Chinese automotive tyre manufacturer Shandong Linglong Tyre and the Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT) have successfully developed and tested a prototype of 3D-printed tyres made from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) rather than rubber.
The 3D-printed TPU tyre, the first of its kind in China, offers a few advantages over traditional rubber-based tyres, including less heat build-up and consequently lower rolling resistance with TPU treads.
Additionally, Shandon Linglong Tyre says that TPU is both safe and easy to use and can easily be recycled when tyres are worn out or damaged whereas rubber tyres are extremely difficult to recycle.
Another advantage of the 3D-printed TPU tyres is that they are much less expensive to produce and maintain than traditional rubber tyres. As the Chinese company expressed, it believes TPU will be the “main material for the next generation of green tyre”.
To make the innovative tyre, the joint team of researchers used FDM 3D printing to extrude layer after layer of TPU material. The 3D printed tyre’s design incorporates a hexagonal honeycomb structure, which is one of the strongest infill patterns for a 3D printed object.
Traditional tyres are made using a tyre mold, which are costly and time consuming to make. 3D printing, said Shandong Linglong Tyre, will streamline the entire process, making it not only cheaper, but also faster and overall more efficient. “The tyre manufactured with polyurethane materials has the features of the simple manufacturing process, safety, endurance, environmental protection, and cycle use of waste tyres,” said the company.
Following the successful testing of the first 3D-printed TPU tyres, Shandong Linglong Tyre and BUCT will move on to advancing the tyre’s design and the TPU’s composition in order to improve heat and moisture resistance as well as overall performance.