Huashu High-Tech introduces the use of SLS technology for printing PEBA flexible materials

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Huashu High-Tech has introduced the use of SLS technology for printing PEBA flexible materials. As a leader in industrial-grade 3D printing, Huashu continues to invest heavily in the innovation of 3D printing technologies and their practical application. From March 17th to 19th, Huashu High-Tech will showcase applications of SLS technology for printing PEBA flexible materials at the 2026 TCT Asia Exhibition. These innovative solutions represent breakthroughs in terms of material performance, process efficiency, and practical industrial implementation, and they will contribute to the lightweighting and upgrading of products in various fields such as humanoid robots and sports equipment. Applications of SLS-printed PEBA flexible materials: PEBA is Polyether Block Amide, a high-performance thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). It is a polymer material formed by the alternating block formation of rigid polyamide hard segments and flexible polyether soft segments through copolymerization. Compared to materials such as TPU and flexible resins, PEBA stands out as the best choice for flexible 3D printing materials thanks to its excellent elastic resilience, fatigue resistance allowing over 200,000 bends at 90° without any loss of performance, and a base material density of 1.0 g/cm³. Huashu High-Tech’s SLS printing technology is used to produce PEBA flexible materials; combined with supercritical physical foaming, this approach enables the creation of micro-porous foamed structures. The density of the material after foaming can be maintained at 0.3–0.5 g/cm³, with test values as low as 0.03 g/cm³. This represents a 70% reduction in weight compared to traditional TPU materials. Additionally, it achieves an ultra-high energy recovery rate of over 85% (high resilience), while also featuring zero emissions throughout the process and the possibility of recycling the powder. Thus, it combines high performance with environmental sustainability. The extreme lightweight nature of this solution, along with its flexibility in terms of structural design, enables its industrial application in various scenarios. In the field of robotics, it allows for the printout of complex lattice structures such as those with negative Poisson’s ratio, thereby creating robotic lattice muscles that exhibit controllable collapse and high energy absorption capabilities – properties useful for components like collision protection systems and flexible gripping actuators. In the footwear and sports goods industry, it enables efficient printing at a foaming ratio of 1:30, with a printing time of 12 minutes per pair; the injection molding process is unnecessary, and personalized designs in terms of color, size, and surface texture can be achieved. In large-scale production, this solution offers both efficiency and cost advantages, making it an innovative solution for upgrading sports products to higher quality standards.