Introducing the Carbon EPU Pro Platform
Carbon’s EPU Pro Platform is the next generation of elastomeric resins for additive manufacturing. This single-part, dual-cure family of elastomers is designed to offer high performance and better usability, enabling more end-use applications. With the launch of EPU Pro, Carbon introduces an even wider range of mechanical responses for latticed products and end-use parts.
EPU Pro: An Overview
The EPU Pro Platform offers flexible elastomers in a range of stiffnesses. Some of EPU Pro key features include:
High Performance
- The EPU Pro family expands the range of stiffnesses offered with durometers ranging from approximately 50A–90A.
- Incorporating foaming agents to EPU Pro resins results in parts that expand during cure to achieve beautiful resolution and novel haptics.
Ease of Use
- By providing dual-cure material capabilities in a single-part format, EPU Pro eliminates mixing and reduces material waste.
- EPU Pro offers a longer pot life for material usage compared to two-part resins.
- Parts printed with EPU Pro have improved print strength across the durometer range, enabling the production of both complex and delicate geometries and larger parts.
Designed for Sustainability
- With extended pot life and simple reuse of unused resin after a print finishes, EPU Pro reduces resin waste
- EPU Pro is inherently compatible with solvent-free cleaning.
- Cured parts can be reprocessed through melt-processing.
One-Part, Dual-Cure Elastomer is Simpler to Dispense
Most materials in Carbon’s portfolio are two-part resins, which means they are two different liquid materials that are mixed together at a specific ratio to get the desired final mechanical properties. EPU Pro is a single-part, dual-cure resin, which reduces the labor and equipment required for rationing and mixing materials, while still achieving the premium mechanical properties of Carbon’s other dual-cure materials.
New Geometries, Novel Haptics
EPU Pro resins offer improved printability, which unlocks new geometries and offers greater design freedom for curvatures, large parts, and delicate structures. EPU Pro resins deliver beautiful resolution with novel haptics never before seen in the Carbon elastomer portfolio. EPU Pro resins can be tuned to offer a variety of aesthetics and haptics from silky smooth to a suede-like feel to the touch, enabling unique tactile qualities for end-use products.
EPU Pro Application Areas
- Footwear: The EPU Pro platform enables geometries and finishes that open up lightweight footwear designs, delivering remarkable performance, cushioning, and a distinctive matte aesthetic.
- Comfort and Performance Seating: From small, soft structures to very stiff designs, EPU Pro materials can print a wide range of mechanical responses, resulting in a range of cushioning behaviors. The higher print strength also enables the printing of larger, more delicate parts as well as curved surfaces that offer a new level of control of weight distribution, breathability, and support.
- Grips and Handles: Resins in the EPU Pro Platform can print a wider range of curved structures due to higher print strength, which enables soft structures with unique haptics that offer an improved user experience. In addition to controlling part stiffness, the control of airflow and added breathability of lattices combine for an exceptional hand feel.
Broadening Carbon’s Elastomeric Materials
EPU Pro builds upon Carbon’s already outstanding portfolio of premium elastomers, including energy-damping EPU 45 and energy-returning, bio-derived EPU 46. With the launch of EPU Pro, Carbon can offer an even wider range of mechanical responses for latticed products and end-use parts. This expands the range of durable elastomeric materials that can be tuned for specific stiffness, energy return and absorption, haptics, and colors.
Which elastomer is right for your product development goals?
3D as It’s Meant to Be
Interested in utilizing Carbon to accelerate product development? Reach out to us at sales@carbon3d.com to learn more!