silicon for the chemical and solar industry XIII

New silicones

There are new silicone applications that could represent a frog-leap in the consumption

of metallurgical silicon. The one we expect that will be the most important is its use for

3D printing to manufacture prototypes, spare parts and much more. 3D Printing is based

on materials such as thermoplastics (which are melted before applying), metals and

ceramics. In 2015, the German company Wacker revealed that the have developed a new

silicone suitable to be used for 3D printing machines. This is a first step because for the

moment the main application will be prototyping although there are plenty of

opportunities, as long as the technique is developed, there will be more applications in

the Health sector and Medicine, Automotive and Transport and Other Industries.

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In general, the silicone market is diversified across industries and applications such as

Performance Additives and Functional Ingredients, Construction, Consumer Care,

Coatings and so on. This is a growing market because it has a CARG 2005-2015 of 5%

and it represents a 11,5 billion euro industry. The 3D printing industry is growing at a

much faster pace of 30% annually so that in 2023 this sector could be one of the most

important within the silicone market.