Infinite Material Solutions (Infinite), a leading developer of wholly unique materials for additive manufacturing, has announced a strategic distributor partnership agreement with leading metrological laboratory and additive manufacturing technological center, Controllo Qualità srl (Controllo Qualità). According to the agreement, Controllo Qualità will become a regional distributor for Infinite, making the company’s breakthrough 3D printing products widely available to Italian manufacturers for the first time.
Infinite, a US-based innovator in novel materials for additive manufacturing, recently brought to market a water-only-soluble 3D printing support material called AquaSys® 180. Engineered for exceptional temperature stability, this new product is the first of its kind that is compatible with the parameters needed to print popular thermoplastics, such as Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), Polyetherimide (PEI), Polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) and Polyphenylsulfone (PPSU). This makes it the only known solution for rapidly producing complex, contiguous parts using these thermoplastics, which are highly appealing in industries such as aerospace and automotive. Aquasys® 180 provides a user-friendly alternative to traditional breakaway supports.
Few leaders within the 3D printing space have been more dedicated to uncovering the potential of Infinite’s products than Controllo Qualità. Primarily a metrological laboratory, the company’s additive manufacturing division has been testing AquaSys® 180 since its launch last fall, and its predecessor AquaSys® 120 since 2019.
Now, since validating the materials’ performance and discerning their ideal parameters for key applications like carbon fiber lamination, the innovators at Controllo Qualità are ready to share what they’ve learned with their customers. The company will continue to use AquaSys® products in its in-house 3D printing services, and act as a major distribution arm within Italy, selling filament spools to qualified resellers within the region.
“Controllo Qualità is the true definition of an early adopter and trusted partner” said Larry Doerr, Chief Operating Officer at Infinite Material Solutions. “They are focused on determining the boundaries of performance, collaborating to understand best practice printing parameters, helping get the word out, and achieving success with AquaSys® 120 and AquaSys® 180.”
About Controllo Qualità srl
Based in Modena, Italy, Controllo Qualità srl is a metrological laboratory and additive manufacturing technological center. Operating in a new headquarters spanning 1,850 square meters—1,100 of which are dedicated to laboratory space—the company’s expertise includes dimensional inspection, reverse engineering, tomography and additive manufacturing technologies such as fused deposition modeling (FDM), selective laser sintering (SLS), and selective laser melting (SLM).
Controllo Qualità continues to expand its 3D printing capabilities. Born out of its additive manufacturing division, the company’s innovative new start-up Sinteria srl explores new investments related to the additive world. In 2021 and beyond, the company will focus primarily on custom polymer materials for FDM and SLS technologies, and the applications of graphene in 3D printing processes. The water-soluble materials, AquaSys® 180 and AquaSys® 120, following the excellent results obtained by Controllo Qualità, are now in the qualification stage for application of sacrificial tools in carbon fiber lamination processes in the aerospace market.
