Greener Plastics with High Heat Tolerance for Additive Manufacturing

Advances in materials and automation are rapidly reshaping the American manufacturing economy. These advances must be embraced to sustain a strong manufacturing sector in the United States. Additive manufacturing is possibly the fastest growing example of this trend, growing at an astonishing compound annual growth rate of 25.7%. The plastic materials market for additive manufacturing, valued at $700M in 2020, is projected to grow even faster, up to 34.6% to 2023 ($1.8B). Traditional plastics used in additive manufacturing are produced from toxic chemicals and are not degradable. Existing greener alternatives are not heat tolerant and deform at <60°C. Despite this severe limitation, greener plastics account for 32% of material used. This market trend indicates a strong demand for a greener, heat tolerant plastic. Our proposed product will be a greener, degradable plastic, produced from bio-based feedstock, tolerant to 106°C, comparable to the best traditional plastics. Technical feasibility including production and product demonstration will be accomplished in Phase I. We anticipate our first sales in Phase II. After demonstrating market success and revenue_x000D_ as a greener, heat tolerant material for additive manufacturing, we anticipate finding applications in other products that require greener heat tolerant plastics, such as polystyrene hot food containers.