Solvay has announced the winners of its Additive Manufacturing Cup. Launched last October, the competition invited university students to 3D print complex polymer shapes using the company’s KetaSpire polyetheretherketone (PEEK) filament.
Submissions were evaluated for mechanical stability and aesthetic qualities by a panel specialising in polymer technology, design and additive manufacturing. The winners received first, second and third prizes of €10,000, €5000 and €3000.
Winning first place was the ePEEK team from Arts et Métiers ParisTech, France, which 3D printed PEEK parts that exhibited an exceptional tensile strength of 80 MPa in the z-axis, a performance similar to injection molding.
In second place, the Jugao team from Xi'an Jiaotong University, China won a prize for 3D printing a Solvay logo using the filament.
In third place, the Chloé Devillard team from Claude Bernard University Lyon 1, France demonstrated creativity and innovation in resolving the technical challenges of printing tensile specimen in the z-axis without any support material.
‘The winners exemplified the AM Cup challenge by pushing the capabilities of additive manufacturing to produce a 3D-printed PEEK part with a tensile strength rivaling that of an injection molded part,’ said Stéphane Jéol, president of the jury and technology manager for Solvay’s global specialty polymers business unit.
This story uses material from Solvay, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
