Neo TPU

The Neo TPU filament is one of the materials presented by Medphen, a company focused on the development of 3D printing materials for the medical sector.

The Neo TPU filament is composed of a TPU base and a graphene nanofibre reinforcement for the health sector.

TPU is a flexible material with good adhesion between layers, offering great mechanical properties. Neo TPU is a flexible, low temperature thermoplastic material that is very soft and impact resistant. It has a hardness of 65 Shore D, so it can be printed with almost any FDM 3D printer, even those with a Bowden extrusion system.

This filament is highly hydrophobic, so it has antibacterial properties and inhibits viruses, algae or fungi. An ideal material of choice for the manufacture of devices for the health sector requiring high quality. The antibacterial properties of this filament facilitate disinfection and maintain the sterility of the materials in contact.

Image 1: Part printed with Neo TPU. Source: Medphen.

In addition to the properties inherited from TPU, graphene also contributes to its properties. Graphene nanofibres are a material belonging to the graphene-based materials (GBM) family. Graphene nanofibres enhances the properties of the base polymer by blocking shrinkage, deformation and layer lifting, thus providing a structure and density that facilitates processability to produce complex geometries.

Some of the possible applications for this filament are: 

• 3D printing solution for customised orthoses.
• Supporting material to stabilise bone and other fractures, radiation oncology, prosthesis or insoles for feet.
• Medical devices such as connectors, catheters, flexible tubes, fluid and air management.

It should be noted that the use of the material for a particular application must be tested by the user beforehand to determine its suitability.

Thanks to its properties, as well as its compliance with regulations for certain applications, Neo TPU filament stands out for the variety of uses and possibilities it offers for the medical sector.