An Evonik facility that produces materials used in the manufacturing process of Polyamide 12 (PA12) was destroyed by a fire and explosion, forcing the plant to close for several months.
The explosion, which occurred on 31st March 2012, and the subsequent plant closure, will have a ‘knock-on’ effect across many industries; all users of PA12, including RP providers worldwide, are likely to be affected by this incident.
CRDM currently has a sufficient supply of materials to continue with the manufacture of PA12 components. However, the company can no longer supply parts manufactured from glass-filled PA12-GF. Because of this, the product is being replaced with a PA11-GF material, which is expected to exhibit some improved characteristics over the traditional PA12-GF creation. This new product is undergoing trials at the present time, but is expected to be available shortly.
Non-filled PA12 materials are currently unaffected, but due to the length of time expected to repair the PA12 supply chain, the company is also testing alternatives to the PA12 material.
With immediate effect, the company will be supplying quotations for SLS components in non-filled PA12 materials.
Further updates will be announced on the company website:
