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The arrival of a new era of polyurethane 3D printing

Industry News > The arrival of a new era of polyurethane 3D printing

In the global 3D printing industry, we occasionally encounter some start-up companies whose technology may seem trivial, but the potential is huge. This not only requires a good idea, but more importantly, to find the real pain points. This is not as easy as it sounds. More importantly, the company must have the technology to solve these problems. Chromatic 3D Materials' work on thermoset materials, especially polyurethane extrusion, is a good example. Being able to use one of the most commonly used materials in the world for 3D printing proficiently and at low cost will bring huge market opportunities. The most commendable of the C3DM method is that there are many extrusion 3D printer manufacturers around the world, and everyone can use this method.

聚氨酯3D打印新时代的到来

The company's approach is based on materials and software and has nothing to do with hardware. Chromatic 3D Materials' FlexTune™ 3D printed polyurethane is a series of rubber elastomers with high performance and high resilience. From automobiles to consumer products, there are almost unlimited potential applications. The company's CEO Cora Leibig founded the company in 2016 with a 20-year career in the materials industry. She worked in Dow Chemical R&D and polyurethane special R&D departments for ten years.

Dr. Leibig explained: "To launch a new technology in the materials industry, you have to prove its potential worth hundreds of millions of pounds. The materials industry supply chain is very long. There are many steps to go through before the final product is obtained."

This is also the reason why she was initially attracted to 3D printing. She explained: "I am interested in bringing the choice of materials closer to the end user, which really changes the motivation required to provide innovative materials to the market. I think 3D printing will Bring to the world innovative materials that we have not seen before, and these materials have higher functionality."

Where is the thermoset material?

Looking more closely at the materials suitable for 3D printing, Cora Leibig noticed that the range of materials is indeed limited. And the biggest missing part in the past (now) is thermoset materials, including polyurethane, silicone and epoxy.

Due to the inherent properties of thermoset materials, it is very useful and difficult to 3D print. But difficulty does not mean impossible. Like any other manufacturing field, this requires research. As with any thermosetting application or process, the biggest challenge of 3D printing polyurethane is that the chemical reaction determines its processing method, not the mechanical principle of the processing system.

Dr. Leibig explained: "In a thermoplastic filament printer, you have to adjust the temperature of the print head and the temperature of the bed. In thermoset materials, you have to adjust the chemical composition, which is more complicated. At Chromatic 3D Materials, we improve The production methods, such as the reactive density of extruded materials, or the way they are mixed have been changed."

FlexTune™ series of polyurethane rubber elastomers can print materials with hardness in the Shore A range of 40-90. These durable materials have been used for decades in non-3D printing applications. They can be repeatedly bent, stretched, twisted, and squeezed. They are used in shoe heels and outsoles, rollers and gaskets for hydraulic seals. The Chromatic 3D Materials team found a 3D printing method that does not sacrifice the strength and durability of high-performance polyurethane elastomers.

Chemistry and Mechanics

The specific 3D printing process implemented by Chromatic can be said to be a combination of inkjet and extrusion technology. During the printing process, the two liquid components are mixed in the print head, triggering a chemical reaction. When the liquid leaves the nozzle and deposits on the printing surface, the material is a partially polymerized gel that solidifies into a stable viscous material within a few minutes. The whole process is carried out at room temperature.

In other words, in the thermoplastic extrusion process, the material is melted and reorganized, while the thermoset material is actually "produced" during the extrusion process. In this way, the chemical bonds of the entire part are very strong and more isotropic. Leibig explained: "This means that in essence, the part you are making is a single molecule. Another advantage is our design method: the printed material has a viscosity that is about 10,000 times lower than that of ordinary filaments, which means You can print faster."

This is a chemical challenge, not a mechanical challenge, but it does not mean that it is insurmountable. And the advantage of 3D printing this material is that people can use all the knowledge in thermoset chemistry for more than 50 years. Leibig believes that the main reason why the industry has not made more progress is that very few people are currently studying thermoset 3D printing.

One of the companies based on stereolithography is called Carbon, and its digital light synthesis technology uses a mixture of thermosetting materials and photopolymers to trigger the light curing process. Cora explained that Chromatics' extrusion-based process provides more versatility. "We just use mixing to trigger the reaction. This allows us to be very flexible and can add additives like colorants."

Chromatic's extrusion system can be installed on any extrusion 3D printer, just replace the thermal print head with a thermoset print head. Chromatic's team uses a standard large Juggerbot 3D printer. Chromatic provides materials and necessary software (more on that later). For many hardware manufacturers, the Chromatic 3D material system can represent a unique opportunity to greatly expand their market reach.

Find pain points

Taking advantage of this versatility, Chromatic will focus on applications such as seals and gaskets for industrial equipment, which are extremely costly parts in the supply chain. A part that only requires a few cents of materials may end up costing dozens of dollars due to logistics-related costs.

Dr. Leibig explained: "There are many specialized equipment in the supply chain of seals and gaskets, which may require less than 500 parts a year. And these parts are all special shapes. For injection molding, this is simply absurd. Therefore, the logistics costs associated with this type of parts account for as much as 90% of the cost of the parts, mainly warehousing and distribution. Injection molding companies who process millions of parts each year do not want to interrupt production in order to set up the operation of 500 parts. "

Leibig and her team made a reasonable inference: If the materials are good enough, these parts will be ideal for 3D printing. "This is indeed the focus of our business," she revealed. "We have found many successful cases in small fleets, including buses, trains, tractors, and classic cars, and even just machinery in factories."

Since the FlexTune™ material is cured during the construction process, heating is not required to avoid deformation, so a part height of more than 20 cm can be obtained. But the main problem with this method is that defects will spread in the material, so Chromatic has developed an AI technology to compensate for any defects, which means that software development takes about 50% of the development time.

In terms of speed, the printing speed of FlexTune™ material is about five times that of the thermoplastic extrusion process. Leibig explained: "Equipment upgrades have the opportunity to make our printing speed even five times faster. Another major feature of our parts is that they are 100% solid, which allows us to seal the parts to maintain pressure. Advantage."

Chromatic customers seem to appreciate another major feature of the technology-the ability to print on other materials. This means that we can finally use a five-axis robot to print on metal parts. Leibig said: "We see business opportunities in metal parts that require integrated cushioning or sealing.".

Thermoset 3D printing service

Chromatic 3D materials is a professional service provider and consulting company. Leibig explained: "Many of our customers do not want to participate in the printing process. Our business model is aimed at manufacturers who need to maintain a huge spare parts library. They are working hard to maintain a physical library of five hundred or more different flexible parts."

For example, the German railway service company Deutsche Bahn. The operating life of the train is as much as 50 years, and many spare parts are no longer available. "We work with them to view their database and determine the parts that can be 3D printed using our technology. Then, we authenticate the parts through a program. Our ability to quickly modify the chemical composition of the material allows us to easily meet any Specific part requirements.

So far, Chromatic has established a library of 500 materials based on different chemical changes. Cora explained: "In just four weeks or so, we can develop a new printable material that can meet thermal, mechanical strength or flame resistance requirements. In this sense, we do consulting services."

Now, the company is seeking to expand the number of internal material combinations in order to provide more customers with high-volume parts services. A key area of business development is parts suppliers, and become a professional thermoset 3D printing provider, producing parts that are hard to find in small and medium batches. "Many times customers don’t even have CAD drawings for parts. That’s why we think it’s important to control the entire production. So, once we have established a'digital mold' for their parts in the database, we can guarantee Short turnaround time."

As demand grows, the ability to quickly identify part usage will be a new challenge. It can take up to 6 months to work with a company to identify the application of a new material, but polyurethanes have been used in many traditional manufacturing applications, and in many cases they have been identified by national and international organizations. This is why the potential opportunities for 3D printing it are so important.

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The arrival of a new era of polyurethane 3D printing

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