Essentium TPU 95A-LF low friction

Essentium is a company renowned for its R&D work, achieving to be at the forefront of additive manufacturing. Among the products it develops, the wide variety of filaments aimed at industrial FDM 3D printing stands out, as well as some with very specific applications, managing to provide solutions of all kinds to meet the needs of sectors such as aeronautics, automotive or the energy sector.

Within its wide range of FDM 3D printing materials is the TPU 95A-LF filament, a TPU-based filament with a composition that reduces its friction with other materials.

TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) is a thermoplastic, more specifically a linear elastomer polymer belonging to the polyurethane family. One of the characteristics that differentiate TPU from other thermoplastics is its elongation at break. While other thermoplastics have up to 100 % elongation at break, TPU has up to 500 % elongation at break. Within TPU, different hardness ranges can be found. In FDM 3D printing, hardness is usually indicated by the Shore A or Shore D scales, which perfectly cover the hardness ranges of thermoplastics for AM.

With its TPU base and Shore 95A hardness, TPU 95A-LF filament is a medium-hard filament with good flexibility and has the impact resistance and chemical resistance of the base material. Its outstanding properties are as follows:

• Chemical resistance
• Abrasion resistance
• High elongation at break percentage
• High tensile strength
• Excellent impact resistance
• Resistant to oils

Video 1: Essentium materials guide: TPU. Source: Essentium.

Low friction surface

Despite its flexibility, it is a relatively easy-to-print filament that, thanks to its printing characteristics, can be processed on almost any desktop FDM 3D printer on the market, although it is recommended that you have a direct extruder. This filament has a low-friction surface that facilitates and guarantees a smooth material feed during the printing process. Due to its properties, the TPU 95A-LF filament is very useful for applications in sectors such as automotive, construction, consumer goods manufacturing or the industrial sector, allowing the production of a wide range of products:

• Rapid prototyping: TPU 95A-LF enables rapid prototyping to bring ideas to life with great immediacy, allowing you to materialise, test and present different models or improvements on an initial design until the desired result is achieved.
• End-use parts: Thanks to its mechanical and chemical properties, TPU 95A-LF filament allows 3D printing of end-use parts and components quickly, accurately and with good repeatability, enabling in some cases the production of parts that would be very complex using other manufacturing methods or technologies.

Specific applications for TPU 95A-LF filament include the manufacture of anti-vibration mounts, protective housings, vibration isolation for automobiles, hoses and flexible ducting, sports protective equipment, insoles and shoe soles, among others.

Video 2: Result of hitting a 3D printed part with TPU 95A. Source: Essentium.

If you have a 3D printing machine with multiple printheads, it is possible to produce complex parts using TPU 95A-LF and a support material, or to produce parts with rigid and flexible zones. This offers enormous possibilities and design freedom.

Due to its properties and its composition developed specifically for AM, TPU 95A-LF is an ideal solution for companies that require the manufacture of parts with medium-hardness flexible parts with excellent impact resistance and good chemical resistance.