Flexible 3D Printing
Flexibles
Flexible materials are used in many industries in a wide range of applications. Flexible polymers include rubbers, silicones, plastics, and more. 3D printable flexible materials include silicones, photopolymers, and Thermoplastic Elastomers and Urethanes (TPEs/TPUs). These materials can offer unique material properties such as biocompatibility, UV resistance, water resistance, flame retardance, and insulative characteristics. These flexible materials used for rapid prototyping and end use parts offer the same advantages as rigid 3D printing materials. They can be used to produce parts more quickly, they can be made into more complex parts than traditionally manufactured parts, and they can be produced for lower costs at low runs.
There are a wide range of flexible photopolymers produced on SLA, DLP, CLIP, DPP, and Polyjet machines. These processes can produce highly detailed parts and parts that have significantly less noticeable manufacturing artifacts like layer lines. Thingsmiths uses the Formlabs ecosystem and all compatible materials such as Flexible 80A and Elastic 50A resins.
Flexible thermoplastics used in SLS and FDM machines include TPUs. Printable TPUs include durometers from ~60A-95A. Thingsmiths 3D prints TPUs for automotive and manufacturing applications used for dampening, insulation, and more. The wide range of hardnesses are suitable for replicating the characteristics of molded rubber prior to toolmaking and molding.
Silicone 3D printing is currently more expensive and less accessible than other forms of printing due to challenges involved with mixing and curing a two part compound. ACEO developed a silicone printer that “[rapidly extrudes] tiny droplets from the nozzle onto the printing area until a fine line is created…The area is then exposed to UV Light which causes the silicone to immediately vulcanize,” however their silicone printing services have been discontinued. Lynkster produces a 3D printer that is also capable of 3D printing in silicone. Our partners at Centrepolis Accelerator have one on-site at LTU.
TPU 3D Printing Applications
Wire harnesses, cables, electrical recipticals
Gaskets, grommets, plugs
Ducting, tubes, insulators
Barriers, seals, dampeners