Lubrizol Engineered Polymers has announced the commercial release of its thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) ESTANE 3D TPU M95A, which is the only TPU certified for HP’s Multi Jet Fusion 4200 series 3D printing solution.

As a certified HP materials partner, ESTANE 3D TPU M95A has been developed in close collaboration with HP. Lubrizol’s rigorous materials development work was supported by an extensive beta testing program conducted by ZiggZagg NV, a Belgian 3D printing service provider and member of HP’s Digital Manufacturing Network, a global community of digital manufacturing service providers with the capabilities to help design, produce, and deliver high quality plastic and metal final parts at scale leveraging HP‘s Multi Jet Fusion and Metal Jet 3D printing solutions.

The release of ESTANE 3D TPU M95A will allow Lubrizol customers to effectively target a variety of commercial TPU applications with an advanced additive manufacturing technology. Applications for the new material include footwear and prostheses (lightweight performance through lattice structures, optimized for cushioning applications), wearables (skin contact certification pending), seals (oil resistance) and a wide variety of industrial applications.

ESTANE 3D TPU M95A is a flexible thermoplastic material with excellent processing and cold unpacking properties similar to PA12 while delivering excellent elongation and tensile strength. The new material also has good energy rebound, high impact absorption, a low abrasion rate and good compression. These properties make this material a perfect solution for newly designed prototyping and scale-up manufacturing applications while enabling consistent part quality and a cost-efficient solution.

"3D printing technology is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry and changing the way we design and produce component parts,” says Gert-Jan Nijhuis, director global strategic marketing for Lubrizol. Nijhuis adds “We are pleased to announce the commercial release of ESTANE 3D TPU M95A, which was developed with mass production and ease of post-processing in mind. We look forward to continuing the productive relationship between Lubrizol and HP to further expand our portfolio, maximizing value for our customers and enabling the digital industrial revolution.”