Evonik reduces carbon footprint with new powder materials for 3D printing

Evonik is focusing on sustainability in 3D printing. The specialty chemicals company wants to align its INFINAM polyamide 12 (PA12) powders along improved overall eco-balances. In doing so, the group analyzes not only CO2 emissions but also other important sustainability factors of its own footprint, such as water consumption or land use.

The current materials portfolio is being gradually expanded to include new sustainable ready-to-use products. Evonik is starting with the introduction of a new grade of PA12 powders with significantly reduced CO2 emissions. With immediate effect, they will replace the previous INFINAM polyamide 12 materials for all common powder-based 3D technologies such as SLS, HSS or MJF.

CO2 footprint halved

The new sustainable INFINAM PA12 powders are produced using renewable energies at the Marl Chemical Park. TÜV Rheinland has certified the associated life cycle assessments, attesting to an improvement in the company’s own carbon footprint of almost 50 percent. In the overall life cycle assessment, the comparison of the new sustainable material grade is positive even compared with the castor oil-based polyamides of Evonik’s own Terra range.

“Sustainability is the core element for being successful in the future. That’s why we take a holistic view on it at Evonik. Alongside factors such as production efficiency or the reusability of materials, our sustainability approach includes the total life cycle assessments of our materials and their consistent improvement”, says Dr. Dominic Störkle, Head of the Additive Manufacturing Innovation Growth Field at Evonik. “Using green energy and renewable or recycled feedstocks for production, we are able to significantly improve the overall eco-balance of our materials. And we work on end-of-life opportunities for our polymers.”

Further sustainable INFINAM powders in the pipeline

Evonik is also working to expand its range of sustainable PA12 powders to include the INFINAM eCO product line. “eCO” stands for the company’s goal of avoiding the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by using renewable or circular raw materials via the mass balance approach. This method enables immediate CO2 reduction in existing plants without changing the quality of the products. The market launch of INFINAM eCO is planned for 2023.

Evonik’s 3D printing activities are bundled in the group’s Additive Manufacturing Innovation Growth Field. The strategic focus is on the development and manufacturing industrial ready-to-use high-performance materials for all major polymer-based 3D-printing technologies. The specialty chemicals company thus drives 3D printing as a large-scale industrial manufacturing technology along the entire value chain. In this context, Evonik has organized its product range under the new INFINAM brand.

Find out more about Evonik at infinam.com.