One thing you can accomplish with your 3D printer is the manufacturing of rubber parts. Some printers are able to print materials that are similar to rubber. Other printers are able to print molds that can then be used to create rubber parts. There are several advantages to creating a cast for your rubber parts.
The Properties of Rubber Parts
You'll be able to create a variety of rubber parts and choose the hardness, flexural strength, rebound, chemical resistance, and abrasion resistance. This allows you to create rubber parts that fit with the specific application that you must use your rubber parts under.
The Time Frame for Manufacturing Rubber Parts
Sending a mold to a company that manufactures custom rubber parts won't take very long since it can often only take minutes to create the parts. High-quality parts can be created that are consistent. Also, depending on your needs, you may have thousands of parts produced. More than one tool can be built to improve the speed at which the rubber parts are produced.
Rubber Part Costs
The rubber parts can be given a texture and can be designed to cosmetically match an original part, if necessary. Rubber cast parts are much less expensive than most other products other than high-volume steel tooling. Rubber parts are the best option when you are manufacturing products at a high volume.
Natural Vs. Synthetic Rubber Parts
Natural rubber is collected from a rubber tree. After the invention of vulcanized rubber, natural rubber became an important product. However, it is also possible to create a product with rubber-like properties through a 3D printer. The advantage of rubber-like materials is that they can have some of the beneficial characteristics of rubber while also having properties that are normally not found in rubber products.
For example, a rubber-like material can be much more abrasion-resistant. Some rubber-like materials have much better heat resistance. Other materials are very clean and transparent. Some rubber-like products are very elastic and flexible. Other rubber-like products are very resistant to heat and fuel. Some products can resist heat and are also resistant to weathering and aging. One of the newest rubber-like materials is Agilus. This is an ideal material when you have a product that needs thin walls that need to be able to stretch. The more you know about a particular rubber-like material, the better you'll be able to plan your rubber parts.
