Mar 28, 2017 | By Tess

Italian additive manufacturing specialist CRP Technology has released the newest addition to its family of Windform materials: Windform RL. The 3D printing material marks the first thermoplastic elastomer in the Windform line.

CRP Technology’s newly launched Windform RL thermoplastic elastomer is being marketed as a durable 3D printing material with rubber-like properties, ideally suited for 3D printing parts and components with complex geometries and which require flexibility. The new material helps to round out CRP Technology’s Windform material family, which currently comprises eight different materials, including the impact-resistant Windform FX Black; Windform XT 2.0, a carbon-fiber composite; Windform GT, a polyamide-based glass-fiber reinforced composite; and more.

Franco Cevolini, CEO and Technical Director for CRP Group, commented: “We created Windform RL to provide complete and tailored end-to-end service to meet all customers’ needs.” That is, Windform RL was developed to be used alongside the other Windform materials, as parts printed from them can be attached or bonded together to make up larger structures with varying properties.

According to CRP Technology, its new material offers users a number of advantageous qualities, including durability and stability, good chemical and heat resistance, and a high tear resistance—an important quality for rubber-like materials. The aforementioned characteristics make Windform RL a suitable material for 3D printing flexible and rubber-like prototypes as well as end-use parts (i.e. hoses, gaskets, handles, grips, etc.)

Not only for small parts, however, Windform RL has applications in a variety of sectors, as it can be used in the fashion industry for wearables and footwear, and in the automotive and motorsport industries, to name but a few. CRP Technology’s new material can also be used to simulate cast urethane, thermoplastic elastomer, and rubber and silicone parts, as it provides a suitable alternative for testing the form, fit, and function of parts that will ultimately be made using the other materials.

Users also have the option of employing the Windform RL Seal Infiltration method, which helps to strengthen and seal parts 3D printed out of Windform RL. Windform RL Seal Infiltration also offers users a number of different color finishes.

Technical specifications for Windform RL*:

  • Density: 0.45 g/cm3
  • Particle size: 100% < 160 microns
  • Melting point: 190 degrees Celsius / 374 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Tensile strength: 1.5 - 4.2 Mpa / 217.55 - 609.16 psi
  • Tensile modulus: 6.5 - 8 Mpa / 942.74 - 1160.30 psi
  • Elongation at break: 130 - 160%
  • Shore A hardness: 45 - 80

* All values are said to increase by 5 to 15% with application of Windform RL Seal Infiltration

(Images: CRP Technology)

 

 

Posted in 3D Printing Materials

 

 

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