MATERIALS | 3D PRINTING
Right: Ecofap will combine micronised leather with various
polymers to 3D-print new shoe soles
of recycling leather scraps from footwear manufac- ture – rather than sending it to landfill. Spanish research organisation Aimplas and
collaborators including the Footwear Technology Centre of La Rioja (CTCR) will use FDM 3D printing to create the new parts. The Valencian community – where Aimplas is based – produces 65% of the shoes in Spain – about 70 million pairs per year. The waste generated by footwear factories in leather scraps alone is around 3,500 tonnes per year. This is not typically recycled. The challenge for the Ecofap consortium was to
reduce the particle size of the leather scraps to 10 microns to allow post-processing as a secondary raw material. The goal is to combine different percentages of micronised leather with various polymers whose mechanical properties make them suitable for footwear – using a 3D printing filament. Reducing the particle size to less than 10 microns is demanding due to the difficulty of crushing a material made up of elastic fibres (collagen).
AM partnership
Aimplas has also begun an R&D collaboration with Arburg to develop new materials for additive manufacturing for use in areas such as medicine. Arburg has provided Aimplas with a Freeformer
200-3X, which allows testing of a wide range of materials – including commercially available grades with FDA approval, biopolymers and polylactide and modified original materials or combinations. This can add functionalities such as strength,
Below: Evonik’s Infinam
powders are available for a wide variety of applications
fracture resistance, reversibility, solubility or waterproofing, for parts such as orthoses or absorbable implants to treat bone fractures. The system also allows properties of the component to be changed by varying the process parameters. This programming can be retained for repetition in the form of small series with the possibility of individual changes.
PA12 powders Evonik unveiled several innovations in PA12 for 3D printing at Formnext 2024 last year. This included its Infinam 6013 P and 6014 P 3D-printable powders, which contain a high loading of carbon black in the core of each particle. Produced through the precipitation process, these carbon black powders are designed for powder bed fusion techniques such as selective laser sintering (SLS) and offer high flowability and homogenous sintering. The high core-shell carbon black content allows for true pigmentation uniform- ity, minimises visibility of surface abrasion and wear and provides resistance to UV rays and greater isotropic performance. “These properties make our carbon black powder an ideal material for producing 3D-printed items destined for use outdoors,” said Arnim Kraatz, director of powder bed fusion at Evonik. He pointed to applications that need to with- stand elevated exposure to heat and light, such as those in the aerospace and automotive industries. Evonik also launched HP 3D HR PA12 FR, a
PA12-based 3D-printable polymer developed by Evonik and HP. The powder is halogen-free, flame retardant and features 50% reusability – which leads to less waste, improves manufacturing efficiency and lowers the product’s environmental impact. Items made from the materials are also cost-effective and have good surface aesthetics. Further afield, Evonik has signed up 3DChimera to distribute its selective laser sintering (SLS) powders in the US. The agreement covers a select range of Evonik’s Infinam powders, including variants that feature high flexibility, temperature resistance and stiffness. It will allow 3DChimera to provide technical assistance and guidance on the optimal use of Evonik’s SLS PA12 powders, so customers can maximise the benefits of the materials.
30 INJECTION WORLD | July/August 2025
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IMAGE: EVONIK
IMAGE: AIMPLAS
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