Evonik opens new polyamide 12 powder plant in Marl

The new facility primarily produces high-performance powders for the 3-D printing market, which is expanding heavily with double-digit growth rates. “Polyamide 12 is part of our strategic Smart Materials growth engine that involves optimizing the performance and efficiency of products with improved materials. We significantly expanded our polyamide 12 powder plant in Marl in order to support the development of future-oriented technologies such as 3-D printing with innovative solutions,” says Harald Schwager, deputy chairman of the Executive Board of Evonik Industries.

The investment volume for the new Vestosint plant is in the mid double-digit million Euro range. With the new plant, Evonik is increasing its existing annual capacities for PA 12 powders by 50 percent. The specialty chemicals company manufactures its high-performance powders from PA 12 granulate in a proprietary process in its integrated production network for polyamide 12 products.

Targeting coatings industry and 3-D printing market

“The new production capacities will enable us to assume an even more prominent role in the global growth of attractive markets such as the coatings industry or 3-D printing,” explains Claus Rettig, chairman of the Board of Management of Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH. “In addition, we are able to develop new customized polymer powders even faster and more flexibly in order to support our customers’ strong growth and thus of our polyamide 12 powder business.”

Evonik markets the high-performance polymer polyamide 12 as a powder under the Vestosint brand, for example for coating metals in household goods, dishwasher baskets, in the automotive industry or in medical technology. In addition, Evonik has for many years been engaged in the development of specialty polymer powders that enable the industrial production of high-tech components based on 3-D printing.