TPO (Thermoplastic Polyolefin)

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What are polyolefins?

A polyolefin is any of a class of polymers produced from a simple olefin (also called an alkene with the general formula CnH2n) as a monomer. For example, polyethylene (PE) is the polyolefin produced by polymerizing the olefin ethylene. Polypropylene (PP) is another common polyolefin which is made from the olefin propylene. from Wikipedia

Polyolefins are the most widely used plastics in the world for many reasons. They are clean materials to manufacture and process and easy to reuse and recycle, producing no harmful gases or unpleasant odours when melted.

There are thousands of different types of polyolefin polymers available, offering a broad range of physical and mechanical properties. Polyolefinic materials are developed for and used in a wide and diverse range of applications from food packaging and medical items through to automotive components and sports clothing.


Polyolefin Filaments

Forefront Filament [1] has created a range of 3D printing filaments from polyolefins that offer the following properties:

  • Choice of flexible or tough ✔
  • Impact resistant prints ✔
  • Water & moisture resistant ✔
  • No odours in use ✔
  • Free from styrene, isocyanate, esters, phthalates, butadiene or bisphenol A (BPA) ✔
  • Good resistance to household chemicals including bleach ✔
  • Made and developed in the UK ✔