Press Photos

Diagram of the WACKER 3D process. The first step is to design the part with a CAD program. After the spatial coordinates have been calculated (step 2), the printing instructions are generated (step 3). Then, the printer robot follows the instructions exactly and prints the silicone layers dot by dot (step 4). In this way, the virtual CAD model is transformed into a three-dimensional silicone part, layer by layer.

A silicone part made by 3D printing. WACKER, the Munich-based chemical group, has developed a process that enables the printing of three-dimensional silicone objects for the first time. The process is ideal for numerous industrial sectors. It opens up completely new opportunities for developing products in the automotive, medical, household-appliance and lighting industries. Now prototypes with complex geometries can be produced quickly and flexibly, without expensive tools. In the same way, it is possible to produce small series and spare parts that have to be continuously modified to meet changing requirements.

Current 3D printing technologies use glass, metal, plastic, synthetic resin or ceramics as starting materials. What was missing was a process for silicone elastomers – that is, until now. WACKER has developed a 3D technology that makes it possible to build three-dimensional silicone objects for the first time.

Industrial-scale protein refolding: with the novel FOLDTEC^® refolding technology, microbially produced pharmaceutical proteins can be manufactured cost-efficiently and reliably in high yields, without the need for antibiotics or phage components.

WACKER pilot coater in Burghausen. This is where the solvent-free silicone polymers of the new DEHESIVE^® SFX line were developed. At its coating center, WACKER lends support to leading label and paper coating companies from all over the world.