3D Printed Watch Straps Manufactured with TPU Materials and the Influence of Infill Printing Characteristics on the Mechanical Tensile Behaviors

Abstract

Wrist watches have accompanied people in the most important moments since the 1810s and have undergone an esthetic and mechanical transformation process to align with safety standards and regulations depending on the destination of each type of wrist watch. This article aims to determine the influence of the filling percentage and the most common filling geometry pattern on the mechanical tensile behavior of a watch bracelet model manufactured from flexible filament. The comparative study is carried out on samples with two different filling percentages, manufactured by using the FDM technology from a thermoplastic material polyether-polyurethane elastomer (TPU) with a hardness scale of 82A and thermoplastic elastomer (TPU) with a hardness scale of 93A, these being subsequently subjected to two-direction traction tests with the aim of determining the braking strap models resistance depending on the material hardness, thus, creating the prerequisites for finding a solution to increase the durability of the custom made watch straps from TPU through FDM technology.