Sumitomo has developed rubber for 3D printing

Sumitomo announced an "unprecedented development" and presented the first products made from a new rubber material using a 3D printer: prototypes of fingers for a robotic hand, as well as three-dimensional models of an aortic blood vessel and heart, which were shown at the World Exhibition in Osaka.

Prior to this, 3D printing was used to create products from rubber-like materials such as resins and plastics, which are inferior to rubber in terms of elasticity and durability. At the same time, the new material, as emphasized by the company, demonstrates high elasticity even under prolonged stress and at high temperatures, and also has increased compression strength (20 million repeated compression tests were passed).

The material is planned to be used in medicine, robotics, automotive, sports, and so on, and is expected to enter the market by 2026. Whether the company plans to use the new material in the production of tires in the future has not been reported yet.

The essence of the new development is that the liquid rubber material quickly hardens under the influence of ultraviolet light and can be processed using a stereolithographic 3D printer to create three-dimensional objects. Thus, additive printing can be used in the production of products that require such properties inherent in rubber, such as elasticity, impact resistance, flexibility, and slip resistance, which are not available when using resins and other materials.

Examples include fingers of robotic hands, which should have the same slip resistance as human fingers, as well as simulation models of organs for training medical professionals, which have the same flexibility and elasticity as human organs.