Palitra

Augmented Polymer Deposition (APD)

Print the part.
Program the properties.

APD modifies polymer properties layer by layer, at the surface and inside the printed part. A piezo printhead jets functional inks onto each extruded layer to control color, marking, support release, layer bonding and surface finish in a single print.

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See how APD works

Palitra turns new product ideas into parts that conventional 3D printing can't make. We develop applications with partners using APD, then license the process to take them to production.

How APD builds a part, layer by layerSide cross-section of a curved part being printed. Every layer is flat; the curve is built from layers of different length. Supports below are flat layers of the same material. Release ink sits where supports meet the part, bonding ink between part layers, and color on the cells that form the surface. An extruder deposits the current layer and a piezo printhead jets ink onto it.ColorReleaseBondingSurfaceYour ink123456
  1. 1Extruder deposits a flat polymer layer
  2. 2Piezo printhead jets functional inks from separate reservoirs onto the fresh layer
  3. 3Color and marking at and just below the surface
  4. 4Ink between layers for bonding
  5. 5Release ink where supports meet the part
  6. 6Supports: flat layers, same material
Cross-section during printing. Dashed outlines are layers still to be printed. "Your ink" stands for a new functional ink developed with a partner. Diagram, layer height exaggerated.
4US patents
2016in industrial use since
In housematerials and inks

Demonstrated today

Five capabilities, one process

Each comes from ink jetted onto the extruded layer. Further applications are open for co-development.

Bracket printed with APD in full color, colored by simulated stress

Full color

CMYK inks are placed voxel by voxel, so color follows the design: labels, gradients, or analysis results such as this stress map.

Color shows simulated stress from the design analysis.

QR code embedded in a white APD part mounted on a fixture plate

Marking

Text, part numbers and QR codes are embedded just below the surface during the build. A thin skin of UV-absorbing polymer protects them from wear and fading, so traceability and instructions last as long as the part.

partrelease ink between part and supports, same material

Release

A release ink is jetted between the part and its supports. Supports print in the same material as the part and separate cleanly.

extruded layers, side viewink at each layer interface

Strength

Ink jetted at each layer interface improves bonding between extruded layers, the usual weak direction of an extruded part.

withoutwith surface ink

Surface

Ink applied at the outer edge of each layer reduces the stair-step texture that layered printing leaves on curved surfaces.

APD-printed white fixture with an orange wear-indicator layer below its contact faces and an embedded part number

One part, one print

A wear limit you can see

This fixture holds a component during production, and its contact faces wear a little with every cycle. APD builds an orange layer 0.8 mm below those faces, inside the same print. When orange shows through, the operator knows the fixture has reached its wear limit and needs replacing, without gauges or measurements.

The part number and the wear-limit note are embedded in the part during the same job, a few voxels below the surface. A thin skin of UV-absorbing polymer protects them from wear and fading, and the part identifies itself when it is time to reorder.

  • Color inside the part
  • Embedded marking
  • One print, no assembly

Need parts, not a license?

Bring us the part that gives you trouble

A fixture that wears out without warning, a part that has to carry its own part number or QR code, supports that take longer to remove than the part took to print. We print parts with APD on our own machines in Rizium materials, and tell you up front whether APD is the right fit.

  • Embedded part numbers and QR codes
  • Wear indicators and color coding
  • Clean, same-material supports
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Open for co-development

What APD could do next, with you

The same jetting step can place far more than color. These applications are open for joint development with partners who bring an application, a material or test capability.

Open for development

Conductive traces and antennas

Conductive ink placed inside the part for circuits, heaters, sensors and antennas, routed where the design needs them.

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Open for development

Dielectric layers

Zones with tailored dielectric properties for RF components and electrical insulation, built into the part.

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Open for development

Surface chemistry

Local surface treatment printed in place: wettability, adhesion or chemical resistance only where it is needed.

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Open for development

Joining dissimilar polymers

Compatibilizing inks at the interface, so polymers that normally do not bond can be joined in one build.

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Open for development

Tuned stiffness

Soft and rigid zones in one part from one base material, for grippers, seals and damping.

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Open for development

Biological and pharmaceutical agents

Active agents placed voxel by voxel, for devices that carry or release them in defined zones.

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All areas build on Palitra's APD process patents. See all development areas

Co-development

How we work with partners

01

Feasibility

We print your application with APD and test it against your requirements.

02

Joint development

We adapt inks, materials and process settings to your product and production setup.

03

License

You license the APD patents and know-how for your field of use.

Roadmap

Beyond FFF: from APD to AMD

APD is a jetting step, not a single printer. The same step can be added to other processes: first high-performance polymers, then powder bed processes, where it becomes Augmented Material Deposition (AMD) for polymers, metals and ceramics.

Read the roadmap
  1. TodayFFF with Rizium materialsColor, marking, release, strength and surface
  2. NextHigh-performance FFF polymersPEEK, Ultem, PPSF
  3. RoadmapPowder bed processes (AMD)Polymers, metals and ceramics

Have an application in mind?

Tell us what you want a part to do. We will tell you whether APD can do it.

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