Alpharetta, Ga., March 27, 2018 — Solvay, a leading global supplier of specialty polymers, today announced the much anticipated winners of its Additive Manufacturing Cup. Launched last October, the competition invited university students from around the globe to demonstrate their aptitude for additive manufacturing by fabricating complex polymer shapes with the company’s KetaSpire® polyetheretherketone (PEEK) AM filament.
The first-, second- and third-place winners were selected from over 30 teams submitting entries from three continents and 13 countries. All competitors were required to replicate the same predetermined shapes from KetaSpire® PEEK AM filament, including a 3D-printed Solvay logo. However, each team was permitted to modify their 3D-printing equipment, print parameters and the printing paths. Submissions were evaluated for mechanical stability and aesthetic qualities by an international panel of industry leaders in polymer technology, design and additive manufacturing.
Winning first place was the ePEEK team from Arts et Métiers ParisTech in France. In addition to submitting a very well-fabricated Solvay logo, the ePEEK team earned the highest honors for 3D printing PEEK parts that exhibited an exceptional tensile strength of 80 MPa in the z-axis, a performance similar to injection molding.
In second place, the Jugao team from Xi’an Jiaotong University in China earned high honors for 3D printing the most aesthetic Solvay logo using KetaSpire® PEEK AM filament.
In third place, the Chloé Devillard team from Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 in France demonstrated outstanding creativity and innovation in resolving the technical challenges of printing tensile specimen in the z-axis without any support material.
“The Solvay AM Cup sought to explore the potential of 3D-printable KetaSpire® PEEK AM filament by placing it in the hands of creative design and engineering students with a passion for testing the latest technologies,” said Stéphane Jéol, president of the AM Cup Jury and technology manager for Solvay’s global Specialty Polymers business unit. “We were thrilled with the results. The winners exemplified the AM Cup challenge by pushing the capabilities of additive manufacturing to produce a 3D-printed PEEK part with a tensile strength rivaling that of an injection molded part.”
Solvay’s expansion into additive manufacturing is rooted in the business’s global leadership in specialty polymers, which offer exceptional, long-lasting, performance for demanding applications in automotive, aerospace, healthcare and other markets. The company’s additive manufacturing solutions are helping expand the application space for 3D-printed parts, offering more design freedom and increasing material efficiency.
The winners received first, second and third prizes of ten, five and three thousand euros respectively to be used for academic, entrepreneurial or societal purposes.
Solvay will display the winning entries of its AM Cup and share other announcements at booth #1924 during the upcoming RAPID + TCT event in Fort Worth, Tex. from April 24 to 26.
® KetaSpire is a registered trademark of Solvay
About Solvay Specialty Polymers
Solvay Specialty Polymers manufactures over 1500 products across 35 brands of high-performance polymers – fluoropolymers, fluoroelastomers, fluorinated fluids, semi-aromatic polyamides, sulfone polymers, ultra-high performance aromatic polymers, and high barrier polymers – for use in Aerospace, Alternative Energy, Automotive, Healthcare, Membranes, Oil and Gas, Packaging, Plumbing, Semiconductors, Wire & Cable, and other industries. Learn more at www.solvayspecialtypolymers.com.
Solvay is an advanced materials and chemical company, committed to developing chemistry that addresses key societal challenges. Solvay innovates and partners with customers in diverse global end markets. Its products are used in planes, cars, batteries, smart and medical devices, as well as in mineral and oil and gas extraction, enhancing efficiency and sustainability. Its lightweighting materials promote cleaner mobility, its formulations optimize the use of resources and its performance chemicals improve air and water quality. Solvay is headquartered in Brussels with around 24,500 employees in 61 countries. Net sales were € 10.1 billion in 2017, with 90% from activities where Solvay ranks among the world’s top 3 leaders, resulting in an EBITDA margin of 22%. Solvay SA (SOLB.BE) is listed on Euronext Brussels and Paris (Bloomberg: SOLB.BB – Reuters: SOLB.BR) and in the United States its shares (SOLVY) are traded through a level-1 ADR program.
Source: Solvay
