Grupa Azoty (Azoty Group) has started commercial sales of products used in 3D printing in FDM / FFF technology manufactured at the 3D Printing Materials Center, which are offered under the Tarfuse brand. The basic raw material for the production of filaments is produced in Grupa Azoty S.A. high quality polyamide 6 (PA6) and its modified varieties. The Center which is located in Tarnow, Poland is also launching an project for popularizing 3D printing addressed to entrepreneurs, scientists or enthusiasts of additive technologies.
Grupa Azoty is a definite leader in Poland and one of the key capital groups of the fertilizer and chemical industry in Europe. The Group ranks second in the European Union in the production of nitrogen and compound fertilizers, it also has a strong position in the markets of products such as melamine, caprolactam, polyamide, OXO alcohols, plasticizers and titanium white.
The commencement of sales of filaments for 3D printing in FDM / FFF technology marks the entry of the research and development program conducted by Grupa Azoty since 2017 into the commercialization phase. Under the Tarfuse brand, Grupa Azoty offers basic (mass), technical and special filaments. Research is also underway to develop specialized polymer powders for 3D printing in SLS technology and light-curing polymers for SLA and DLP technologies. The 3D Printing Materials Center, which conducts research and produces filaments, is located in the Research and Development Center in Tarnów.
The size of the European market of filaments for printing in the FDM / FFF technology can currently be estimated at around 5,000 tone. According to available forecasts, this market will grow dynamically, at a rate exceeding 20% per year by 2023. In turn, the market of powders for printing in SLS technology is about 750 tons, and the forecasted dynamics of its growth is to be 23% per year. The largest global producers offering 3D printing materials include, among others BASF, Evonik or DuPont. 3D printing is one of the fastest developing new technologies, and incremental printing is becoming more and more popular primarily in prototyping, small-lot (and special) production, including bridge production and maintenance.
In order to popularize FDM technology, Grupa Azoty launches the 3D Printing Academy, under which employees of the 3D Printing Materials Center, together with technology partners, will conduct training in several cities in Poland, addressed to scientists, entrepreneurs and 3D printing enthusiasts. They will be devoted to 3D design for incremental technologies, properties of construction polymers dedicated to 3D printing, and will also include a print show: from an idea to a functional detail.