Arkema
Leaning on the combination of its in-depth materials expertise and its connections to some of the most reliable service manufacturers in the industry, earlier this year Arkema launched its Easy3D digital platform.
Recognising that additive manufacturing users are digital natives, but adoption and application of the technologies are not always easy, Arkema has felt compelled to help solve their challenges through the introduction of Easy3D.
Namely, Arkema has identified that while most manufacturers know the requirements of their parts, they don’t always know which combination of material and additive manufacturing process is the right one to produce them. There are also scant recourses for users to efficiently compare all the various options open to them, and that’s before they consider where and by whom they have the parts produced.
Easy3D has been developed to address these issues. With just a few clicks, users of the platform can tap into the deep material expertise of Arkema. First, they need to upload a 3D printable file, answer a few questions about the requirements of the component (such as the temperature and elements it will be exposed to), and then the platform will provide its material recommendations. Users will also be provided with a list of suppliers, with price quotes and turnaround time estimations helping to inform their decision. One more click: They can order their parts!
“Arkema's expertise is condensed into Easy3D,” said Pierre Gonnetan, Business Development Manager at Arkema. “It's a way to articulate our expertise in materials to make it more accessible, and user friendly for additive manufacturing. But also still keeping the possibility of having human interactions and asking for help if there is a need for direct communication to experts in materials.”
The Easy3D platform has been developed in partnership with 3YOURMIND, allowing Arkema to complement its material expertise with the digital competencies of a leading on-demand manufacturing software provider. In the building of this platform, 3YOURMIND leant on materials data from Arkema so that when the user inputs the part requirement information, it can offer up material recommendations with a technical scoring. This technical scoring will rate each specific material against, for example, the required impact resistance of the part. The more requirements provided at the first stage, the better the recommendation at the end.
Easy3D, then, provides additive manufacturing users with an intuitive pathway to get their parts made in the most suitable material in the quickest time. To this end, Arkema has aligned with a range of manufacturing partners running machines that are compatible with Arkema materials, including partners to the EOS and HP manufacturing networks.
“These networks are certified by HP and EOS, which are leading providers of industrial 3D printing solutions,” said Pierre Gonnetan. “This helps building confidence in the quality of the parts that will be produced and delivered to the users directly from these partners.”
Through this ecosystem, users can have their parts additively manufactured in materials such as 100% biobased Rilsan® Polyamide 11, Pebax® thermoplastic elastomers, Kynar® PVDF and Kepstan® PEKK, with Arkema always working to develop and deliver more materials solutions. Soon, new materials and additional AM technologies will be introduced on the platform. Stay tuned!
For more information: https://arkema.com/easy3d
