THERMOPLASTIC POLYURETHANE (TPU)

About TPU Material

Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU material) is a flexible, abrasion resistant thermoplastic. It’s being used in a number of manufacturing processes for both consumer and industrial use. In certain blends it can become very soft, but TPU material offers many benefits and features. 3D printed parts with TPU are durable and have the ability to withstand ambient temperatures of up to 80 degrees Celsius.

For consumer goods, TPU is ideal for producing accessories, such as phone cases, and footwear components.

Quick Overview

Processes	Lead Time	Color	Tolerance	Price	Applications
3D Printing	2-4 Days based on size	White & available in all major colors.	FDM - 150 µm PJP - 100 µm	Lowest in market	Flexible parts
Injection Molding	20-30 Days	White & available in all major colors.	As low as +/- 0.030 mm	Qty & Precision dependent	High strength, Good surface finish.

Design Recommendations

Services Name	Max Size	Min Size	Min Thickness	Undercuts	Radii Depth
For 3D Printing	Max Part Size: 500x500x500 mm	Min Hole size : 1 mm	Min Wall Thickness: 1 mm	Min Feature Size : 3 mm	Recommended fillet & Chamfer angles : > 45 Deg
For Molding	Max Part Size: 500x500x500 mm	Min Hole size : 0.5 mm	Min Wall Thickness: 0.5 mm	Ribs should be 40-60% the thickness of outer walls and should still maintain draft	Minimum draft angle of 0.5°, or up to 5°, for faces with medium textures

Frequently Asked Questions

Is TPU safe to print?

They are both non-toxic materials but they should be kept away from food. They don’t wear away easily which means they are very durable printing materials. Both can print objects that should bend or stretch.

Does TPU shrink?

Most conventional mold designs will work with TPU’s. You can expect a mold shrinkage percentage of between 0.4% and 1.4% depending on the hardness of the TPU being used and the wall thickness of the part being made.

At what temperatures TPU is 3D printed ?

210 ºC and 235 ºC

For which parts generally TPU material is used ?

Door trim & seals
Hoses & tubes
Airducts & bellows
Seals, gaskets & grommets
Windshield & side glass trim
Console liners & cup holders
Body panel seals & gap hiders
Grips & surface protection covers
Parts requiring living hinges
Dust covers

TPU parts are water resistant ?

3D printed TPU parts are not recommended to use in water resistant application.

Where as injection molded parts are water resistant.

Clients

Think3D has been a great partner for us in supplying COVID-19 test cartridges on-time despite the pandemic challenges. When we came up with a new requirement needing a workforce of more than 25 people, think3D took up the challenge and arranged the workforce within 2 days. I highly recommend think3D for any manufacturing needs.

Sanket Srivatsav
Production In-Charge, Molbio

As a professor doing research on new materials, I needed a strong industry partner to assist us. think3D perfectly fit that bill. think3D team is highly knowledgeable on all manufacturing technologies and the team is very prompt in responding to all our requests. My research has been very successful, thanks to think3D team.

Dr. Karthik Chetan V
Asst. Professor, BITS Pilani

We found issue with one part at the time of assembly and needed a quick replacement. think3D team has quickly responded to our request, redesigned the part and printed it using metal 3D Printing and delivered in 3 days time. The part came out really well and the design was better than that of the actual one.

Rama Krishna
Senior Manager (IMM), BDL