On February 18, 2021, specialty chemicals group ALTANA completed the acquisition of the business of TLS Technik GmbH & Co. Spezialpulver KG, strategically expanding its ECKART division.

TLS, based in Bitterfeld, has over 25 years of experience and is considered one of the leading international specialists in the production of high-quality metal powders for industrial 3D printing.The business will operate under the name ECKART TLS GmbH with immediate effect.

The expertise of TLS in the production of metal powders and alloys for metallic 3D printing complements ECKART's strengths as an experienced specialist in the atomization of metals. All activities in 3D printing are bundled in ECKART TLS GmbH. This also includes alloy development including the patented special alloy A20X for lightweight components from the British company acquired last year, Aluminium Materials Technologies Ltd. (AMT).

The Bitterfeld site will thus become a center of excellence for metal-based 3D printing.

In the future, ECKART will work from here together with TLS and AMT experts to drive forward the optimization and development of metal powders, from aluminum to zirconium alloys for 3D printing and thus open up new areas of application. Furthermore, metal powders for coating processes and other powder applications will also be produced.