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VarioShore TPU Prosthetic

Ref.: COLFB-VARSH-PROSTH-NAT-175-700

44.79 €

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Approximate delivery date: Thursday 26 December

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ColorFabb is a Netherlands-based company dedicated to the development and production of FDM/FFF 3D printing filaments. The company is constantly developing and excels in the production of innovative materials designed for specific applications. VarioShore TPU Prosthetic is a variation of VarioShore TPU designed specially for printing prosthetics and orthotics. This filament consists of 92A TPU characterised by variable shore hardness, weight and densit, as well as silver due to its beneficial properties for prosthetic and orthotic applications.

Video 1: Presentation of Varioshore TPU. Source: ColorFabb.

The ColorFabb VarioShore TPU Prosthetic comes in skin-colored tones (developed in collaboration with Lubrizol): Natural, Pale Pink, Medium Brown, and Dark Brown. The color diversity allows for the creation of prosthetics and orthotics that patients will feel comfortable using. The skintone color is further modifiable by adjusting the printing temperature - lower printing temperature results in more intense colors and higher printing temperature activates the foaming agent, resulting in a more powder-like skintone color and a softer appearance.

Image 1: The skintone color is modifiable by adjusting the printing temperature. Source: ColorFabb.

TPU, thermoplastic polyurethane, is a flexible material with some elasticity. It offers good chemical resistance, UV resistance and smooth surfaces. In the case of VarioShore, the TPU used is Shore 92A, which determines its degree of hardness. In addition to the TPU, VarioShore contains a foaming agent (the same technology was used in the LW-PLA filament) that is distributed throughout the filament, activated at high temperatures and releases a gas that causes the filament to acquire a foamy texture.

Image 2: The VarioShore TPU Prosthetics filament in Pale Pink. Source: ColorFabb.

The degree of foaminess and, consequently, the density of the material and its Shore hardness, can be modified depending on the printing speed, the layer height and the printing flow. Thus, by modifying these parameters, the user can achieve different densities in the same 3D printed part with this material. In the unfoamed state the parts with have a Shore hardness of 92 A and in the maximum foamed state the Shore hardness will be of 55 A.

Image 3: The VarioShore TPU Prosthetics filament in Medium Brown. Source: ColorFabb.

If you work at a 3D printing temperature between 200 - 250 °C, the material will expand 1.4 - 1.6 times its original volume, which is equivalent to printing at low flow rates of around 60 - 70 % to produce the foam. Printing at temperatures between 190 - 200°C will produce harder parts without foam.

Image 4: The VarioShore TPU Prosthetics filament in Dark Brown. Source: ColorFabb.

With Varioshore TPU Prosthetic it is possible to produce parts with low density and with areas of varying hardness in the same part while maintaining a soft touch. This innovative filament for FDM/FFF 3D printers from ColorFabb is most suitable for the additive manufacturing of prosthetics and orthotics due to its contents of silver. Colorfabb's VarioShore TPU Prosthetic is without doubt an innovative material, ideal for users who wish to produce parts with a foam finish or with variations in density and hardness without sacrificing the properties of TPU.

General information
Material	TPU/TPE
Format	700 g / 2000 g
Density	* 1.2 g/cm³
Filament diameter	1.75 / 2.85 mm
Filament tolerance	(1.75 mm) ± 0.05 mm / (2.85 mm) ± 0.1 mm
Filament length	(Ø 1.75 mm - 700 g) ±242.5 m / (Ø 1.75 mm - 2000 g) ±692.9 m / (Ø 2.85 mm - 700 g) ±91.4 m / (Ø 2.85 mm - 2000 g) ±261.3 m

Mechanical properties
Charpy impact strength	(ISO 179) 40 KJ/m²
Elongation at break	(ISO 527) 465 %
Tensile strength	(ISO 527) 24 MPa
Tensile modulus	(ISO 527) 50 MPa
Flexural strength	(ISO 178) 3 MPa
Flexural modulus	(ISO 178) 50 MPa
Surface hardness	* (ASTM D-2240) Shore 92 A

Printing properties
Printing temperature	195-260 ºC
Print bed temperature	50-60 ºC
Chamber temperature	-
Cooling fan	* 50-100 %
Recommended printing speed	40-100 mm/s

Thermal properties
Melting temperature	130 ºC
Softening temperature	- ºC

Specific properties
Transparency	✗

Other
HS Code	3916.9
Spool diameter (outer)	- mm
Spool diameter (inner hole)	- mm
Spool width	- mm

Other information

* Density - variable. It can be modified according to the printing speed, layer height, and print flow. At roughly 230 ºC, the foaming technology is activated, expanding the material up to 1.6x its volume. Users can lower the flow rate (60-70%) to achieve light weight parts, or use the foaming properties to effectively lower the Shore Hardness.

* Layer fan - not recommended for generating foam. 50-100% activated for overhangs.

* Surface hardness - in the non-foamed state, parts will have a Shore hardness of 92 A, and in the maximum foamed state, the Shore hardness will be 55 A.

ColorFabb recommends a 3D printing temperature of 195 - 260 ºC, a printing speed of 40 - 100 mm/s and a bed temperature of 50 - 60 ºC. If foamy parts are desired, the layer fan should be deactivated.

It is crucial to store the VarioShore TPU Prosthetic filament properly as processing of moist filament may cause degradation of polymer chains, brittleness, poor layer adhesion, stringing and oozing. It is best to store the filament in a tightly sealed bag with a desiccant or in a vacuum sealed filament container.