Asahi Kasei started sales for 3D printing (3DP) filaments in North America through Asahi Kasei Plastics North America, Inc. (APNA). The soft launch will begin with filaments from the modified polyphenylene ether (mPPE) resin product line, XYRON, then expand to the Thermylene? polypropylene (PP) group.

APNA [1] plans to advance two business initiatives targeted at the 3DP sector to show customers versatility and long-term commitment. The first goal is to deliver success through filament sales in the North American market and then expand globally. This will be started through trialing XYRON, which features properties such as printability (lower warpage, high dimensional stability), heat resistance, electrical insulation and impact strength.

After XYRO, the next filament launch will use Thermylene providing high tensile strength, chemical resistance, creep resistance, and elevated temperature performance. The second goal will be focused on customer support with advanced resources through computer-aided engineering (CAE). Asahi Kasei already provides comprehensive support for designing and developing customer products using CAE technical services for engineering plastics products.

APNA's well-established CAE services have now been comfortably expanded to 3DP to provide additional support for filament products and their usage. Asahi KaseiCorporate Venture Capital (CVC) invested in CASTOR Technologies Ltd. ., an Israeli startup specializing in 3DP technologies, to expand CAE offerings in May 2023. Through this investment, Asahi Kasei is developing a unique 3D printing software that allows the organization to tailor their approach to the specific needs of consumers.

With CASTOR, Asahi Kasei is conducting proof-of-concept techniques to expand services, including automation ofadvanced simulations.