Additive manufacturing Rubber-like materials in 3D printing: Flexibility for functional applications

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Rubber-like materials are expanding the possibilities of industrial 3D printing. With thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), components can now be produced that combine elasticity, strength, and design freedom in a single process. Using selective laser sintering, Speedpart delivers flexible solutions from prototype to small series.

Additive manufacturing today offers far more than the ability to produce rigid plastic or metal components. Rubber-like materials have also found their place in industrial 3D printing, providing solutions wherever elasticity, durability and design freedom are equally required. Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is regarded as a key material for functional 3D-printed parts. Speedpart processes TPU using selective laser sintering (SLS), offering flexible solutions from prototypes to small series production.

What is TPU and why is it suitable for 3D printing?

Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) belongs to the class of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs), combining the properties of conventional plastics with those of rubber-like materials.

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• Elasticity: Deforms under load and returns to its original shape.

• Abrasion and chemical resistance: Suitable for demanding industrial applications.

• Thermoplastic processability: Can be additively manufactured without the usual limitations of conventional elastomers.

Many rubber-like materials are unsuitable for additive processes — either lacking thermoplastic behavior or process stability. TPU, however, can be reliably processed in powder bed systems and offers exceptional dimensional accuracy for an elastomer. Speedpart uses TPU with 70 Shore A hardness – the softest grade available for SLS printing. This enables production of parts with genuine rubber-like flexibility while maintaining the benefits of the SLS process: consistent quality, isotropic properties, and economical manufacturing starting from batch size one.

Further advantages typical of 3D printing include design freedom, complex geometries that would be difficult or costly to achieve by injection moulding, cost efficiency for prototypes and small batches, tool-free production, material efficiency and lightweight design potential.

Applications of TPU in 3D printing

Thanks to its flexibility, abrasion resistance and chemical durability, TPU is suitable for a wide range of industrial uses. In medical technology, it enables orthopaedic insoles and flexible connectors individually adapted to patients. The automotive industry uses it for seals, boots and cable grommets, benefiting from its high resistance to oils and greases. In consumer goods, TPU is common in sports equipment, ergonomic grips or protective elements, while in industrial applications it performs well as hoses or damping components.

Haptics and appearance

TPU parts stand out with their rubber-like feel — soft and grippy, yet strong and durable even under repeated stress. The pleasant surface gives them both functional and aesthetic value, ideal wherever parts remain visible or are handled directly. Unfinished parts are white with a slightly rough surface. Speedpart enhances them through chemical smoothing, which seals the surface, improves tightness, and enhances look and feel. The result: smoother, more liquid-resistant, and weather-proof components.

Parts can also be dyed, for example black, creating uniform, high-quality surfaces with both functional and visual appeal. The combination of chemical smoothing and colouring turns TPU components into versatile all-rounders for demanding applications.

Limits of TPU in 3D printing

TPU offers high resilience and long-term stability, and the strong layer cohesion of SLS provides isotropic part properties — an advantage over other additive processes. Nevertheless, there are boundaries: softer Shore hardnesses for highly elastic parts, production-grade material requirements, or transparent and coloured variants may require other methods.

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For such cases, Speedpart complements SLS with vacuum casting and PolyJet printing. Polyjet allows even softer materials down to 26 Shore A for rubber-like applications, while vacuum casting is ideal when production-grade materials with variable hardness or colour and transparency are required.

TPU in 3D printing exemplifies the shift in additive manufacturing — from pure prototyping to industrial series production. For companies, this means greater flexibility in product development, cost-effective prototyping and small-series production, and new design possibilities.

With its experience in industrial 3D printing of elastic materials, Speedpart offers customers not only access to TPU in the SLS process but also complementary technologies tailored to specific needs — forming a practical portfolio that supports the entire journey from concept to series production.

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