Exploring the Properties and Capabilities of High-Performance Polymer Additive Manufacturing Solutions

with Anekant Jain,
Manager, Polymer Technologies EOS North America

Wednesday, May 6th, 2026
9.30 am to 10:30 am EST
Kelly Hall Rm. 310

 

 Additive manufacturing with high‑performance polymers is an increasingly important manufacturing route for aerospace, defense, and advanced air mobility applications, driven by demands for weight reduction, rapid qualification, and distributed production. This presentation examines how polymer chemistry, crystallinity, and process–structure relationships influence performance in powder bed fusion (PBF), with a focus on PEKK‑based polyaryletherketones (PAEKs). PEKK offers tunable crystallinity and slower crystallization kinetics compared to conventional high‑temperature polymers, enabling a broader and more stable PBF processing window, improved interlayer fusion, and reduced mechanical anisotropy. The influence of thermal history and controlled crystallization on stiffness, ductility, and dimensional stability is discussed through aerospace case studies.

The discussion then expands to lightweight polymer systems for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and drone platforms, where cost efficiency and rapid production are critical. Polyketone‑based PK5000 and hollow glass sphere‑filled PA 640 GSL are analyzed from a structure–property perspective, highlighting density reduction, impact performance, and recyclability. Overall, the presentation connects polymer fundamentals to real‑world additive manufacturing constraints, illustrating how material design and process control enable scalable, application‑ready polymer AM solutions.

Anekant Jain leads the Additive Minds Polymer Team at EOS North America, where he drives the scale-up of polymer additive manufacturing (AM) for high-performance, highly regulated industries. He spearheads major production ramp-ups helping customers establish validated, quality-assured AM workflows.

Since joining EOS in 2019, Anekant has delivered a plethora of AM projects across healthcare, aerospace, consumer goods, and lifestyle industries. He played a key role in launching a digitally integrated, mass-customizable insole program in Australia and was an early contributor to the development of 3D printed nasal swabs during the COVID-19 pandemic. His work spans application development, process qualification, business case modeling, and production enablement.

Earlier in his career, Anekant held research and engineering roles at SABIC, AMD, Rolls-Royce, and A*STAR Singapore, focusing on polymer-graphene composites, microprocessor failure analysis, and thin-film semiconductor processes. He holds an honors degree in Materials Science and Engineering with a specialization in Nanotechnology from the National University of Singapore.