ITOCHU Announces Full-scale Commencement of Collaboration with Italian Company Aquafil and Asahi Kasei for Resin-based 3D Printing Material

October 29, 2024

ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keita Ishii, President & COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that it has begun collaborating with Aquafil S.p.A. (headquartered in Italy; Giulio Bonazzi, CEO; hereinafter "Aquafil"), the operator of the global ECONYL® (hereinafter “ECONYL”) brand of recycled nylon, and Asahi Kasei Corporation (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Koshiro Kudo, President; hereinafter “Asahi Kasei”) regarding resin-based materials for 3D printing application.

ITOCHU took a stake in Aquafil in March 2022 and has been working with Aquafil to collect waste nylon including used fishing nets, sell recycled nylon “ECONYL” and develop new applications. Most recently, Aquafil’s high-level manufacturing technology and ITOCHU’s knowledge and network in the area of nylon have been combined to expand the applications of ECONYL. An example is the development of a fishing net which was difficult to commercialize using conventional recycled nylon due to strength and dyeability.*1

Demand for environmentally friendly materials is growing in many different industries such as the apparel product, daily necessity and automobile industries. Recently, the three companies collaboratively developed a resin-based material for 3D printing application that combines ECONYL and the cellulose nanofibers (hereinafter “CNF”) produced by Asahi Kasei. Asahi Kasei’s CNF is mainly made from plant-derived natural fibers (cotton linters) and is characterized by its high strength, heat resistance, light weight and durability. The recently developed resin-based material is expected to be used in high-performance plastics used in automobiles and aerospace which require features such as high strength and heat resistance.

Going forward, ITOCHU will continue to contribute to the development of a sustainable, recycling-oriented society through partnerships with domestic and foreign companies.

Resin filament of CNF 3D printers using CNF*2

This product that is being developed will be shown at the following exhibition.
Sustainable Material Expo, October 29-31, 2024 (Makuhari Messe, Japan)
https://www.material-expo.jp/hub/en-gb/exhibit/susma.html

About Asahi Kasei Corporation

Company name Asahi Kasei Corporation
Location Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Representative Koshiro Kudo, President & Representative Director
Established May 1931
Business description Manufacturing and sale of chemical and textile products, semiconductors, electronic and electric devices, medicines, medical devices and other healthcare-related products
URL https://www.asahi-kasei.com/