Chinese filament manufacturer Esun Industrial and ZYYX, the Swedish 3D printer and filament company, have announced a strategic partnership at Formnext Frankfurt.

The two companies will develop new professional 3D printing filament and even new 3D printers. Esun also will be the exclusive distributor of the “ZYYX pro” 3D printer in China and will create a new business segment focused on professional users with a need for functional prototypes, jigs, and fixtures.

Swedish company ZYYX currently offers two 3D printer models. While the “ZYYX+” aims at semi-professional users, the “ZYYX pro” (pictured below) want to go one step further into the industrial realms. The industrial-grade FDM 3D printer specifically was developed to rapidly produce customized high-strength parts. The company claims it’s great for schools, product developers and architectures wanting to 3D print prototypes and concept models.

New Materials, Starting with PA66 Nylon with 15% Glass Fiber

In addition, the companies have entered into an R&D partnership to develop new 3D printing materials. These filaments will be mainly for professional use and engineering grade materials.  The newest addition “ZYYX proGlass filament” consists of PA66 Nylon with 15% glass fiber content (see below).

Mr, Yihu Yang, CEO of Shenzhen Esun Industrial Co., Ltd says, “The Chinese market for desktop 3D printers is today mainly focused on entry-level products, but China’s rise as an innovation superpower poses a great need for professional desktop 3D printing tools and this is where the ZYYX pro shines. The ZYYX pro 3D printer is the perfect tool to offer together with our latest engineering grade materials, and we see a great business opportunity in China with this type of offering.”

The partnership comes at a moment where big chemical companies like BASF also have entered the 3D printing market.

Mats Moosberg, CEO of Magicfirm Europe AB and creator of ZYYX 3D Printer: “The market for desktop 3D printers is getting tougher and tougher, and it is crucial to have a clear ambition, and our ambition is to provide our customers a complete toolset for functional prototyping and production of jigs and fixtures. The materials are at the center of such offering and we are very happy to say that we are now working closely with the leading supplier of 3D printing materials in the world.”

He states that the work on the new material brought the two companies closer together, “and we are honored to be able to say that we now will work even closer to offer more materials, all with a clear application within professional printing.”

(Source: Press Release)