Carbon Inc.

EPU 45

Energy-damping and strain-rate-sensitive
Epu 45 Generic Helmet Liner.png

Energy-Damping, Strain-Rate-Sensitive Elastomer

EPU 45 is a strain-rate-sensitive material that stiffens to absorb energy at high impact rates. This enables the design of highly breathable lattice geometries tuned for comfort at low-impact speeds and energy absorption at high-impact speeds. EPU 45 has excellent printability, allowing a wide range of part shapes and lattice geometries to be printed at a high yield.

EPU 45 is available in 5L, 19L, 180L, and 1000L packaging.

EPU 45

Carbon Inc.
  • Durometer (Shore A Hardness)

    77
  • Glass Transition Temperature

    30 °C 86 °F
  • Elongation At Break

    290 %
  • Tear Strength

    28 kN/m 159.88 lbf/in

Comparable Thermoplastics

Thermoplastic Polyurethane Elastomers (TPU)

Energy-damping

EPU 45 offers excellent energy absorption.

Excellent Durability

EPU 45 has the toughness and recovery needed to survive repeated, high-energy impacts in a variety of uses and environments.

Strain-rate Sensitive

EPU 45 will stiffen up more with high impact than with low impacts, which means less material is needed overall.

Example Applications

Example Application

Ballistics Helmet Liner Developed in Partnership with Rice University

EPU 45 offers the highest performance for dynamic impact absorption and strain rate sensitivity making it the ideal material to use for impact helmets. Helmets that use foam as a liner will not get equivalent energy damping and will compress over time. EPU 45 is also a more economical option than other impact-absorbing elastomers because of the speed and accuracy at which it can print.

Radically Better Damping

Replacing Foam with EPU 45

EPU 45 out-performs commercial foam when compared in impact tests. Commercial foam shows higher levels of peak g’s resulting in a much sharper impact. EPU 45 on the other hand demonstrates much lower peak g’s resulting in more energy dissipation over a longer period of time. The data from these tests prove EPU 45’s damping capabilities making this material a great alternative to traditional foam applications.

3D Printed Parts in Production

Radically Better Products Powered by Carbon

The combination of premium soft materials, computational design, and print technology enables brands to design, develop, and manufacture data-driven, high-performance products that offer elite comfort, protection, durability, customization, and breathability to consumers.