3D Printing Material Brings New Way to Make Soft-touch Parts
Build Material Provides Lowest Durometer Fused Filament Fabrication Prints on the Market
Posted on May 30, 2022
Prescott, Wis. — Infinite Materials Solutions, LLC (Infinite™), an innovative portfolio of additive manufacturing products powered by Interfacial Consultants, has recently launched Caverna™ Soft Touch (ST), a professional-grade elastomeric material. It prints lightweight parts that become soft, spongy, springy, and pliable, ideal for printing shoe parts, sporting goods, medical devices, automotive parts, and other cushioning components. The material features a new approach to creating soft-touch parts through a post-print water soak, giving manufacturers the freedom to create design variations without retooling machinery or cutting new molds.
Specifically designed for use in Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) systems, Caverna PP is the first in Infinite’s line of forthcoming Caverna™ build materials. Each one will be a unique blend of two polymers: a soluble material to be removed through dissolution, and an insoluble build material (in this case, polypropylene) to remain. After dissolution, the water-soluble phase leaves behind a cave-like network of microporous, interconnected channels inside the build material, making it light, soft, and porous.
The company expects this new material to get additive manufacturers dreaming up new applications in fields such as filtration, separators, footwear, and personal protective equipment. One area of particular interest is the potential to create porous tooling for the production of vacuum formed parts. Caverna PP’s co-continuous distribution of tiny pores (1–4µ) could allow for consistent airflow, eliminating the need to drill holes, and maximizing material distribution.
For Infinite’s Chief Operating Officer Larry Doerr, Caverna PP’s launch represents yet another company success, after bringing to market a high-temperature, water-soluble support material just last fall.
“With so many breakthroughs happening on a regular basis, additive manufacturing is an exciting space to participate in,” said Doerr. “I’m extremely proud of our team for once again creating a material that stands out and redefines what’s possible with FFF — and I’m excited to watch the industry take Caverna PP’s unique capabilities and run with them.”
Caverna PP joins two other novel materials in Infinite’s portfolio: AquaSys® 120 and AquaSys® 180 water-soluble support filaments. These materials pair with popular build materials, ranging from PLA to PEEK, to support complex designs, then dissolve quickly in tap water to leave behind a finished part. Infinite recommends pairing Caverna PP with AquaSys 120 for one-step dissolution. Users can simply print the part, leave it to dissolve, and come back to find a complete build with a microporous structure.
Infinite Material Solutions, LLC is an innovation house, based in Prescott, Wisconsin, USA, that develops wholly unique materials for additive manufacturing. The company was founded as a joint venture between Nagase America, a multinational manufacturer-distributor of raw materials and specialty chemicals, and Interfacial Solutions, a Wisconsin-based firm focused on creating highly differentiated technology platforms. Since Nagase acquired Interfacial Solutions in 2020, Infinite Material Solutions has benefitted from greater access to the immense resources of all parties involved.