Arkema and Carbon extend partnership for 3D-printed consumer goods
Arkema and Carbon are building on a 13-year collaboration to advance 3D-printing applications for footwear and sporting equipment.
Arkema and Carbon are extending their long-standing partnership to scale additive manufacturing for the consumer goods sector. The collaboration combines Arkema’s expertise in UV-curable specialty materials with Carbon’s Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) technology to produce custom components for footwear and sports applications.
The partnership leverages the ability of DLS technology to create complex lattice structures that can be fine-tuned for cushioning and energy return. Brands such as Vivobarefoot are using this process to create made-to-order footwear based on individual foot scans, an approach intended to reduce inventory requirements and minimize material waste.
Carbon CTO Jason Rolland stated that the collaboration provides a reliable material science foundation for developing high-performance elastomers. Arkema, meanwhile, intends to continue refining material development to meet increasing market demands for performance and sustainability in consumer manufacturing.