GoProto introduces 3DElastoPrint, a 3D printing parts service featuring elastomeric TPA

Evonik and HP’s Thermoplastic Polyamide (TPA) material is flexible and lightweight, distinguished by its very low density of 1.01 g/cm³ and a Shore A hardness of 90. This high-performance material is particularly suited for prototypes as well as end-used products that call for high extensibility and energy return, such as sports equipment, automobile components, and end-of-arm tooling.

"We
researched this elastomer from Evonik and instantly recognised the massive market potential and its ability to help us provide customers with production-grade parts with no tooling and all of the benefits of 3D printing," said Jesse Lea, President & CEO of GoProto.

"We're not going after parts we can already produce with conventional methods inexpensively; we are going
for the things that haven't been addressed well before".
 
Potential applications include:

Sporting equipment

Utilising HP’s powder-bed technology, 3DElastoPrint TPA material allows for exceptionally complex geometries at a fraction of the cost of traditional technologies. With high fatigue resistance, it can be bonded into wearables, footwear, protective gear, eyewear, and a variety of sporting equipment.

Ducting & bellows


Traditionally, ducting is challenging to produce in low quantities because of the tooling required to produce difficult undercuts, thin walls, and tricky geometry for soft materials. But the 3DElastoPrint service solves these problems with this newly released, highly durable, production-grade, TPA elastomer. The material has high energy return and high fatigue resistance, capable of thousands of flexes. Furthermore,
due to MJF technology, it is ideal for parts with large undercuts & trapped volumes.

End-of-arm tooling

End-of-arm tooling is at the forefront of “new engineering required” because shapes are often very amorphous, the weight needs to be optimised, and material properties can dramatically affect the performance.  There is no room for compromise with “prototype” materials. 3DElastoPrint parts can be latticed, hollow, topology-optimised, and light-weighted works of engineering mastery.