DWS and Huntsman Form Cooperation to Bring Resin to Market

DWS, a precision stereolithography (SLA) systems and 3D printing materials company, has forged a strategic cooperation with global chemical company Huntsman. The collaboration will give footwear companies and other industrial manufacturers access to the SLA 3D printing of a new kind of polyurethane-based resin, which is soft, flexible, easy to print and can be readily adopted into manufacturing environments.

IROPRINTTM R 1801 resin is a radiation cured, one-component polyurethane resin. Developed by Huntsman, the resin delivers a combination of elasticity and strength and can be used to make footwear components, sports equipment and other products that need to have the look and feel of rubber, the company reports.

DWS worked closely with Huntsman during the development of IROPRINTTM R 1801 resin to ensure that the resulting material was optimized for SLA printing. DWS shared its experience in the development of SLA 3D printing systems, which are capable of delivering smooth and detailed surfaces and shapes, without the need for long and costly curing processes after printing, while Huntsman shared its technology leadership in UV cured polyurethane technology.

“With the development of IROPRINTTM R 1801 resin for SLA, DWS and Huntsman have created a manufacturing solution that will help ease the adoption of 3D printing processes into the manufacturing environment for the creation of a multitude of industrial, rubber-like products, including, specifically, footwear and sports equipment," says Maurizio Costabeber, chief technology officer at DWS. 

"As a well-established player in SLA, we produce a large range of our own materials for 3D printing," Costabeber says. "Working with Huntsman, though, we sped up the development of a joint solution, which avoids the post processing complexities of other existing methods, while delivering—at the same time—the desired result in terms of surface quality and definition on finished products.”

“This announcement is the culmination of more than two years of close cooperation between DWS and Huntsman - and is our first collaboration in the field of radiation curing 3D printing," says Stephane Peysson, global business development manager at Huntsman. "This is also the first time that DWS has teamed up with a major polyurethane provider, taking advantage of our world-class equipment, technology and people. As we build our 3D printing ecosystem, we are delighted to have the opportunity to work with DWS, a highly innovative, pragmatic and focused company.”

Manufacturers of footwear, sports equipment and other rubber-like products are invited to find out more about the cooperation between DWS and Huntsman at Formnext—where both companies are exhibiting and where printers and materials will be in action. Visit DWS at Booth C31 Hall 12.1 and Huntsman at Booth F20 in Hall 11.1. Formnext runs from November 19-22, 2019 in Frankfurt, Germany.

IROPRINT is a trademark of Huntsman Corporation or an affiliate thereof in one or more, but not all, countries.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.