History

The polyurethane was developed in 1937 by Otto Bayer at IG Farbenindustrie AG. The most common occurrences are as foams, but also as casting resins, elastic fibres, moulding compound during moulding, varnishes or adhesives.

Manufacture

TPU Flex Medium is a thermoplastic polyurethane, a subgroup of thermoplastic elastomers, which is produced by the polyaddition of polyols and polyisocyanates. Depending on the degree of crosslinking, different properties are created, such as thermosets, elastomers or thermoplastics.

Due to their special molecular structure, the thermoplastic elastomers, unlike conventional plastics, are rubber-like even at room temperature. Therefore, they are less resistant to thermal changes than other plastics.

3D-Printing

When printing with TPU Flex, you should already have prior knowledge. The elastic properties make the filament harder to print and must be processed at a slower speed. In addition, bridging is difficult. Compared to TPE, the TPU is less prone to warping when using a heated printing bed.

Technical data

In the case of coatings, the polyurethane is used as a primer due to the good adhesive properties on surfaces, but also as clear coats due to solvent and chemical resistance. This is also the reason for the very good chemical resistance of the Extrudr TPU Flex Medium.

With the Shore hardness 98A, the Flex medium is located in the midfield of the elasticity spectrum of the TPU materials from Extrudr and stands between the Flex Hard and Flex Semisoft

Applications

The TPU Flex Medium is particularly suitable for industrial applications in extreme environmental conditions or applications where a certain degree of elasticity is required. In the automotive industry, the TPU is used for body seals and other elastic components. Due to the rubber-like construction, the material is well suited as a shock and vibration absorber.