2018 annual and sustainable performance report

A Primer

Getting in on the Ground Floor

Supporting an Industrial Revolution

Driven by the explosion in digital technology and process digitalization, 3D printing technologies are profoundly reshaping what industry can do. Previously limited to prototyping, they have now spread to small- and medium-batch production lines, in a growing number of fields. Arkema first dipped a toe into this world in 1988 with rapid prototyping. We correctly read and anticipated the revolution in progress, making 3D printing a major focus of our growth strategy.

Listening

Deep Knowledge of Requirements

Arkema serves many prestigious customers worldwide and has a detailed grasp of the challenges and opportunities in sectors that are pioneering additive manufacturing: the aerospace, automotive, medical and sports equipment industries. We help our customers to apply their expertise to switch new applications to 3D printing. We connect them with end-user expectations and the latest capabilities of printer makers to support the process from solution design through implementation.

Materials

The Most Complete Line of Solutions in the World

The result of a proactive strategy to support the 3D printing market, our portfolio of materials is unparalleled. It includes leading brands such as Sartomer’s N3xtDimension^® resins, bio-based Rilsan^® polyamide 11, Orgasol^® polyamide 12 and Kepstan^® PEKK resin. The portfolio covers the three major additive manufacturing processes: selective laser sintering (SLS), digital light processing (DLP) and fused filament fabrication (FFF), also called fused deposition modeling. This wealth of options lets us provide the best solution for every specification, meeting needs that include mechanical strength, heat resistance, flexibility, transparency, color, toughness and more.

Investment

Stepped-Up Production Capabilities

To keep up with soaring demand, we invest heavily in our production base. In 2019, we opened a new Kepstan^® PEKK resin production line at our Mobile, Alabama, site in the United States. New production capacity has also been announced for Sartomer’s photocure resins at the Nansha site in China and for Orgasol^® ultrafine polyamide 12 powders at the Mont plant in France, both in 2019, and for bio-based Rilsan^® polyamide 11 resins in Asia in 2021.

Innovation

Three Dedicated Centers of Excellence

We opened a new center of excellence in 2018 to develop innovative photocure resins for 3D printing, at the Exton, Pennsylvania, facilities of Arkema subsidiary Sartomer. The state-of-the-art laboratory applies our ability to innovate to technologies such as stereolithography (SLA), digital light processing (DLP) and multi-jet printing (MJP). It joins the center of excellence in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, which is dedicated to filament extrusion technologies, and the one in Serquigny, France, for selective sintering technologies.