Lubrizol’s unique thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) formulations deliver the benefits you need for all of the transparent products you create. They assure low haze and excellent light transmission for a variety of flat, bent and/or spherical security transparencies and specialty laminations. Interlayers made from our films are specifically developed for use in optical laminations of glass, polycarbonate, acrylic, cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB), PET, or combinations thereof.
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TPE is known for its robustness and flexibility. It is available as filament for FDM printers and as a powder for SLS machines. Though TPE is still fairly new to the additive manufacturing industry, it has been around as a material for industrial use since the s. EOS was the first company to launch TPE as a material for SLS printing back in . TPE goes by the name PrimePart ST (PEBA ). This introduction was followed by the launch of CRP Technology’s TPE material, called Windform® RL.
As a polymer material, TPE combines the characteristics of thermoplastic and thermoset vulcanized rubber. Variants of TPE include a range of flexible materials, such as Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), Thermoplastic Polyamide (TPA), and Thermoplastic Copolyester (TPC). TPE printed models and prototypes have been used in industries such as automotive and medical. TPE has been used in the manufacturing of sports shoes and can also be found in electronics—for example, the plastic casing around some headphone cables or any other application where rubber-like qualities are required.
TPE has the following advantages when compared to TPU:
TPE has the following disadvantages compared to TPU:
TPU and TPE form part of the same family. BF Goodrich (now known as Lubrizol Advanced Materials) invented TPU in ; it is not a recently discovered material. However, its application in 3D printing is still relatively new. Due to its unique properties, TPU has been gaining interest in the additive manufacturing industry. Its printed products have been applied to various industries.
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TPU can be used as printing material in two types of 3D printers—Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printers and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) printers. With FDM printers, the material in filament form is used to print the desired models. With SLS, a powder form is used. In the long run, printing with an FDM printer will be more cost-effective.
TPU comes in a wide range of opaque colors as well as transparent. Its surface finish can range from smooth to rough (to provide grip). One of the unique features of TPU is that its hardness can be customized. This ability to control hardness can result in materials ranging from soft (rubbery) to hard (rigid plastic).
The application of TPU is very versatile. Industries that use TPU printed products include aerospace, automotive, footwear, sports, and medical. TPU is also used as a casing for wires in the electrical industry and as protective cases for electronic devices, such as mobile phones or tablets.
This article contrasted TPE and TPU, both of which are commonly used 3D printing materials. To learn more about which plastic is better and how Xometry can assist material selection, contact a Xometry representative.
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