Polymaker
As TCT Asia 2024 approaches, TCT has been speaking to some of the companies who have exhibited at each and every event throughout its first ten years.
Polymaker, an international developer of extrusion-based 3D printing filaments, is one of those companies.
Here, we talk to Polymaker Creative Director Luke Taylor (LT) about what we can expect from the company at this year's TCT Asia event, how the Chinese AM market is evolving, and the best applications visitors can see.
Register to attend TCT Asia 2024 and visit Polymaker on booth 8E50. TCT Asia runs from May 7-9, 2024.
What are you presenting on the show floor at TCT Asia 2024?
LT: The exciting announcement will be the launch of the PolyDryer our new modular filament drying and storage system. The product consists of a storage box with an airtight seal and a drying unit. This means you can add as many boxes as you need whilst only needing one dry dock. Aside from this product launch we will display our full range of material applications and pellet printing.
Can you tell us about an exciting application that visitors will be able to see at the event?
LT: We will display a number of applications ranging from medical to prototyping and even end-use products.
Polymaker
Signify water bottle lamp 3D printed with use of recycled plastic.
In medical, a scoliosis back brace which we developed a custom grade of flexible material which offers support and comfort for the user, this new grade is also certified for skin contact. Composite moulding is becoming big industry not only in China and our pellet grades are aimed specifically at low, medium and high temperature curing cycles. Our end-use application is a 3D printed lumiere developed and manufactured by Signify (Philips Lighting). This lamp uses a unique printing technique where the layers are varied in the Z direction which creates a wave pattern that diffuses the light nicely. The great aspect of this product is that the filament is created from recycled water bottles (PC) which the design emulates in a nice circular way. These large water bottles are very common in China as the drinking water is not safe so every home/office has a water dispenser and the 25L bottles are all made of PC. This is one of the few true recycling projects and it works because the bottles are so large, easily identifiable, are available in good quantities and are from a known grade of PC. When all these factors combine we can produce a recycled filament which Signify use to produce these lamp shades.
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TCT Asia is celebrating its 10th anniversary. What are your thoughts on how the AM market, and specifically in China, has evolved in that time?
LT: TCT Asia is very much a B2B [event] due to the nature of the Chinese market and the manufacturing powerhouse that China is. I see a big decline in 3D printer manufacturers from Europe/USA in the market and it seems all innovations are coming out of Shenzhen these days. I don't expect this to slow down and I think that what Bambu Labs has done in the last two years will be copied and improved on by many new companies which will drag the whole industry to a new standard.
At last year’s TCT Asia, Polymaker introduced the first two products of its PolySonic range of filaments, which are designed to enable print speeds up to 300 mm/s – What can you tell us about the company’s plans to expand this range of materials?
LT: PolySonic will add some more materials this year, mainly the most common printing materials that are available today. We are still finalizing the formulas so no announcement just yet. The big launch is the PolyDryer.
Polymaker is also working to provide more environmentally friendly materials. Can you explain the success you’ve had so far in developing carbon negative/neutral filaments?
LT: The Signify story with the water bottles is the only post consumer recycling story in 3D printing where a waste product is being recycled into a new product. Many other material manufacturers are claiming they have recycled filament but this is always post-industrial and usually from their own waste, similar to our PolyTerra Edition R. This step from post-industrial to post-consumer recycling is good progress for a circular economy however it is only feasible in a handful of cases. As mentioned before the sorting and contamination of recycled plastics is the biggest limitation of post-consumer recycling so the PC 25L water bottle case study is quite unique. I can't think of too many other examples that satisfy the recycling criteria as plastic parts are usually too small and not easily identified.
In your view, what is the biggest challenge that he AM industry faces today?
LT: Keeping up with innovation. Well-established companies will become obsolete in two years if they don't keep innovating. This applies to materials as well as hardware and is the reason we have invested so heavily in R&D. We have some exciting new advancements in material science coming later this year that will showcase what Polymaker has been working on.
You have been part of the TCT Asia journey right from the start. What has been your highlight?
LT: The professionalism of the show is on par with shows like Formnext. TCT Asia wasn't always like this and its good to see the Asian market catch up and perhaps take over the West in their speed to develop cheaper machines in existing technologies or advancements in new technologies.
How do you envision the AM industry progressing over the next decade?
LT: In 2014, at the dawn of the AM boom, we dreamt of having a 3D printer in every home. That dream was quashed due to the steep learning curve and unreliability of the 3D printers available at that time. I feel like we are getting back on track to again realise that dream and perhaps in the next decade we will realise it. The plug-and-play nature of 3D printers today means that anyone can start and operate their printer with an app on their phone. There used to be a time when people in the office to come to me for a perfect print for an exhibition or marketing photo, I would use all my knowledge of profile tuning and experience of hundreds of failed prints to make it happen. Now I feel all that knowledge is obsolete and we just ask the intern to do it.
Register to attend TCT Asia 2024 and visit Polymaker on booth 8E50. TCT Asia runs from May 7-9, 2024.
