Evonik Industries is boosting production of nylon 12 powder at its plant in Marl, Germany.
The capacity expansion will be in place by late 2017 and will increase the site's nylon 12 powder capacity by 50 percent, officials with Essen, Germany-based Evonik said in a Feb. 10 news release.
Evonik's Vestosint-brand nylon 12 powders are used to coat metals for household appliances, as well as in automotive and medical products and in other types of coatings. The company also said it expects growth for the material in 3-D printing applications.
“We project attractive market growth,” chairman Claus Rettig said in the release. “The new production line in Marl will meet growing demand for nylon 12 powder products in the long term to support our customers' growth.”
The expansion announcement continues a busy four months for Evonik. In November, the firm announced that it was increasing production of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) resin at its plant in Changchun, China. Then in February, Evonik opened its first Asian plant for Rohacell structural foam in Shanghai.
Evonik produces a range of specialty chemicals and plastics. The firm employs 33,000 worldwide and has annual sales of more than $13 billion.