Exploring other alternatives for those dreamed 5" inch wheels… like this in-house facility (3D Era Tech) which uses Polyjet 3D Printing with this Rubber like flexible matetrial called ‘Tango-black’. The process uses four or more inkjet heads and ultraviolet (UV) lamps - traverses the workspace, depositing tiny droplets of photopolymers, materials that solidify when exposed to UV light.
For what is worth (‘Tango Black’ specs)…
finally. but i dont understand that chart. this is realy nice. if this has rubber like characteristics, then you only need a rim and off we go
950 and 973 look promising.
i just worte them and asked if they also print in 950 and 973. the real question is, what tensile tear resistance do we need. Because 2-4kg/cm means nothing to me, a frame of referance would be nice.
Yeah! …and me neither, don’t know Jack about those specs. So now is up to the more knowledgeable forum members to disect that info. But is promising, no? If we could print a rubber wheel with this technology and use the Bergmeister hub for example, it’ll be awesome.
I will happily order a few sets of tires for us to test if they fit these wheels, and the price is reasonable:
I’ve got a set of these as well. I’d be interested in these too if they’re compatible
i think they just showcased it for the people to see. They probably can print any form with that material.
well basicly all work is done. not mine, just something i found.
I have used UV cured flexible resin from formlabs. Im not sure how similar this is, while it looks like rubber and is flexible the tear resistance is terrible. You’d be lucky to make a few km on tires made of that.
The TPU filaments for FDM printers though that stuff is really tough.
https://support.formlabs.com/s/article/Using-Flexible-Resin?language=en_US
Is TPU like rubber? The Thingiverse Model also mentioned the use of TPU. But i dont know that material and how it acts. Because i want to get as close as possible to that feeling of having the grip of a pneumatic tire with a good amount cushioning for smooth ride.
TPU. Thermo form Poly Urathane. Basically urethane that can be melted and molded while hot.
You can get the filament in different hardness but the softer is more difficult to print with.
ok last question. how hard is it to print TPU or is it one of the easier to print materials.
Depends on the printer, some can handle it well some not. Also the filament some is pretty easy some a PITA.
Firstly the filament path from the drive gear to the nozzle needs to have no gaps where the filament can worm its way out. Direct drive printers work more easily than bowden as there is less filament between the drive and nozzle to get compressed. And you need to print quite slowly.
TLDR - If your printer is setup to handle it, its not that hard.
The other point about UV cured resins is that they will degrade in sunlight. Not ideal unless you only ride at night. 
