Focus on high-performance photosensitive resin formula to develop solutions suitable for scale application of 3D printing
The close cooperation between equipment manufacturer and material manufacturer could open up new market for 3D printing
UnionTech, the world’s leading manufacturer of industrial-grade 3D printers, and Evonik, a giant company of specialty chemicals, officially announced the establishment of the “UnionTech and Evonik Joint R&D Laboratory” in Shanghai, China, the opening ceremony of which was held recently.
“Evonik is committed to promoting the wide application of scale 3D printing technology across the whole value chain through ready-to-use material formula,” said Toni Schreibweiss, “The close cooperation between material manufacturer and equipment manufacturer is essential for the opening up of new application fields of 3D printing. The establishment of the joint laboratory will further accelerate the speed of new photopolymer product launch in the market, especially for the fast-growing Chinese market. We will actively contribute our expertise in 3D printing materials and provide more efficient and faster additive manufacturing solutions for all industries.”
Toni Schreibweiss, general manager of Evonik High-Performance Polymers Division in APAC, Mr. CAO Erning, investor relations director of Evonik Venture Capital Department, and Mr. HONG Fuchao, director of Evonik Additive Manufacturing and Materials Solutions in APAC, made a special trip to UnionTech Intelligent Manufacturing Center to attend the opening ceremony of the joint laboratory. Rainer Hahn, global head of Evonik Photosensitive Resins Business, participated in the ceremony through online video. Mr. MA Jinsong, general manager of UnionTech, Mr. WANG Chao, deputy general manager of UnionTech, and others attended the ceremony. Mr. Toni Schreibweiss, Mr. Rainer Hahn and Mr. MA Jinsong made speeches respectively. Both sides spoke highly of the establishment of the joint R&D laboratory. This is another major cooperation project following Evonik’s investment in UnionTech in 2020.
Toni Schreibweiss, general manager of Evonik High-Performance Polymers Division in APAC, and Mr. MA Jinsong, general manager of UnionTech, jointly unveiled the nameplate of the joint laboratory
Toni Schreibweiss, general manager of Evonik High-Performance Polymers Division in APAC, said in his speech, “UnionTech is a leading 3D printing equipment supplier in China, with more than 20 years of experience in 3D printing industry. The establishment of “UnionTech and Evonik Joint R&D Laboratory is an important milestone for the development of the additive manufacturing industry.”
Rainer Hahn, global head of Evonik Photosensitive Resins Business, sent his congratulations from Germany via video. He believes that greater market value is bound to be created by strengthening cooperation at the R&D level. Evonik will welcome the development of 3D printing industry at a faster pace and speed, and continue to go deep into the industry application to help various industries realize digital transformation. It is believed that the cooperation between the two sides will bring greater breakthroughs and innovations to the entire additive manufacturing industry.
Mr. MA Jinsong, general manager of UnionTech, welcomed and thanked the Evonik management team for their visit. He pointed out in his speech, “The establishment of the joint laboratory means that the two sides have strengthened the comprehensive and in-depth cooperation, and represents the openness and mutual trust of both sides, as well as their consensus and determination for the industrial development. We will work together on a number of joint R&D projects. “
“The transition from ‘prototype production’ to ‘real manufacturing’ is the overall development tone of the 3D printing industry. It has become an irreversible trend in this field. Let’s look forward to the future together, develop diversified cooperation models, accelerate industry iteration and innovation, and better serve customers.”
After that, the two sides had in-depth exchanges on the future positioning, development and cooperation mode of the joint laboratory, and visited the intelligent manufacturing factory of UnionTech together.
The cooperation between UnionTech and Evonik is an inevitable collision and represents the mutual recognition and joint technology accumulation between the famous material giant in Germany and UnionTech, a local 3D printing enterprise in China. The two sides will work together to embrace the whole industry with a positive attitude, facilitate bilateral cooperation in R&D, accelerate the development of high-performance materials, speed up the industrial layout, and expedite the application implementation.
As a commonly used 3D printing material, photosensitive resin is featured by excellent performance, high precision, fast printing speed etc. It can be used to produce very complex workpiece. Its structure is much smoother than other 3D products, and its typical application fields include automotive and aircraft manufacturing, industrial components or specialty footwear manufacturing. Therefore, it has broad prospects for development.
Evonik officially launched a new product line of photosensitive resin for industrial-grade mass manufacturing this year. The first batch of three ready-to-use formula products have excellent mechanical properties, and all adopt single-component system formula, with printing stability, excellent anti-aging performance, very suitable for users to use photocuring industrial printing equipment for direct lot manufacturing of parts.
Evonik took a minority stake in UnionTech through its venture capital department in 2020. Currently, the two sides have launched cooperation in a number of additive manufacturing fields.
About UnionTech
Founded in 2000, UnionTech is one of the first batch of companies to commercialize 3D printing technology in China. UnionTech has been playing an active role in promoting the deep integration of 3D printing technology and various industries. In the past 20 years, the technologies and products of UnionTech have been widely promoted in various fields, and exported to more than 40 countries and regions, stood the strict test of production practice, and produced remarkable social benefits. In the SLA market segment, UnionTech currently ranks the first in China and the fourth in the world in terms of market share and user group, ranks the forefront in the industry in terms of industry scale, and has extensive industry influence and brand awareness.
About Evonik
Evonik is one of the world’s leading specialty chemicals companies, with operations in more than 100 countries and regions. Evonik generated sales of €12.2 billion and an operating profit (adjusted EBITDA) of €1.91 billion in 2020. Evonik goes far beyond chemistry to create innovative, profitable and sustainable solutions for customers. More than 33,000 employees work together for a common purpose: We want to improve life, day by day. Evonik regards APAC as a major driving force of global economic development and a key source of innovation, and consequently endeavors to grow its business in the region. In FY2020, Evonik generated sales of €2.84 billion in APAC, with more than 5,000 employees and more than 50 production bases in this region.
