In collaboration with the “Deutsches Institut für Kautschuktechnologie e. V. ” (DIK), we are shaping the future of additive manufacturing. Traditionally, rubber elements are produced via various shaping methods and vulcanization from highly viscous rubber mixtures. Our AME process enables these mixtures to be placed in a 3D printing process using a customized screw extruder. A wide variety of compounds, such as EPDM, NBR, and SBR, can be used with this technology. An additional printed support structure holds the parts in place and prevents the material from flowing apart during printing. Afterwards, the parts are removed from the build chamber and vulcanized in an autoclave or oven.
We are continuously optimizing our printing system to steadily improve the quality of the printed components. The aim of our research is to enable industrial production of rubber components using 3D printing technologies, thereby opening up unprecedented design freedom, allowing customized prototyping, on-demand production, and rapid spare parts manufacturing.
We greatly appreciate the fantastic support from our industry partners and are excited about every improvement in our project's quality. For questions on this topic, suggestions for the production of sample components, or if you are interested in student projects, please feel free to contact us at: helge.schwieger@ita.uni-hannover.de
