Ultrasint TPU 88A is a flexible, rubber-like material for SLS 3D printing that makes seals, gaskets, cushioning and wearable parts without moulds. It stretches, compresses and springs back through repeated use, absorbs impact and vibration, and resists wear, oils and outdoor sunlight. Lattice structures let cushioning be tuned zone by zone, and the white parts can be dyed. Automotive, robotics, clean tech, sports, footwear and orthotics teams use it for boots, bump stops, dust caps, shoe soles, insoles and straps, from prototypes to production runs.
How TPU 88A is manufactured
TPU 88A is manufactured using Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), an industrial powder-bed process in which EOS systems precisely control the thermoplastic polyurethane powder and build parts layer by layer without support structures or tooling. This enables complex elastomeric geometries that are impossible with traditional moulding, including internal lattice structures and undercuts that optimize cushioning and weight reduction. Parts stretch, compress and recover through repeated use.
Upload CAD files to Forge Labs Steam for instant TPU 88A pricing and live manufacturability feedback, and fix issues before production.
Upload CAD files to Forge Labs Steam for instant TPU 88A pricing and live manufacturability feedback, and fix issues before production.
SLS parts feature a fine-textured matte surface finish that is durable and functional, making them ideal for a wide range of applications. While the natural finish is suitable for many uses, SLS parts can be further enhanced through post-processing techniques. Deep color dyeing with DyeMansion technology provides vibrant, uniform colors, while painting allows for a smooth, professional finish that can match precise aesthetic requirements.
Parts are depowdered and bead blasted to an even, fine-textured matte finish in natural white, with clear, well-defined detail and a durable surface for functional and end-use parts.
Deep color dying provides a rich, uniform color, improving the overall aesthetics. Suitable for both functional and visually appealing applications. The dye also enhances scratch resistance, making the parts more durable in handling and use. This process ensures consistent color uniformity across the entire part, even for complex geometries or intricate designs.
TPU 88A brings flexible, rubber-like properties to SLS 3D printing with 88 Shore A hardness. This thermoplastic elastomer enables functional gaskets, seals, and shock-absorbing, vibration-damping components with the design freedom of powder bed fusion.
Its 270% elongation at break along the build plane and excellent rebound make it ideal for applications requiring repeated compression and flexing. Unlike liquid rubber moulding, SLS TPU requires no tooling and enables complex internal geometries, so teams move from rapid prototyping to production runs while reducing assembly complexity through consolidated part designs.
Industrial teams print custom equipment gaskets, pneumatic seals, pump diaphragms and expansion joints with complex geometries that seal effectively while accommodating surface irregularities. Unfinished printed walls are watertight from 0.6 mm, and 1.5 mm flat walls stay airtight to 5 bar.
Forge Labs' specialized TPU processing ensures consistent flexibility and surface quality. Our vapour smoothing and dyeing services transform TPU parts into production-quality components with a professional appearance.
Robotics
One-piece flexible wire clips with a screw seat and retaining channel, supplied with repeat actuator parts.
Clean Tech
Connector dust caps and seals for charger enclosures, with no cut growth after 100,000 flex cycles.
Automotive
Seals, boots and damping mounts without tooling, reordered to 409 parts by one equipment maker.
Medical & Wearables
Custom-fit orthotics and wearable straps in a material tested for skin irritation and sensitization.
Sports & Consumer Products
Lattice soles, padding and grips that absorb impact and return energy with 63% rebound resilience.
Robotics
Robotics teams use TPU 88A for wire clips, caps, covers and compliant parts that flex into place and hold. On a wearable robotics program, black SLS TPU clips formed a screw seat and a retaining channel in one piece, with no supports to remove. The clips were reordered alongside the program's repeat PA12 actuator parts, and the drawing's call for black TPU to a Shore A minimum translated directly to SLS.
Clean Tech
Charger and power electronics makers use TPU 88A for connector dust caps and seals on SLS nylon enclosures, ordered in lots of 25 to 30. Caps open and close every time a cable is connected, with no cut growth after 100,000 Ross flex cycles. Its aliphatic chemistry gives it high intrinsic UV stability, with tensile strength unchanged after 1,000 hours of accelerated weathering, which suits outdoor charging hardware.
Automotive
Vehicle and equipment makers use TPU 88A in place of moulded rubber for seals, bellows, boots, bump stops and damping mounts, from prototypes to low-volume production with no tooling. It stays stable after 42 days in grease, hydraulic fluid, engine oil, gear oil and coolant, and passes FMVSS 302 for vehicle interiors. One agricultural equipment maker has reordered SLS TPU parts to a total of 409.
Medical & Wearables
Medical device and orthotics teams use TPU 88A for custom-fit insoles, supports, prosthetic interfaces and wearable straps that need comfort and durability. Each insole or strap prints from the patient's own scan with no tooling, so every device is made to fit. Tested for cytotoxicity, skin irritation and sensitization, TPU 88A is a strong starting point for skin-contact devices that the device maker confirms on the final part.
Sports & Consumer Products
Sports and footwear brands use TPU 88A for protective padding and guards, shoe soles and inserts, and grip components, where energy absorption and rebound improve comfort and performance. Lattice midsoles and pads print in one piece, so cushioning can be tuned zone by zone. Its 63% rebound resilience returns energy with each step, and its abrasion resistance, at 86 mm³ volume loss, suits soles and grips.
Values from the Forward AM Ultrasint TPU 88A datasheet, tested to the standard listed with each property.
Mechanical performance
Strength, stiffness and elongation show how far TPU 88A parts stretch and how firmly they recover, giving flexible gaskets and seals, sports protective equipment and custom footwear components the durability they need in production. Hardness, stiffness, rebound and compression set are the same along and across the layers, while elongation at break is lower in the build direction, so parts that must stretch furthest are best oriented along the build plane.
Tear, abrasion, impact and Ross flex results show how parts hold up to repeated stretching, scuffing and flexing, including results below freezing, so TPU 88A keeps its integrity under repetitive stress across automotive, sports and medical applications.
Material makeup
Consistent density and surface quality keep critical features in tolerance and downstream finishing predictable.
Bulk density and particle size describe the powder. Values are measured after three days at 23 °C and 50% relative humidity and represent stable part performance at the recommended 20% fresh / 80% recycled powder refresh.
Heat performance
The low glass transition temperature keeps TPU 88A rubbery and impact resistant in cold conditions, and the Vicat softening temperature marks where loaded parts begin to soften, guiding design for automotive and sports parts that see repeated thermal cycling.
Compatibility data
Forward AM immersed TPU 88A for 42 days at 23 °C. Tensile strength and elongation stay stable in grease, hydraulic fluid, engine oil, gear oil and coolant, while brake fluid and repeated 40 °C detergent washing reduce elongation. The stabilised ester base holds its properties in water at 40 °C for more than 70 days, but parts should not stay in water hotter than 60 °C, where mechanical properties decline.
Chemical ratings are screening guidance; confirm them with application-specific testing before production release.
Medical readiness
Each status comes from Forward AM test reports and declarations for Ultrasint TPU 88A, so teams can start skin-contact and automotive material reviews from supplier data. Forward AM asks for the skin-contact tests to be repeated on the final part, and states no sterilization method, USP Class VI rating or food contact approval.
It passes the FMVSS 302 vehicle interior burn rate test without flame retardants, is listed in IMDS, and Forward AM provides REACH, RoHS, ELV and GADSL declarations.
Datasheets, design guidance and supplier documentation for TPU 88A.
Access the most recent datasheet and supporting documentation maintained by our engineering team.
TPU 88A datasheetExplore printable geometry recommendations, wall thickness tips, and finishing playbooks for SLS.
View SLS design guideSupplier declarations and test statements for this material.
TPU 88A is manufactured using industrial-grade SLS technology, ensuring exceptional mechanical properties and dimensional accuracy for demanding applications. Laser sintering fuses the powder into dense, repeatable components and keeps production scalable from a single prototype to full production batches.
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