Huntsman Polyurethanes has developed a new range of urethanes-based additive manufacturing materials designed to address “emerging needs” in the 3D printing industry, with an initial focus on sports and footwear.
Huntsman’s IroPrint platform contains three different kinds of urethane-based materials (resins, powders and filaments), which can be 3D printed using a variety of additive manufacturing methods including stereolithography (SLA), high-speed sintering (HSS) and fused filament fabrication (FFF).
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The new materials will initially launch in the global footwear and sports industry, where 3D printing is being used to make both customised and mass manufactured shoes.
At present, the range includes three product lines that will work with the main 3D printing techniques preferred by footwear producers.
- IroPrint R resins are a range of soft, durable, one-component liquid resin systems that can be 3D printed using SLA, digital light processing (DLP) and other radiation-curing methods.
- For companies looking to 3D print with powder-based materials, IroPrint P powders are a line of high-performance thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) for HSS forms of printing.
- IroPrint F filaments are a collection of high-performance TPU materials, which have a consistent diameter, and are designed for use with fused filament fabrication (FFF) and other extrusion-based printing techniques.
All three product lines are said to have been optimised for the production of footwear components and are easy to use and print, offering advanced abrasion resistance, elongation and tear strength, the firm says. For radiation-cured forms of printing such as SLA or DLP, IroPrint R resins also offer a long pot life and quick cure capabilities.
“Our innovation incubation team worked in close cooperation with end-users and industry leaders to develop our IroPrint additive manufacturing product portfolio. Together, we looked closely at what makes a good 3D printing material, and what’s been missing from the market to date,” explains Stephane Peysson, global business development manager at Huntsman Polyurethanes.
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By GlobalData“We believe the launch fills a gap that exists for a range of functional, durable, yet softer 3D printing materials, which are technology agnostic, and both economical and easy to print – whatever your preferred production technique.”
