Airtech, Caracol grow LFAM with Dalhtram resins, Heron AM pairing

Airtech Advanced Materials Group (Huntington Beach, Calif., U.S.) announces its strategic partnership with Caracol (Milan, Italy) to advance additive manufacturing (AM) capabilities for large-scale industrial applications. 

Caracol, established in 2017 with a mission to redefine the boundaries of AM,  is known for its modular Heron AM platform. The robotic 3D printer, designed to extrude polymer and composite pellets, targets large-scale industrial applications. Caracol’s integration of hardware, software and automation optimizes its flexibility, process control and performance. Moreover, Airtech has qualified its Dahltram resins for integration with these 3D printers. This accomplishment will further support Caracol in it’s efforts to offer Airtech’s resins to their customers globally.

Dahltram resins, highlighted by their high performance and reliability, have undergone extensive testing and validation for compatibility with Heron AM platforms. The resin range is suitable for multiple print platforms and offers production flexibility with end-use material approvals. Rigorous thermal cycle testing, pressure leak testing, laser surface scanning and contact material testing have generated data that supports more than 500 autoclave cycles without degrading the Dahltram tooling resins.

“Working with a partner like Airtech on advanced materials is a key step for us in enabling customers to have an end-to-end manufacturing process that guarantees reliability, quality and efficiency,” says Violetta Nespolo, chief marketing and strategy officer at Caracol. “Our end goal is always delivering the highest quality standards and results on our clients’ applications, and we believe that we can drive this only by collaborating with the best partners across the value chain.”

The launch of Dahltram T-100GF marked Airtech’s entry into recycled-grade thermoplastic polymer resins for pellet-fed, large-scale 3D printing. Notably, Dahltram I-350CF played a pivotal role in the EmpowerAX project, recognized as the winner of the 2024 JEC Innovation Award for the “Aerospace Processes” category.