UBQ Materials and Plastics App partnership makes sustainable 3D printing functional

The partnership arises from growing demand for zero-waste supply chain manufacturing to support companies’ sustainable development goals.

UBQ Materials, developer of the most climate-positive thermoplastic material on the market, today announced a partnership with Plastics App, a leading R&D company in tailor-made applicative innovation for polymers and plastics. Together, the two companies have launched a novel filament with a significantly reduced carbon footprint so as to enable sustainable and eco-conscious manufacturing.

Widely recognized as environmentally responsible, 3D printing is a versatile manufacturing technique that enables less energy and raw material usage than traditional production methods. Significant R&D has been invested across the industry with the aim of reducing the carbon footprint of the materials used in 3D printing. To date, the most sustainable 3D filaments have been largely based on a Glycol-modified version of Polyethylene Terephathalate (PETG), which has limited properties and has confined use cases to dimensional models and dummies.

UBQ Materials converts unsorted landfill-destined waste into a sustainable, climate-positive and cost-competitive thermoplastic (UBQ™) that substitutes oil-based resins for manufacturing. Plastics App has developed UBQ™ inside filaments, which, when applied to 3D printing, expand sustainable application to functional uses such as jigs, fixtures and spare parts.

“Combining our end-to-end filament development capabilities with UBQ’s climate-positive material has opened sustainable opportunities for industries like automotive and housing, where fully functional prototyping is an essential part of both R&D and small-scale production,” said Dr. Yanir Shaked, Founder & General Manager of Plastics App. “Using eco-conscious material to 3D-print functional prototypes from the early stages of development helps companies meet their sustainability goals without compromising on product functionality.”

UBQ™ has already been adopted by large multinational enterprises, having been incorporated into end products across various industries. Now that the material is being used to create prototypes, manufacturers can better match the look, feel and performance of these prototypes with their end products.

“Introducing 3D-printing filaments to the market enables UBQ to test the limits and go beyond the boundaries of traditional plastic manufacturing techniques,” said Tato Bigio, co-founder and CEO of UBQ Materials. “The versatile applications of UBQ™ allow for its incorporation into a wide range of products, decreasing emissions and preventing landfill buildup. This partnership will expand the scope of companies that can refine their processes while reducing their energy use.”

UBQ™ will be incorporated into four types of carbon reduced sustainable filaments. Perform Q is a high-performance, UBQ / Polypropylene filament suitable for standard applications; Perform QCF, which has Carbon Fibers, is a reinforced UBQ / Polypropylene-based filament suitable for demanding applications. Both grades are available either on virgin PP or PCR PP carriers.

Tato Bigio, Co-Founder and CEO at UBQ Materials will join the panel discussion ‘Side Streams: Circular Solutions Breathing New Life into Waste’ at Rethinking Materials next week.

He will be joined by:
Mark Durno, Partner, ROCKSTART AGRIFOOD, Denmark
Jennifer Holmgren, CEO, LANZATECH, USA
Daniel MacEachran, Head of Technology Scouting and Open Innovation, BRASKEM, USA
Tony Perrotta, PA Sustainable Materials Expert, PA CONSULTING, USA

About Plastics App Ltd

Plastics App, located in Megiddo, Israel, leads the way for applicative innovation in the field of plastics and polymers. Its mission is to develop plastics related solutions and technologies. Plastics App presents development capabilities, theory and practice, using compounding and other unique technologies coupled with production capacity for tailor-made and off-the-shelf industrial filaments used in 3D printing thus delivering value-added solutions to its customer. Learn more by visiting Plastics-App.com.

About UBQ Materials

UBQ Materials Ltd. has developed an advanced conversion technology, patenting the world’s first bio-based material (UBQ™) made entirely of unsorted household waste; a revolutionary way to divert municipal solid waste from landfills and transform it into a sustainable substitute for oil-based plastics. A certified B Corp, UBQ is a recent recipient of the 2020 Future of Plastics Award and 2020 Quality Innovation Awards. UBQ’s marquee customers include global retail solutions provider Mainetti, Daimler, the manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz, Keter Plastics, leader in resin-based consumer goods, and Arcos Dorados, the world’s largest franchisee of McDonald’s restaurants across Latin America.

With a climate-positive impact and cost-competitive price, UBQ™ empowers manufacturers with a simple transition to greater sustainability. Learn more by visiting UBQMaterials.com.