BASF and Ricoh Partner to Expand 3D Printing Capabilities

Chemical maker BASF and digital business services and printing technology provider Ricoh Europe formed a partnership to collaborate on Additive Manufacturing (AM) materials, processing, and application development, a press release said Tuesday.

The effort will include the development of new materials for the RICOH AM S5500P, a powder bed fusion 3D printer that melts polymer powders into objects that was recently installed at BASF’s 3D-P Application Technology Center in Heidelberg. BASF and Ricoh will work to increase the capabilities of the equipment.

“The wider success of the AM market in the coming years rests on the crucial advances made in material sciences. These improvements will pave the way for creative implementations in new verticals and industries. By partnering with BASF as one of the largest material manufacturers in the world, we can jointly enhance our development expertise to meet specific and advanced customer requirements for end-use parts,” said Greg Plowman, director of Ricoh Europe’s European Additive Manufacturing Business Group, in a Ricoh release.

BASF’s 3D printing business unit is located in Heidelberg. Ricoh Europe, a part of the Japanese-owned Ricoh Group, is based in London.

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