MOSCOW (MRC) -- Braskem has partnered with M. Holland Co. (Northbrook, IL), a distributor of thermoplastic resins, for the exclusive distribution of Braskem’s new polypropylene (PP) filament for prototype 3D printing applications, said Chemweek.
The deal will help meet an increasing need in the additive manufacturing market for printable PP material with high chemical resistance and hydrophobic properties, according to the distributor. PP has typically not been used until now in the prototyping or production of 3D printed parts due to high failure rates, but Braskem’s PP formula “is highly stable with low warpage, excellent bed adhesion and consistent extrusion, which makes it ideal for prototyping,” it says. Repeatable and dimensionally accurate outcomes were demonstrated during trial tests of Braskem’s PP materials, it adds.
"We are proud to introduce our high-performing polypropylene material to the 3D printing market and explore developing opportunities in this space,” says Jason Vagnozzi, director of North America/new ventures and digital at Braskem.
As MRC informed earlier, Braskem is no longer pursuing a petrochemical project, which would have included an ethane cracker, in West Virginia. And the company is seeking to sell the land that would have housed the cracker. The project, announced in 2013, had been on Braskem's back burner for several years.
Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 557,060 tonnes in the first three month of 2020, up by 7% year on year. High density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) shipments rose because of the increased capacity utilisation at ZapSibNeftekhim. Demand for LDPE subsided. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market was 267,630 tonnes in January-March 2020, down 20% year on year. Homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers accounted for the main decrease in imports.
Braskem S.A. produces petrochemicals and generates electricity. The Company produces ethylene, propylene, benzene, toluene, xylenes, butadiene, butene, isoprene, dicyclopentediene, MTBE, caprolactam, ammonium sulfate, cyclohexene, polyethylene theraphtalat, polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
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