In this post, we’ll explore how combining urethane additive manufacturing with diverse substrates unlocks new potential for enhanced product designs, durability and customization.

In this post, we’ll explore how combining urethane additive manufacturing with diverse substrates unlocks new potential for enhanced product designs, durability and customization.

In this post, we’ll explore how combining urethane additive manufacturing with diverse substrates unlocks new potential for enhanced product designs, durability and customization.

Webinar: Stretching the Boundaries of Elastomer Fabrication
Join us to learn about Stretching the Boundaries of Elastomer Fabrication in this educational webinar presented by Dr. Cora Leibig, CEO and Founder of Chromatic 3D Materials. Our Minneapolis-based manufacturing technology company combines industrial chemistry and 3D printing to make manufacturing more flexible, cost-effective and sustainable.

The quest for efficiency, cost effectiveness and flexibility is a perpetual in industrial manufacturing. Among the multitude of components produced worldwide, elastomeric seals are primed for innovation and advancement.

Our customer was trying to source a buffer for a 1967 bogie. With no material data and only an old 2D drawing, Chromatic 3D Materials created a 3D model and printed this buffer directly onto a metal bolt, reducing the need for assembly. The buffer passed all necessary testing and avoided a time-consuming and costly traditional manufacturing method.

Chromatic 3D Materials printed polyurethane track pads directly onto aluminium plates for a vintage John Deere tractor. The tractor pads offer exceptional strength and durability, outperforming all other considered materials.

Valeo is a leading supplier and partner to automakers worldwide. In August 2022, the company learned that one of its long-time suppliers was closing down.

Used in a range of applications, including automotive, electronics, off-highway equipment and industrial machinery, vulcanized cable grommets offer protection between cables and metal components. Over time, cable grommets wear and need replacement. To install a new cable grommet, the cables typically need to be clamped, pulled through the new grommet and reconnected. Replacement can take a lot of time and requires a certified electrician.

BRANCHENÜBERGREIFEND MASCHINENUND ANLAGEN – Im Bereich der industriellen Fertigung ist die Suche nach Effizi-enz, Kosteneffektivität und Flexibilität eine permanente Herausforderung. Unter der Vielzahl von hergestellten Komponenten sind elastomere Dichtungen besonders „reif für eine Revolution“. Als ein komplexes Produkt gibt es bei Dichtungen ein einzigartiges Fertigungsproblem.

Today’s $250-million market for 3D-printed elastomers represents only a small fraction of the $90-billion global elastomer market.

But that is changing. Rubber manufacturers and OEMs that use or produce elastomers are starting to explore 3D printing for a range of applications spanning industrial and consumer goods. From prototypes to finished components and aftermarket parts, the elastomers industry is getting on board with additive manufacturing.

Chromatic 3D Materials is a 3D-printing technology company focused on more flexible, cost-effective and sustainable manufacturing of industrial-strength elastomeric products.  Its portfolio includes printable polyurethanes and other thermoset elastomers for applications in transportation, industrial seals and gaskets, textiles, medical devices and defense. Chromatic’s RX-AM™ materials and technology platform is based on Reactive Extrusion Additive Manufacturing, a type of deposition 3D printing that uses chemical reactions. Founded in 2016 by CEO Dr. Cora Leibig, Chromatic now has facilities in the US and Germany. The company serves more than 50 customers and development partners globally. Visit c3dm.com to learn more.

Additive manufacturing can yield many benefits for your project, including unique designs, lower tooling costs, lead-time reduction and low-cost small-batch production (for replacement parts, for example). However, given the size of the elastomer 3D printing market compared to the overall elastomer market—$0.5 billion versus $90 billion—it's clear that many engineers working with elastomers have yet to adopt additive manufacturing. It's helpful to start with high-level business considerations first.

At Chromatic 3D Materials, people often ask us about the difference between flexible materials like elastomers and rubber. A portmanteau of “elastic polymer,” elastomers are engineered materials comprised of long chainlike molecules, or polymers, that are capable of recovering their original shape after being stretched to great extents.

Additive manufacturing is less common for elastomers than for plastics. There are several reasons why. The material is soft and flexible. It also deforms under stress, making it hard to manipulate during the 3D printing process. To overcome these challenges, specialized 3D-printing technologies and materials have been developed for printing elastomers.

Whether it’s skyrocketing egg prices in the grocery aisle or an automobile purchase that’s been delayed for months on end due to the chip shortage, supply chain challenges have never been more obvious to consumers. But the problem started long ago — even before the pandemic laid bare the shortcomings of mass production.

A few thoughts from our Founder & CEO Cora Leibig as we close out the year

Heading into 2023, I have one thing on my mind: How are 3D-printing companies meeting manufacturers' needs and taking their products to market?

Whether for form or function, many plastic parts need to be smooth. Unfortunately, additive manufacturing typically produces horizontal lines where each layer joins the next. Thus, surface finishing is often necessary before 3D-printed parts are ready for use. There are a number of ways to smooth out plastic parts produced by additive manufacturing.

Unfortunately, 3D printing has earned a reputation as a crutch for printing throw-away novelties or prototypes. With recent advances in technology, that's no longer true. In this article, we dispel some common myths about additive manufacturing and PU.

Valeo needed to quickly procure a very specific rubber grommet for cable assembly — or risk shutting down a commercial vehicle plant for one of their automotive OEM customers in Germany. With two weeks til shutdown, they called Chromatic.