Carbon and Arkema develop elastomeric resins for DLS

Key Takeaways

• Carbon and Arkema have teamed up to create a UV‑curable elastomeric resin optimized for Carbon’s Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) printers.
• The new material can be tuned across a wide hardness range (Shore A 30‑80) to deliver specific cushioning, support, or energy‑return characteristics.
• DLS prints at 25‑100 µm layer thickness and speeds up to 10 cm h⁻¹, enabling rapid production of lattice structures for footwear, sports gear, and custom‑fit accessories.
• Early adopters such as Vivobarefoot are using foot‑scan data to 3‑D‑print sandals on‑demand, cutting inventory by up to 70 % and reducing material waste by 30 %.

Introduction: Why Elastomeric Resins Matter for DLS

Carbon’s Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) platform relies on a continuous vat of photopolymer that is cured by a moving UV light source. Historically, the technology has excelled at producing rigid, high‑resolution parts (e.g., aerospace brackets, dental models). However, the growing demand for flexible, performance‑oriented consumer goods—especially in athletic footwear and sports equipment—required a resin that could combine elastic recovery with dimensional stability.

Enter Arkema, a global leader in specialty chemicals with a 30‑year portfolio of UV‑curable materials. By leveraging Arkema’s expertise in UV‑curable elastomers, Carbon has introduced a new resin family that can be fine‑tuned for a spectrum of mechanical properties while maintaining DLS’s hallmark speed and surface finish (≈ 10 µm RMS).

How the Collaboration Works

The table highlights that the chemistry and hardware are fully compatible, allowing Carbon’s existing DLS printers to switch to the new elastomeric resin without hardware modifications.

Real‑World Applications

Custom Footwear

Vivobarefoot’s 3‑D‑printed sandal is the flagship example. The workflow proceeds as follows:

1. Foot Scanning – A handheld scanner captures a 3‑D mesh of the user’s foot (≈ 0.5 mm accuracy).
2. Design Generation – Proprietary software translates the mesh into a lattice‑based midsole, assigning hardness gradients (e.g., Shore A 35 under the arch, Shore A 70 at the forefoot).
3. DLS Printing – The part is printed in ~ 6 minutes (≈ 150 mm³ min⁻¹) and post‑cured for 2 minutes.
4. Finishing – Minimal sanding; the part is ready for assembly.

The result: a sandal that matches the wearer’s biomechanics while cutting material consumption by 30 % compared with traditional injection‑molded midsoles.

Sporting Equipment

High‑impact components such as bike saddle shells and protective pads benefit from the resin’s energy‑return capability. Test data from Arkema’s R&D lab shows a 15 % increase in rebound efficiency when the lattice geometry is tuned to a Shore A 55 formulation versus a standard TPU.

Benefits Over Conventional Photopolymers

• Mechanical Flexibility – Traditional DLS resins are brittle (Shore D 70‑90). The new elastomeric line offers up to 400 % elongation, enabling true flex.
• Design Freedom – Gradient hardness can be programmed voxel‑by‑voxel, something impossible with bulk‑molded elastomers.
• Supply Chain Simplicity – One resin family serves multiple performance targets, reducing SKU count for manufacturers.

Bottom Line

Carbon’s partnership with Arkema delivers a tunable elastomeric resin that unlocks DLS for flexible, high‑performance consumer products. With layer resolutions down to 25 µm, print speeds of 10 cm h⁻¹, and a hardness spectrum spanning Shore A 30‑80, the material bridges the gap between rapid additive manufacturing and the mechanical demands of modern footwear and sports gear. Early adopters are already seeing inventory reductions of up to 70 % and material waste cuts of 30 %, signaling a compelling economic and sustainability case for the technology.

Further Reading

• Carbon: https://www.carbon3d.com/
• Arkema: https://www.arkema.com/

Original article published on Engineering.com.