TCT Asia Clariant
Clariant's stand at TCT Asia
Clariant, a global chemicals firm, has made its additive manufacturing (AM) trade show debut at the fourth TCT Asia in Shanghai, China.
The company first announced its entry into the 3D printing sector back in December, with Richard Haldimann, head of the dedicated AM business unit, emphasising Clariant's global reach and capabilities in delivering high quality materials to market. By making TCT Asia its first AM show, it has further reinforced its global ambitions and belief that China is a key region as it joins the likes of BASF in exploiting the continued growth of 3D printing.
"Clariant is focused on providing materials and services that 3D printing customers require. China is a very important market for Clariant and where a major portion of our 3D printing business is based," commented David McCann, Senior Business Architect with Clariant's 3D printing business in a company press release. "By participating in TCT Asia 2018, we believe we can demonstrate how desirable our products and services are for the Chinese and global 3D printing market."
Clariant TCT Asia
Parts printed in a range of Clariant materials.
Back in 2013, at TCT Group Editor, Dan O'Connor's first TCT Show, he was privy to a conversation between a Clariant director, the chemical company was exhibiting at then-sister show, mediplas, and the Co-Creator of the Threedy Printer, Steve Nicholls. That conversation concerned 3D printing filaments and the variants that can affect a print, and exposed Clariant's interest in the 3D printing industry. In the interim, there was little coming from Clariant that pointed towards their entry into the market, let alone the establishment of a 3D printing business. But in December the company did just that, and three months later showcased its materials to thousands of visitors at TCT Asia.
Clariant handlebars
The handlebar grips were printed in TPU and have a similar texture to industry standard products made from rubber.
The company also experiments with a range of colour shades every year, based on a theme - parts showcased at TCT Asia have been printed in a shade of red, inspired by the 'Made in Human Protect the Core' theme. These parts included a controller housing printed in Clariant's flame retardant polyamide 6, handlebar grips printed in TPU, and giraffe and lion models printed in PLA.
