Ryan Flattery presents at the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining’s virtual seminar.
Featuring: Ryan Flattery
Product Development Engineer
Product Development Engineer Ryan Flattery was fortunate to be chosen recently to make a presentation at a Virtual Seminar sponsored by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. His topic, “The versatility of 3D printed TPU: current uses and future directions” allowed him the opportunity to talk about how NinjaTek develops its distinctive thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) filaments, capitalizing on its experience using TPU to manufacture V-belts. He went through several use cases, adding his thoughts on the future of TPU technology.
“I am fortunate to work for a company like Fenner Precision Polymers that has more than a half century of experience working with TPUs. Our PowerTwist belts (using performance polyester/polyurethane composite technology) combine industry standard horsepower ratings and superior performance in challenging operating environments with fast, easy installation.”
Fenner Precision Polymers’ experience in extruding TPU materials allowed the company to develop proprietary extrusion capabilities that make its entire NinjaTek line so unique. It is what separates it from so many suppliers whose capabilities lie in chemical formulation, rather than in extrusion and use.
“Those extrusion capabilities also allow Fenner Precision Polymers to control much more of the process than our competitors can, giving us the ability to balance the properties a customer wants with the printability they need.”
In addition, because of its extensive use of polyurethane and other raw materials in the daily manufacturing of V-belts, Fenner Precision Polymers maintains, and works with a large variety of engineering-grade materials that it sources constantly from materials suppliers around the world. No other supplier can match the company’s breadth and scope in sourcing TPU.
So whether a customer wants the soft feel of the band of a cutting-edge smart watch, the consistency and touch of a human organ (for surgical simulations), the silky feel of a piece of apparel worn by a model in a fashion show, the high touch, high-gloss rubbery feel of an accessory, the cushioning of a sports helmet, or the skin-like feel of a prosthetic limb, NinjaTek has a TPU that will work.
“We take the raw materials and convert them to high-quality filaments, using our state-of-the-art extrusion capabilities. That skill also allows us to use materials that are more difficult to work with and create high-value niche products that have the texture and feel our users want. But are still incredibly easy to print.”
To view to Flattery’s presentation, download a copy of the virtual seminar. Or, for advanced help in selecting the right filament for your project, schedule a custom filament consultation with our 3D Materials Engineering team.