Vincent Colin/ Arkema
Arkema Mont facility
Arkema's Mont facility.
Arkema has successfully brought on stream a new polyamide 12 powder production line, increasing its global capacity by more than 50% and enhancing its play in the additive manufacturing space.
The new production line has been developed to support an increasing demand for ‘ultra-high-performance’ materials in the coatings, personal care, composites and 3D printing markets. An investment of €20 million has been made in the production line which is located at its Mont plant in France.
Arkema first announced the plans last summer and has complete the expansion of its Mont facility on time. The company intends to accelerate the production of its specialty polyamide 12 powders, which are marketed under the Orgasol brand and supplied to the coatings and personal care markets where they are often used in high-performance formulations. In the aerospace market, they are used in advanced composite materials, and their stability and recyclability are cited as key reasons for their application in the additive world. Arkema has a growing presence in the 3D printing sector, with highly publicised links to EOS, HP, Prodways and Ultimaker.
It is growth like that which has led Arkema to make a €20m investment to more than double the capacity of one of its most productive plants.
“The Mont site has a long, proven legacy in the production of specialty polymers,” commented Erwoan Pezron, Global President of Arkema’s technical Polymers business line. “With this new production capacity, we continue to actively support our customers’ continued growth in cutting edge applications, notably in high-performance coatings, composites and 3D printing.”
