Royal DSM, a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials headquartered in Heerlen, Netherlands, has entered into a preferred partnership with Chromatic 3D Materials (Golden Valley, MN) to further expand its portfolio of 3D-printing materials for a wide range of printing technologies.

“Additive manufacturing has the potential to fundamentally change the way products are manufactured, offering consumers personalized and customized products currently not feasible,” said Hugo da Silva, Vice President of Additive Manufacturing at DSM. “This requires that manufacturers have a choice of the best combination of materials, 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 knows 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 customers’ 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. 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,” said Cora Liebig, CEO of Chromatic. “Together, we will make the dreams of industrial implementation of 3D printing a reality.”