PEPS – Procédés 3D Et PolymèreS

To boost the cross-border potential of additive manufacturing processes

In order to boost YOU, company managers, engineers, technicians or R&D project managers into 3D technologies.

General information on the project

  • Starting : 01.01.2019 — Ending : 31.12.2022
  • Parteners : CRITT Matériaux Innovation (coordinator), IMT Nord Europe, Armines, CERTECH
  • Funders : Feder, la région Wallonne, la région Grand-Est
  • Associated partners : FLAM3D, Materalia, Plastiwin

Launched in January 2019, this new Interreg V project

aims to promote the technical and economic development of companies in the cross-border area (France, Wallonia, Flanders).

This PEPS project runs for 4 years until December 2022 with a budget of €1,461,750, of which €730,875 comes from the FEDER (European Regional Development Fund). It is also co-financed by Wallonia and the Grand Est french region.

 

Presentation video of PEPS project

PEPS poster

PEPS Poster (EN)
PEPS Poster (NL)

Observation :

Until a few years ago, additive manufacturing was called rapid prototyping.
Today, manufacturers directly want printed polymer parts made of good material with physico-chemical characteristics close to the final part and which can be functional
This trend comes from metal printers that allow printing metallic shades with good mechanical properties. Indeed, some printed metal parts today are produced in series and have been approved for aeronautics at GE for example or to be implanted in the human body (medical).
However, although historically all Additive Manufacturing technologies have applied to polymers, there is currently a lack on the market of technical polymers with functional properties, shaped by 3D printing, which could be mass produced.

Our objective :

Based on this observation, the cross-border PEPS project aims to boost research and innovation in the field of Additive Manufacturing of polymers and in particular of technical polymers through applied research with a view to developing innovative solutions on additive manufacturing processes for technical polymers and/or filled polymers.

Therefore, the PEPS consortium wishes to give impetus to the 3D printing processes widely used today in prototype manufacturing. However, based on the above observation, the transformed materials are mainly amorphous polymers, patented polymers or PLAs, there are few technical polymers and the transformed polymers have much lower characteristics than those of the injected polymers. We are therefore still a long way from the direct manufacture of products

Customized solutions with regard to industrial needs, with a creative approach to the realization of the potential of additive manufacturing processes for technical polymers, loaded or not, the charge being aimed either at providing mechanical reinforcement or functionality to a polymer matrix, or at generating metallic or ceramic parts after post-treatment stages (debinding and sintering).

Our innovative approach :

  • Extend the possibilities of additive manufacturing processes limited to prototyping to new industrial applications such as direct and technical manufacturing with optimized mechanical characteristics similar to serial polymer processing processes.
  • Increase the supply of materials that can be used in additive manufacturing processes while providing them with innovative functionalities.

Examples of functionalization that can be carried out :

  • Quantify mechanical properties according to the type of process FA
  • Generate and transform new thermostable polymers
  • Lighter structures
  • Incorporate metallic or ceramic fillers
  • Functionalize the material and therefore the part
  • Add reinforcements
  • Welding or assembling printed polymers
  • Changing the density of printed polymers
  • Etc…

Who are the pilots of the project ?

The actors of the PEPS project have the necessary skills (polymers, additive manufacturing processes, formulation, metallic and/or ceramic fillers, composite and controlled porosity materials) in terms of research and innovation in the above-mentioned themes and have decided to pool them to contribute to improving the competitiveness of companies in the cross-border area. The developments of the PEPS project will be driven by market needs in order to help the industrials of the eligible area to develop the full range of possibilities of 3D printing processes, depending on the products they manufacture or the markets they wish to reach.
Insert the presentations of the 3 partners with their skills and logos:
CERTECH: skills in formulations and polymers
Armines and IMT Nord Europe: Expertise in polymers and polymer processing including 3D printing
CRITT Matériaux Innovation: Skills in composite materials, injection technology for metallic and ceramic powders and in 3D printing without fusion and in characterization of metals and ceramics

Results :

The results of the project are intended to be widely shared with You, the industrial actors concerned, in particular through :

  • Drafting of a roadmap based on industrial feedback
  • Meetings with selected industrials
  • Seminars
  • Development of demonstrators
  • Feasibility studies