Elastomer 3D Printing Service
Product Detail
ACS Material offers project-based elastomer 3D printing — flexible photopolymer parts produced by industrial DLP (digital light processing) — in Shore hardness 60A–80A with supplier-reported elongation up to 500%, in single-piece builds up to 768 × 432 × 450 mm. From lattice midsoles to humanoid-robot components, dampers, seals, and grips, every job is engineered and quoted to your specific project — contact us with your design for materials, feasibility, lead time, and pricing.
Process-typical values shown for orientation. The exact build volume, achievable accuracy, materials, and finish are confirmed for each part — contact us for a quote.
Elastomer 3D printing builds rubber-like, flexible parts directly from a digital model. In DLP vat photopolymerization, a 405 nm UV light engine projects each cross-section onto a vat of liquid elastomer resin, curing an entire layer at once; washed and post-cured, the finished parts stretch, compress, and recover like molded rubber. Because each projected image exposes a full layer, cycle time is driven primarily by layer count and build height — cross-sectional area, material, separation and recoating settings, supports, and post-processing still shape total lead time. DLP delivers smooth surfaces and fine lattice features, and mold-free manufacturing opens geometries — conformal lattices, zonal-stiffness structures, one-piece flexures — that may be difficult or uneconomical to mold.
DLP elastomer 3D printing — Shore 60A–80A
This is where ACS Material stands apart. Many powder-bed TPU offerings sit in the high-80A range and print with a textured surface, while filament TPU spans a wide hardness range; a projected photopolymer process, by contrast, is particularly suited to smooth surfaces and fine visible lattice detail. Our service combines the three things flexible parts most often need — a genuinely soft working range (Shore 60A–80A), smooth surfaces with fine lattice detail (nominal 100 µm XY pixel pitch), and industrial DLP build capacity, with multi-projector 4K systems reaching single-piece build volumes up to 768 × 432 × 450 mm — full footwear plates and sizeable soft-robotics components in one piece.
Elastomer 3D printing materials
We offer four photopolymer elastomer options spanning Shore 60A–80A — selected per project for softness, elongation, strength, and detail:
| Material | Shore hardness | Tensile strengthMPa | Elongation at break | Color | Detail level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60A White Elastomer | 60A | 15 | 200% | White | Standard |
| 65A Black Elastomer | 65A | 26 | 200–300% | Black | High |
| 75A White Elastomer | 75A | 15 | 300–500% | White | Standard |
| 80A White Elastomer | 80A | 25 | 300–500% | White | Standard |
Values are supplier-reported typicals; test method, specimen preparation, print parameters, and post-cure can affect results, and these figures are not design allowables — specifications are confirmed before quotation. Standard colors are white and black. If your target hardness falls outside the 60A–80A range, contact us to discuss alternative material or process options.
Not sure what hardness your part needs? Move the slider below to see where common objects sit on the Shore A scale, how far a durometer indenter sinks in at each hardness, and which of our elastomers is the closest fit.
Applications
Flexible parts show up wherever products meet bodies, absorb energy, or need to seal and grip. Typical target applications for our elastomer 3D printing service — each subject to material and geometry review — include:
- Humanoid & soft robotics. Passive bionic-muscle-style lattices that compress and recover elastically, silicone-coated tactile-skin panels supported by printed elastomer honeycomb frameworks, and joint sleeves and impact dampers that protect hardware and the people around it.
- Footwear. Lattice midsoles and one-piece lattice uppers with zonal cushioning — stiffness tuned region by region through the lattice, not the material.
- Sealing, damping & vibration control. Custom gaskets, seals, bellows, bumpers, and vibration isolators in geometries and quantities that don’t justify molds.
- Wearables, grips & consumer. Insoles, straps, grips, padding, and skin-adjacent comfort components with conformal, body-mapped geometry.
- Research & prototyping. Flexible functional prototypes, metamaterial and lattice studies, and soft-material test articles for labs and product teams.
How it works
Our elastomer 3D printing service is consultative and project-based — you work with us directly rather than through an automated portal, so material hardness, lattice design, and finishing are matched to your application:
- 1. Send your design. Email or call us with your CAD file (STEP/STL) and requirements — hardness, quantity, critical dimensions, and application.
- 2. Review & quote. We assess feasibility and design-for-additive-manufacturing — including lattice and zonal-stiffness options — then provide pricing and lead time.
- 3. Printing. Your parts are built on industrial DLP systems in the selected elastomer, 50–200 µm per layer.
- 4. Post-processing. Washing, post-curing to final elastic properties, support removal, and surface finishing as required.
- 5. Inspection & delivery. Parts are quality-checked and shipped to you.
New to the technology landscape? Start with our overview, 3D Printing: Everything You Need to Know.
Why choose ACS Material
- Industrial DLP capability. Multi-projector 4K photopolymer systems sized for full footwear plates and sizeable flexible components — single-piece builds up to 768 × 432 × 450 mm.
- Genuinely soft range. Shore 60A–80A photopolymer elastomers with supplier-reported elongation up to 500% — a soft working range with smoother surfaces and finer visible lattice detail than many powder-bed flexible-printing processes deliver.
- Lattice & DfAM design support. We help engineer the lattice — cell type, density, and zonal stiffness — not just print the file.
- Materials expertise. As an established advanced-materials supplier, ACS Material understands polymers and how hardness, elongation, and structure drive part behavior; our analytical testing services can characterize parts when projects require it.
- Consultative, engineering-led service. Every project is reviewed and quoted individually, with design support rather than a one-size-fits-all portal.
Need rigid or metal parts as well? ACS Material also offers a large-format metal 3D printing service — up to 2000 mm in titanium, stainless, aluminum, and more.
Request a quote
Get a quote for your elastomer 3D printing project
Send us your design (STEP/STL) and requirements — we’ll return material options, feasibility, lead time, and pricing.
Call +1 (866) 227-0656 · Email contact@acsmaterial.com
FAQs
1. What hardness range can you print?
Our four elastomer options span Shore 60A to 80A — from soft, skin-touch flexibility to firm, structural rubber. If your application needs something softer or firmer, contact us and we’ll review whether an alternative material or manufacturing route is appropriate.
2. How large can a flexible part be?
Single-piece builds up to 768 × 432 × 450 mm are typical — enough for full footwear plates and sizeable one-piece flexible components — and the same platform can carry batches of smaller parts. The exact build size for your part is confirmed with your quote.
3. Is this TPU or silicone?
Neither — these are UV-curable photopolymer elastomers processed by DLP. They deliver rubber-like elasticity (up to 500% elongation) with smoother surfaces and finer visible lattice detail than many powder-bed TPU processes. If your application specifically requires TPU or silicone as the material of record, tell us and we’ll advise on the best route.
4. Can the parts be used against skin or in medical applications?
Wearables, grips, and comfort components are common uses. We do not make biocompatibility or regulatory claims for the standard materials — for regulated skin-contact or medical applications, contact us to discuss your requirements and the appropriate material path.
5. What is the lead time and minimum order?
Both depend on the part — its size, lattice complexity, material, and quantity. Send us your design and we’ll provide a lead time and pricing with your quote.
6. How do I get a quote?
Email or call us with your CAD file (STEP or STL) and requirements. We review feasibility and return material options, lead time, and pricing. Quotes are handled directly — there is no online instant-quote portal.
7. What accuracy can I expect on flexible parts?
Dimensional accuracy on elastomers depends on geometry, hardness, orientation, and post-cure — soft parts flex, so they are specified and measured differently from rigid ones. The projection system has a nominal XY pixel pitch of 100 µm with 50–200 µm layers; pixel pitch is not the same thing as dimensional accuracy or tolerance, and we confirm what is achievable for your critical dimensions at quotation. For background on how precision is defined in 3D printing, see our guide to accuracy, tolerance, and their tradeoffs.
Capabilities, materials, and the values shown above are representative of the DLP vat-photopolymerization elastomer process; the exact build volume, accuracy, mechanical properties, materials, and finish achievable for any given part are confirmed at the time of quotation and depend on part geometry, material, and post-processing. Material property values are supplier-reported typicals and are not design allowables. Sample images are representative. The Shore hardness explorer is a schematic teaching tool based on the Shore A measurement geometry and approximate everyday references; it is not a durometer test and does not predict part performance. ACS Material LLC makes no representations or warranties, express or implied, regarding suitability for any particular purpose. Contact us for a quote specific to your project.