3D Printing Parts Service Enables Production of Rubber-Like Parts

"GoProto has introduced 3DElastoPrint, a 3D printing parts service featuring elastomeric Thermoplastic Polyamide (TPA), enabling the production of rubber-like parts unachievable by traditional manufacturing methods," said a company spokesperson. Co-branded by Evonik and HP, this flexible, high-performance thermoplastic elastomer is optimized specifically for HP's Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) 3D printer.

The TPA material is flexible and lightweight, distinguished by its low density of 1.01 g/cu. cm and a Shore A hardness of 90. "This high-performance material is suited for prototypes as well as end-use products that call for high extensibility and energy return, such as sports equipment, automobile components and end-of-arm tooling," said a company spokesperson.

"We researched this elastomer from Evonik and instantly recognized the massive market potential and its ability to help us provide customers with production-grade parts with no tooling and all of the benefits of 3D printing," said Jesse Lea, President and CEO of GoProto. "We are not going after parts we can already produce with conventional methods inexpensively; we are going for the things that have not been addressed well before."

Potential applications include:

• Sporting equipment: "Utilizing HP's powder-bed technology, 3DElastoPrint TPA material allows for complex geometries at a fraction of the cost of traditional technologies. With high fatigue resistance, it can be bonded into wearables, footwear, protective gear, eyewear and a variety of sporting equipment," said the spokesperson.
• Ducting and bellows: "Traditionally, ducting is challenging to produce in low quantities because of the tooling required to produce difficult undercuts, thin walls and tricky geometry for soft materials," said the spokesperson. "But our 3DElastoPrint service solves these problems with this highly durable production-grade TPA elastomer. The material has high energy return and high fatigue resistance, capable of thousands of flexes. And, due to MJF technology, it is perfect for parts with large undercuts and trapped volumes."
• End of arm tooling: "End-of-arm tooling is at the forefront of 'new engineering required' because shapes are often very amorphous, the weight needs to be optimized and material properties can dramatically affect the performance. There is no room for compromise with prototype materials. 3DElastoPrint parts can be latticed, hollow, topology-optimized and light-weighted works of engineering mastery," said the spokesperson.

For more information contact:

GoProto

3940 Ruffin Rd., Suite A

San Diego, CA 92123

888-GoProto (888-467-7686)

info@goproto.com

www.goproto.com