Arkema, one of the world’s most prevalent chemical businesses, is to expand is global production capacity at its Mont site in France by more than 50%.
The company has pledged a €20m investment into the development of the facility by the second half of 2019. It will help to strengthen the company’s development and supply of high-performing powders for the coatings, composites and 3D printing markets, to be used in industrial applications.
In Mont, Arkema manufactures specialty powders which are marketed under the Orgasol brand. Orgasol polyamides are designed to be tough and resilient, their tightly controlled particle size distribution contributing to these features. Such are their high-performing capabilities, they are frequently used for coatings, advanced composite materials, and for 3D printed applications.
On the latter, Arkema has a growing presence in the 3D printing and additive manufacturing (AM) field, securing multiple partnerships in recent years. Among these, are alliances with Prodways, EOS, and HP, who all wish to lean on the company’s expertise in plastic materials development for their polymer AM machines. This investment and facility expansion serves to build on the growth already and made, and per Arkema, is consistent with the company’s continued ambitious to develop advanced materials to market.
“Having recently announced very substantial investments for our Rilsan polyamide 11 and Rilsamid polyamide 12 product lines, we now shift our focus to the Orgasol specialty powders portfolio,” commented Erwoan Pezron, Global President of Arkema’s Technical polymers business. “We continue to invest to support the growth of our customers especially in cutting edge, next generation applications.”
