3D printing is a great tool to make show-and-tell objects in a cost-effective way. Nooteboom Trailers (website) recently approached us to print a tyre (or tire, if you are in the US or Canada) for them to showcase during an open house day. We wanted it not only look like a tyre, but also feel like a tyre. That’s why we used nGen_FLEX Black for the tyre itself:

 

For the rim we used nGen Silver Metallic.

We printed this on the BCN 3D Sigma with 0.6mm nozzles which enabled us to print this in one go with both materials at the same time. Layer height is 0.25mm.

To give the tyre the proper feeling we used only 4% infill. We have printed before with nGen and nGen_FLEX (here) and the (layer) adhesion between these two materials is excellent!

Nooteboom Trailers BV, a family business founded in 1881, is an international organisation offering their customers complete solutions in the field of abnormal transport. Nooteboom designs and builds trailers of the highest quality with a payload of 20 to 200 tonnes. Nooteboom is always striving to improve by continually investing in the best solutions for their customers.

In the pictures below you can see how the print was showcased at Nooteboom Trailers:

 

About the materials

nGen was released a in November 2015 and is an all-round filament which has many advantages over, say, a PLA. The temperature resistance is over 80 degrees C and it works on most printers with a heated build plate.  nGen is a low-odor, styrene-free material uniquely suited for 3D printing enthusiasts, particularly those who need the flexibility to print within a wide processing temperature range. With nGen you will have good flow properties through the printer nozzle—even at lower temperatures than some other polymers require. These properties make nGen more workable at a wider breadth of temperatures, producing reliable results and resulting in less waste.

You can find more information on our dedicated landing page.

nGen_FLEX was released in September 2016 at the TCT Show and is our first semi-flexible material. With a Shore A hardness of 95 it is a material that is ideally suited for functional parts. It is not soft and squishy like other flexible materials in the market, but allows for fast printing and printing on 3D printers using a Bowden tube. nGen_FLEX is a material for users looking for an engineering grade flexible filament with a high temperature resistance (over 120 degrees C) and good chemical resistance.

You can read the initial reception of nGen_FLEX here.

Both nGen and nGen_FLEX are made with Eastman Amphora™ 3D polymers, a range of co-polyesters developed with Eastman Chemical Company for 3D printing. Amphora co-polyesters are low-odor, styrene-free choices that are uniquely suited for 3D printing applications. With Amphora, items can be created that are more functional, more durable, more efficient and attractive. You can find more information about co-polyesters in the article we published last summer: What we talk about when we talk about co-polyesters.

Both nGen and nGen_FLEX are available now in our webshop (click here or here) and via our network of distributors and resellers. Click here for a reseller closest to you.