Impossible Objects partners with BASF for composite 3D printing

Impossible Objects (Northbrook, Ill., U.S.) has announced a partnership with BASF (Wyandotte, Mich., U.S.) on polyamide 6 (PA6) carbon fiber composites for additive manufacturing.

Through a collaboration with BASF, Impossible Objects’ Model One and CBAM-2 printers will support BASF’s Ultrasint PA6 powder, allowing customers to 3D print high-performance carbon fiber/PA6 composite parts for the first time.

According to the company, carbon fiber/PA6 composites that will offer better strength and temperature performance at a lower cost than PA12, and they are up to four times stronger than parts made via conventional fused deposition modeling (FDM) and twice as strong as those made via multi jet fusion (MJF) parts.

“Our collaboration with Impossible Objects opens up new possibilities for customers, especially in the automotive and industrial sectors where we’re seeing strong demand for PA6. This partnership is in line with our philosophy of open innovation and support for open platforms. We’re encouraged by how Impossible Objects is using PA6 and are excited to work together to advance the state of additive manufacturing,” says Kara Noack, regional business director for BASF 3D Printing Solutions.

“We’re honored to be collaborating with BASF 3D Printing Solutions to make this economical workhorse polymer, which is used in an enormous number of industrial applications, available to our customers,” says Bob Swartz of Impossible Objects.

PA6 adds to Impossible Objects’ currently supported materials and will be available for shipment in the third quarter of 2019. For information on the collaboration, see the below video.

 

“It’s been exciting to see how our customers are putting our approach to work to create high-performance parts for everything from aircraft and cars to lightweight athletic gear,” says Bob Swartz, Impossible Objects founder and chairman. “We’re continuing to bring machines, materials and expertise to the market to transform the entire manufacturing process, from prototyping through to high-volume production.”

In addition, Impossible Objects has raised $4.1 million in funding in a round led by returning investor OCA Ventures, bringing total funding to more than $13 million.