage, provision, conditioning, transport, and processing of various powders or granulates
- Screening of virgin material, overflow, and unpacked material
- Economic efficiency and careful use of resources due to reuse of overflow and unpacking powder
- Explosion protection for explosive plastic powders
This Plastic Additive Manufacturer offers uninterrupted supply, storage, provision and processing of powders/granulates for 3D printing. The company prioritizes reusing overflow/unpacking powder to reduce raw material usage and employs explosion protection for safety.
The unique selling points include high product quality, hygienic design, easy-to-clean, ATEX system security and contamination-free closed systems. The company provides ergonomic big bag lifting/discharge stations suitable for various sizes/types utilizing vibration/massaging aids for poorly flowing materials.
ARBURG
Facebook page: Facebook
Services and products:
- Customised 3D printing
- ARBURG Plastic Freeforming (APF)
- Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF)
- Liquid Additive Manufacturing (LAM)
- Freeformers from ARBURG and 3D printers from von innovatiQ
This plastic additive manufacturer offers customised 3D printing solutions using their freeformers from ARBURG and 3D printers from von innovatiQ. With the added technologies of APF, FFF and LAM, they cater to a wide range of industries for manufacturing components with certified original materials.
Their open freeformer system provides process control to create complex geometries and integrated functions, making them a flexible solution provider for all your 3D printing needs.
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