Arkema has opened its new 3D Printing Center of Excellence at the Exton, Pennsylvania, site of US business line Sartomer. As part of the facility’s work, the French chemical producer said Sartomer and its partners will further develop “cutting-edge 3D printing resins through innovative material research and collaboration.”

The new center will complete Arkema’s worldwide R&D network dedicated to the development of advanced material for additive manufacturing.

Sartomer is regarded as a pioneer in designing engineered resins for UV-curable additive manufacturing marketed under its N3xtDimension^®brand. The photo-cure materials yield products with thermoplastic-like mechanical properties for applications such as dental, sports and electronics.

The Pennsylvania center, which will house most UV based technologies, including stereolithography (SLA), Digital Light Processing (DLP) and Multi Jet Printing (MJP, will provide a collaborative space for chemists and application engineers to develop custom resins for customer needs, Arkema said.

The French player sees itself “ideally positioned” to bring 3D printing to a full manufacturing scale with a unique line-up of polymer materials available in filament for extrusion, in powder for sintering and in liquid for UV curing.