DSM and Chromatic 3D Materials partner to develop 3D printing materials for finished manufactured goods

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Royal DSM, a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials, has announced that it has entered a preferred partnership with Chromatic 3D Materials to introduce thermoset materials for 3D-printing of finished manufactured goods, as per the company's press release.

With the collaboration, DSM further expands its portfolio, now offering the broadest selection of 3D printing materials for the broadest range of printing technologies.

"Additive manufacturing or 3D printing technology has the potential to fundamentally change the way products are manufactured - offering consumers personalized and customized products currently not feasible", says Hugo da Silva, Vice President of Additive Manufacturing at DSM. "This requires that manufacturers have a choice of the best combination of material, printing process and software for their application needs. With this partnership with Chromatic, we can offer our customers industrial-grade thermosets currently not available for additive manufacturing."

Chromatic 3D is one of the few companies that know how to develop technologies to 3D-print with thermosets, a broad class of materials offering adaptability, durability and resilience not possible with thermoplastics used in conventional 3D printing processes.

Combining DSM’s global market access and expertise with Chromatic’s patented technology, the partners will jointly develop thermoset materials that DSM’s customer’s strategic growth markets are looking for to 3D-print end-use applications. Initial products to be rolled out by DSM include industrial-grade soft and durable thermosets, which are complementary to DSM’s current portfolio of thermoplastics for fused filament fabrication (FFF). Starting immediately, the companies will build a broader portfolio based on customer needs in the strategic markets of footwear (in- and midsoles), transportation (such as in the growing area of automotive electronics), healthcare, electronics and tooling.

“Chromatic 3D Materials and DSM Additive Manufacturing have a shared vision to deliver high performance, industrial grade 3D Printing solutions to manufacturing. Together, we will make the dreams of industrial implementation of 3D Printing a reality”, said Cora Liebig, CEO of Chromatic.

As MRC wrote earlier, in November 2017, Royal DSM announced a new approach for its additive manufacturing (AM) activities. By aligning all its AM activities within the Materials cluster and promoting a partnership approach, DSM can provide customers an open and flexible infrastructure. This will help customers to find exactly the right materials and production systems for their applications. The new customer-centric organization will build on experience and expertise from all of DSM’s existing materials businesses, combining deep market segment-specific application understanding and expertise in all polymer AM processing technology platforms.

Royal DSM is a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials. DSM delivers innovative solutions that nourish, protect and improve performance in global markets such as food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) announced that Riikinvoima Oy, a leading Finnish provider of sustainable energy, has transformed the operational efficiency of its flagship waste incineration plant in Leppavirta, Finland, with Honeywell Experion® Orion control room technology, as per the company's press release.

The control room at Riikinvoima Oy featuring Honeywell's Experion® Orion Console.

Based on a human factor study, the two-position Experion Orion Console incorporates intuitive graphics that allow safer, faster and more consistent operations, from process start-ups to abnormal situations and alarms. The console's ergonomic design reduces fatigue and creates a healthier working environment as well as higher situational awareness for plant operators.

"A crucial factor for the success of this project was a joint workshop, in which we defined key elements of the human machine interface (HMI) design," said Juha Rasanen, managing director at Riikinvoima Oy. "Now we are able to control our process in a standardized way, no matter who is running the plant, and react to any changes in the boiler condition quickly. This is how we can convert waste into energy in a safer, more environmentally-friendly and efficient way, allowing us to cost-effectively deliver energy to our customers."

The new technologies are enabling Riikinvoima Oy to run its circulating fluidized bed boiler – the first of its type in Finland – at an optimal level, meeting strict environmental regulations. In addition to the Experion Orion Console, the Leppavirta site will implement Honeywell's Field Device Manager, which uses smart instrumentation to perform device configuration and management capabilities. It will also add Control Performance Monitor, an application that monitors, diagnoses and remedies control asset issues, allowing Riikinvoima Oy to detect problems and predict maintenance needs as early as possible.

"This is very much a control room of the future," said Joe Bastone, global Experion product director, HPS. "Our solution combines human factors science with advanced technology to present critical data to operational engineers in a totally new way. This has helped improve and standardize process control at the site, unleashing new production efficiencies that are strengthening the business."

Riikinvoima Oy previously implemented Honeywell's Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) and Safety Manager, the company's flagship distributed control system and its safety solution. Honeywell also supplied Uniformance PHD, which helps customers make better and faster decisions by using advanced data management. Honeywell was initially selected as a technology supplier by global EPC Andritz Group.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- INVISTA is entering the final design phase for a USD250 million project at its Victoria site to upgrade its manufacturing technology and increase production of adiponitrile (ADN), a key ingredient for nylon 6,6 fibers and plastics. Construction for the project is slated to get underway in the first quarter of 2019, as per the company press release.

"We’re proud to deploy our most advanced ADN technology here and expect this investment to further strengthen the Victoria site’s competitive position as a global leader in the manufacture of nylon intermediate chemicals," said Bill Greenfield, president, INVISTA Intermediates.

The new technology, developed and in use at the INVISTA facility in Orange, Texas, brings improved product yields, reduced energy consumption, lower greenhouse gas emissions, enhanced process stability and reduced capital intensity, compared to existing technologies. These improvements in performance have enabled the Orange facility to set production volume records since deployment in 2014.

This investment in Victoria comes on the heels of an announcement last September, where INVISTA and its joint venture partner, Solvay, decided to deploy this technology at the Butachimie joint venture in France. INVISTA has also received strong interest from customers and others in the value chain seeking to participate with INVISTA in building a new ADN plant in China.

As the world’s leading supplier for ADN, INVISTA supports growth and innovation in the nylon industry by continually investing in research and development, including the continued improvement of its ADN technology. The new ADN technology is the result of more than USD40 million in research and development spanning four years on two continents.

With leading brands including LYCRA®, COOLMAX®, CORDURA®, STAINMASTER® and ANTRON®, INVISTA is one of the world’s largest integrated producers of chemical intermediates, polymers and fibers. The company’s advantaged technologies for nylon, spandex and polyester are used to produce clothing, carpet, air bags and countless other everyday products. A wholly owned subsidiary of Koch Industries and headquartered in the United States, INVISTA has more than 50 locations around the world.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- BP has invested USD20 million in Israel's StoreDot, a start-up that claims its batteries can charge electrics cars in five minutes, as per CNBC.

The oil giant said Tuesday that its venture capital arm BP Ventures was investing in the Tel Aviv-based firm as it looks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in its operations.

"Ultra-fast charging is at the heart of BP's electrification strategy," Tufan Erginbilgic, chief executive of BP's downstream business, said in a statement on Tuesday. "StoreDot's technology shows real potential for car batteries that can charge in the same time it takes to fill a gas tank."

Daimler's trucking unit led a USD60 million investment in StoreDot in September last year. StoreDot claims the batteries are eco-friendly and can allow an electric vehicle to travel for more than 300 miles after a full charge.

StoreDot develops so-called "flash batteries," lithium-ion batteries that it says can charge electric vehicles in a matter of minutes. The batteries are powered by organic compounds and nanomaterials.

StoreDot is developing similar technology to charge mobile phones in five minutes. The firm wants to commercialize that product by 2019.

BP's venture arm invested USD5 million in FreeWire, a start-up that makes mobile electric car charging stations, at the start of the year.
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MOSCOW (MRC) – Honeywell announced that IRPC PLC will use a range of advanced process technologies from Honeywell UOP for a new aromatics complex in Thailand’s Rayong Province, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

As part of the project, Honeywell UOP will provide licensing, design, key equipment and state-of-the-art catalysts and adsorbents. When completed in 2022, the complex will produce 1.2 million metric tons per year of paraxylene used to make plastic resins, films and fibers. It also will increase its benzene production capacity from 114,000 to 495,000 tons per year. Benzene is a fuel additive and ingredient in plastics, lubricants, rubber, dyes and detergents.

"This complex will enable IRPC to significantly convert its available intermediate feedstocks to higher value aromatics products such as paraxylene and benzene," said John Gugel, vice president and general manager, Process Technology and Equipment, at Honeywell UOP. "This is the latest in a series of aromatics projects using advanced UOP technologies that have low capital and operating expense."

The project will include a Honeywell UOP CCR Platforming™ unit, which converts naphtha into high-octane gasoline and aromatics, and an LD Parex™ unit, which recovers high-purity paraxylene from mixed xylenes and uses a new, more energy efficient light desorbent. The complex also will include Honeywell UOP Sulfolane™ technology to extract aromatics from the feed; Isomar™ technology to convert xylene isomers into more valuable paraxylene; and Tatoray™ technology, which converts toluene and C9 aromatics into mixed xylenes and high-purity benzene, and that more than doubles the yield of paraxylene from the naphtha feedstock.
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