The competition
Solvay is committed to pushing the limits of Additive Manufacturing (AM) with high-performance polymers by developing open innovation projects with universities and start-ups. In 2018 Solvay launched an international Additive Manufacturing competition called AM Cup.
Past editions have been very successful and inspiring. The winning teams have demonstrated the potential of high-performance 3D printing for fabricating complex polymer shapes and overcome the challenges of fused filament fabrication (FFF) to create parts that can virtually match the performance and quality of conventional injection molded parts.
For the third edition of the AM Cup in 2021, Solvay is partnering with L’Oréal and Ultimaker in a global challenge that is addressed to engineers, makers and students with 3D affinity from universities around the world.
L’Oréal is the world’s largest cosmetics company with the mission of "creating the beauty that moves the world” Offering each and every person around the world the best of beauty in terms of quality, efficacy, safety, sincerity, and responsibility.
Ultimaker offers the largest diversity of 3D printing products and services in the industry. The seamless integration of hardware, software, and materials is easy to use.
The collaboration with these strong partners further accentuates the importance of optimizing material, hardware, and process together when designing a successful 3D printing project. This year’s challenge is to design a 3D printed real-world industrial application which highlights the potential of AM to revolutionize production line agility.
The material to be used is Solef® polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) which has been specifically chosen from Solvay’s portfolio of high-performance filaments and powders for 3D printing. Solvay's portfolio also comprises KetaSpire® polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and Radel® polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) filaments, which include medical and carbon fiber filled grades.
The competition started on September 1st 2021 and ran through to mid-November 2021.
The winners
Solvay reveals the winner of the third edition of its international AM Cup 2021 for participants to design a real-world industrial 3D printed application capable of revolutionizing production line agility, using Solvay’s easy-to-print Solef® PVDF AM Filaments. The winner was selected from among 60 international teams who took part in the challenge.
As covid-19 restrictions would have made it hard for participants to directly print their designs, Solvay organized for the winning designs to be printed directly by Ultimaker using their S5 desktop printer. The application will then be tested by L’Oréal.
The overall winner is… 3D Fab from the University of Lyon, France. Well done!
The team secured the first prize due to its ability to develop an innovative, versatile monobloc design, based on a reversible deformable structure, that is easy to print in a relatively short time.
The winning team, selected by an international jury, receives five thousand euros to be reinvested in academic, societal or entrepreneurial activities and an Ultimaker 2+ Connect printer. Furthermore, the winning design will be demonstrated during their high-profile tour of L’Oréal’s production facilities in March.
The material used was easy-to-print Solef® PVDF, specifically chosen for the challenge from our portfolio of high-performance filaments and powders for 3D printing comprising Solef® PVDF, KetaSpire® PEEK and Radel® PPSU AM filaments.
