Bluestar Silicones
Former entity
Develops AMSil™ silicone elastomer materials for additive manufacturing, enabling 3D printing of functional silicone parts with shore hardnesses 10-70 for medical, automotive, and industrial applications.
- Team Size
- 1001-5000
- Stage
- Acquired
- Latest Round
- Acquired
- Key Investors
- Bluestar (China National Bluestar/ChemChina) – majority owner following completed acquisition, closed April 30, 2026
Technology & Products
Key Products
AMSil™ silicone elastomer materials for additive manufacturing, Silbione™ medical-grade silicones, Silcolapse™ silicone foam control agents, Puresil cosmetic solutions, silicone release coatings for papers and films, and BLUESIL™ MR 460 U 33P silicone masterbatch containing 33% mechanically recycled silicone, launched October 6, 2026 and available for pre-commercial sales.
Technological Advantage
Proprietary silicone formulations optimized for additive manufacturing processes, enabling high-density, functional parts with tailored properties (e.g., shore hardness, biocompatibility).
Patent position
Materials’ share fell from 100% in 2019 to 2021 to 88% in 2022 to 2024. AMPulse analysis
- Filing momentum
- 12 families filed 2022–2024, 15 in 2019–2021
- Focus, 2019–2021 → 2022–2024
- Materials 100% → 88%
- Filed in
- WO 33%EP 33%US 27%CN 23%JP 3%
- Named competitors, AM patent families
- Wacker Chemie 30
30 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Reduces lead times for silicone part prototyping and production from weeks to days, enables complex geometries impossible with traditional molding, and offers material customization (e.g., medical-grade, support materials) for functional applications.
How They Differentiate
Offers vertically integrated silicone production with AM-specific materials (AMSil™) vs. competitors' broader chemical portfolios; 30% lower carbon footprint in manufacturing; specialized support materials for 3D printing silicone.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Manufacturers in medical, automotive, aerospace, and industrial sectors seeking high-performance, customizable silicone parts via 3D printing.
Industry Verticals
Medical; Automotive; Aerospace; Industrial; Consumer Goods
Competitors
Dow, Wacker Chemie AG, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Revenue $1.7B in 2023; silicones division reported 177% earnings growth in 2021.
Major Milestones
Launched AMSil™ technology for 3D printing silicones (2021); Acquired Bluestar Silicones; Expanded to 27 production sites globally; Majority of Silicones division divested by Elkem ASA to Bluestar (China National Bluestar), transaction closed Apr 30 2026; rebranded as Bluestar Silicones Jun 23 2026
AM patents
AM-relevant patents linked to this company.
- Patents
- 38
- Granted
- 5
- Families
- 30
Leading domains: process (38), material (32), equipment (10)
Filings by year: 2023: 1 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 2
- SOLUBLE SUPPORT MATERIALS FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING20230105584 · US
- SILICONE-BASED THERMOPLASTIC MATERIALS FOR 3D-PRINTING2022129359 · WO
- Manufacturing method of silicone elastomer article using 3D printer2020519501 · JP
- ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING METHOD FOR PRODUCING A SILICONE ELASTOMER ARTICLE2024056948 · WO
- A METHOD FOR PRODUCING A THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTED ARTICLE4337449 · EP