DLP 3D PRINTING IN ETR 70 (ELASTIC TOUGHRUBBER) FOR RUBBER PARTS
ETR 70 is a unique elastomeric material that is both tough and resilient like standard rubber materials. With DLP 3D printing, we have a 70 Shore A elastomer as a best-in-class combination of toughness, tensile strength and modulus of elasticity. The primary applications where for the material are in mobility, automotive, oil & gas and the industrial goods production chains. ETR 70 has a wider temperature range than other 3D printed polyurethane materials due to a different chemical base, which also opens more applications for the parts.
FIRST EUROPEAN PRODUCTION CENTER FOR 70 SHORE A, SERIES ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
When looking at series applications, rpm completed benchmark projects for typical parts including cases, gaskets, sealing elements, compression pads, cable covers and bellows. ETR 70 was able to with deliver parts that fulfilled project requirements in terms of geometric accuracy, surface quality and mechanical performance. rpm has more than four years of experience working with DLP technology, elastic materials and lattice applications to quickly optimize both parts and production.
THE ADVANTAGE OF WORKING WITH A SMALL SERIES MANUFACTURER
With rpm as a partner, customers have the first access to ETR 70 production in Europe and the technical expertise of over 25 years’ experience for plastic parts production. rpm brings addition capabilities like data security via a TISAX approved process, in-house assembly of multiple components ISO 9001:2015 validation and a GOM ScanCobot with ATOS Q for automated quality assurance of elastic parts in series. This technology will become an important component of resilient supply chains sourced directly in Europe.
THE ADVANTAGES OF DLP 3D PRINTING OF PARTS WITH ETR 70
ETR 70 (Elastic ToughRubber™) is a 3D printing material developed for functional applications. The surface quality is a mostly smooth, slightly matte black surface which nears the optics and haptics of moulded parts. The ETR 70 material was developed specifically for the demands of industrial applications with a particular focus on form recovery after deformation following compression.
The large build platform of the Xtreme 8K also allows for batches of 20 – 200 parts within a single iteration, multiple times per day. These types of parts can begin to substitute injection moulding parts, similar to the developments we have seen with SLS parts.
For larger parts like flexible covers, connection joints, cable holders or fluid systems, rpm will use ETR 70 to send the first parts within a few days.
RAPID PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT USING DLP 3D PRINTING
DLP offers the benefits of rapid development or production of multiple designs within a single iteration cycle. Particularly while developing new applications, we are regularly producing 3-5 designs at the same time for functional tests. This is equally important to produce multiple designs for custom components in small order quantities.
