Sartomer and Sirrus developing fast-curing 3D printing resins

Sartomer, a subsidiary of Arkema specializing in advanced photocurable resin materials, has partnered with chemical company Sirrus to develop new fast-curing resins for 3D printing applications. The collaboration will focus on the creation of methacrylate resins with superior performance and will leverage Sirrus’ expertise in methylene malonate monomers and oligomers.

The partners expect to reveal the jointly developed fast-curing resin technology this week at RadTech Orlando 2020, a conference and exhibition focused on UV/EB technologies. So far, here is what we know about the collaboration and the materials being developed through it.

The new 3D printing resins are based on the copolymerization of methylene malonates and methacrylates, which results in faster curing times than resins currently on the market. As Mark Holzer, Vice President of Application Development at Sirrus, explained: “Research has demonstrated that methylene malonate comonomers can significantly enhance the UV-cure rate of some methacrylates.”

The faster curing rates for these advanced resins could create new opportunities and applications for high-speed 3D printing. As of yet, there is no word about when the materials might be market ready.

Jeff Klang, Global R&D Director of 3D Printing at Sartomer, added of the partnership:  “The collaboration between Sirrus and Sartomer is yielding discoveries that are leading to development of new resins for 3D printing that will open up new regimes of printing and physical properties performance.”

Experts from both Sirrus and Sartomer will be attending RadTech 2020 this week, where they will present their respective offerings discuss the upcoming fast-curing materials for 3D printing and the benefits of using methylene malonates for next-gen resins. Sartomer, which supplies a range of materials to the 3D printing market, will also highlight other materials in its portfolio, including new N3xtDimension photocurable resins and more.