Hexcel acquires OPM's aerospace and defense business, and partners with Arkema on PEKK composites to increase 3D printing capabilities

May 29, 2018 | Case Study

Oxford Performance Materials (OPM) has been a leading startup in printing high-performance polyether ketone ketone (PEKK) for aerospace and defense parts for over a decade, but refocused toward printing orthopedic implants after receiving its first U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 2013. Arkema bought out OPM's other investers in 2008 and has been its sole PEKK supplier since 2011, and Hexcel became an investor in OPM in 2016. In Q4 2017, Hexcel acquired OPM's aerospace and defense part printing business. Shortly thereafter, in Q1 2018, Hexcel and Arkema announced a partnership to develop PEKK-matrix thermoplastic composites for aerospace.