Flexible materials, such as TPU, are notoriously challenging to 3D print with, which is why they are very popular materials at professional 3D printing services.
If you need parts to be flexible, bendy, elastic, yet durable and strong, TPU is the material you need. It’s widely used in prototyping, automotive and electrical applications, wearable devices and healthcare. It can be flame-retardant, food-safe, and even anti-bacterial depending on your specific formulation. It can eliminate electrostatic discharge, resist fading in UV light, and stand up to chemical solvents.
There’s no limit to what you can 3D print in TPU. Even if you know nothing about 3D printing, you can have your TPU parts 3D printed. However, there are more flexible material options for 3D printing than just TPU, such as silicone, for example. We cover important TPU alternatives below.
Here, we deliver the top 3D printing services offering TPU, along with a menu of extras, such as design advice and consulting, post-processing and coloring, and express printing.
In this guide, we present our picks for the top companies offering TPU 3D printing services and cover what you need to know about TPU and other flexible materials to make the right choice for your needs. Although the term “top” is subject to interpretation, we used the following evaluations to make our picks:
- Services: Offering additional services, such as design, on top of printing demonstrates the company’s ability to serve various customer groups and guide you to the best solution for your needs.
- Service area: A company that can serve a wider area is a stronger contender.
- Range of materials: No service offers just TPU but the more materials they offer the more they can guide you on your best options.
- Quality inspection and certifications: If your part is destined to be a functional part, it should be tested for strength and compliance with manufacturing standards, where necessary.
- Range of technologies: There’s more than one way to print TPU. Companies that offer a range of technologies can give you price, speed, and quality options.
- Lead and quote response time: You can’t rush quality, but faster response and lead times are guaranteed to keep customers happy.
What You Need To Know Before Ordering TPU Parts
TPU 3D Printing Technologies
Although there are about four distinct types of 3D printing that will produce flexible parts, including fused deposition modeling (FDM) and stereolithography (SLA), the most common method for professional parts are selective laser sintering (SLS) and Multi Jet Fusion (MJF).
Be sure to inquire which 3D printing method your service provider uses. FDM, for example, is quick and cheap for prototypes, but it may not have the mechanical strength you would need for an end-use car part.
SLS technology can produce TPU parts with high mechanical properties and fine detail. The technology is most often used with nylon but is equally adept at TPU parts. MJF is similar but faster and used for higher volumes of parts.
The resin 3D printing technologies, such as SLA, digital light processing (DLP), and material jetting, do not offer TPU as a material, but instead offer a range of flexible resins commonly used to 3D print wearable technology, sports equipment, and soft hearing aid components.
Variety of TPUs & Flexibles
There has been considerable R&D effort in flexible materials for 3D printing recently. New high-performance flexible materials have been crafted specifically for 3D printing processes that exhibit the traditional characteristics that manufacturers today require.
Many of the current flexibles for 3D printing are TPU based, but it’s not your only choice. Silicones and flexible resins can also deliver on stretchability and pliability but may fall short on durability.
How to Order TPU Parts
3D printing services have various business models. Some will work with you to design or redesign your part and hold your hand through the entire process. This is ideal if you’re new to 3D printing. For instance, if you have one broken but essential part that you need faster, but you don’t have a digital file, look for a full-service provider.
But if you’ve 3D printed before or your in-house 3D printers are at capacity and you have a digital file, you may want a service that enables you to simply upload your digital model, select a few parameters, and get your part in the mail in a few days.
In general, almost all printing services offer an online quoting platform or they will provide a quote after their printing experts evaluate your project. The more complex your project, the more personalized consulting you may need.
The workflow generally follows these steps:
- Create an account and sign in.
- Upload your 3D model to the manufacturer’s online system or reach out to their sales staff.
- Choose your desired material and finishing details, in addition to the number of parts.
- Review the pricing quote that’s generated either instantly or after expert evaluation.
- Place the order and the item goes into manufacturing.
Now, let’s have a look at our top performers.
Best TPU 3D Printing Services
Craftcloud
Craftcloud by All3DP isn’t just a 3D printing service. It’s a marketplace of 3D printing services that enables you to compare prices and services from different service providers and find the right custom manufacturer at the right price.
With partners around the world, Craftcloud presents you with the best services in terms of price and lead time, with no additional fees. Quotes are generated in real-time based on your uploaded models and location. Using the platform is as simple as any other 3D printing service but with many more options available.
Craftcloud offers TPU in three technologies: FDM, SLS, and MJF.
Materialise
Based in Belgium with a facility in Michigan, Materialise, known for its 3D printing software, offers both a rapid prototyping service and on-demand additive manufacturing for volume production. Both options offer TPU
Materialise offers a range of services, including part development and optimization and several business integration solutions, like manufacturing partnerships and white-label integration. This makes it easy for your firm to partner with Materialise to provide parts and services for your customers under your own name, such as for spare parts.
Materialise offers Ultrasint brand TPU 90A-01 for use on its Multi Jet Fusion 3D printers. Your maximum part dimensions are 370 x 274 x 375 mm.
Protolabs
Minnesota-headquartered Protolabs makes their claim to fame with speed. The company promises very short lead times. They also have a digital quoting platform, which provides not only instant quotes but also design analysis. Back in 2021, Protolabs joined forces with the online manufacturing platform Hubs, which has greatly enhanced its production capabilities.
Although Protolabs doesn’t provide 3D modeling services, they offer an automated design for manufacturability analysis. If you have questions after the online quotation process, Protolabs’ expert engineers will walk you through your material and design choices and help you determine the optimal part orientation for printing.
The company offers TPU 70-A on selective laser sintering machines. In addition to 3D printing, the company offers TPU injection molding so they can advise if that’s a better solution for your needs.
Shapeways
US-based Shapeways offers additive manufacturing in TPU. Although headquartered in New York City, Shapeways has manufacturing facilities in the Netherlands and a network of partners around the globe. The company’s easy-upload ordering system is ideal for customers who don’t need a lot of hand-holding and want to be able to order their TPU parts in minutes.
Shapeways offers a lot of transparency and data sheets about exactly what materials they use, their properties, and exactly which 3D printer they use, and its print specs, as well.
The company offers grey and black TPU on the HP Multi Jet Fusion 3D printer and white TPU on their SLS 3D printer.
GKN Additive Forecast 3D
With more than 24 MJF printers in operation, GKN Additive is one of the world’s largest experts in high-volume production.
In addition to a large material library, including TPU, GKN Additive offers fast delivery times. It has lead times starting from 3 days. Unfortunately, Forecast 3D focuses on U.S. deliveries. The service is also rather limited when it comes to post-processing, as it offers only black dyeing as an option.
In addition to 3D printing parts, GKN can design CAD files for printing. It also offers contract manufacturing services for both small- and large-volume production. The website has a decent library of guides and educational resources as well.
Uptive
Uptive is a full-service additive manufacturing agency recently launched as the merger of several other services, including the former GoProto. With operations worldwide, the company can serve a large audience of manufacturing services in multiple locations. The company specializes in additive manufacturing services for production-grade parts across a variety of end markets, including medical, electronics, consumer, automotive, aerospace and defense, and automation and industrial.
Uptive offers the widest range of TPU options on our list after Craftcloud covering MJF, FDM, and SLS. For post processing, they can vapor smooth, dyeing, and coat you parts.
The company’s concept modeling service can help businesses turn their rough CAD files into print-ready 3D models for various technologies.
Forerunner 3D Printing
Although Forerunner is a local Michigan 3D printing service, they have an outsized expertise TPU.
The not only offer TPU on their MJF machine from HP, they have other flexible material options and can guide you to the right one for your application.
Forerunner specializes in 3D printing technologies that use engineering plastics mimicking common thermoplastics. There are dozens of different materials for each printing technology including several rubber-like options. The elastomer material options range in durometer from 30 Shore A to 95 Shore A. Depending on part size and geometry they can also blend elastomer materials to achieve different levels of durometer.
The company’s standard lead time is 2-3 business days and a 24 hour expedite service option. The only drawback to this operation we could find may be their rudimentary file-upload function.
TPU-Like Materials & Alternatives
For example, the Adidas 4DFWD running shoe includes a 3D printed midsole printed in a flexible materials on fleets of resin 3D printers from a company called Carbon. The midsole is 3D printed on Carbon’s M2 3D printer out of curable UV resin and polyurethane. This exact material mixture is proprietary but it also absorbs more energy than a standard midsole, which should enhance running performance. This isn’t Adidas’ only 3D printed shoe. The company has sold millions world wide.
Another mass-production of Carbon 3D printing technology is from cycling company specialized, which uses it on their high-end bicycle seats. NFL helmet company Vicis uses it as padding as does baseball glove maker Rowlands.
Several 3D printing services, including Craftcloud, Fast Radius, and Protolabs have Carbon 3D printers.
Silicone
Silicone is also a flexible material and especially prized for its flexibility. Before we take a look at the top services to print your silicone parts, consider if you really need 100% silicone for your parts. If another super flexible material will do, this dramatically increases your part service provider options. For example, elastic resins can have silicone-like properties with a Shore value as low as 50A-65A and are suitable for prototyping parts normally produced with silicone. (Silicones generally fall between 10A and 80A Shore durometer hardness.) Elastic resins, often containing silicone, produce parts that will bend, stretch, compress, and hold up to repeated cycles without tearing.
For a list of silicone 3D printing services, take a look at the guide below to the the best silicone 3D printing services in 2023.
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