The integration of Inkbit’s TEPU™ 30A and 50A elastomers into Stratasys Direct Manufacturing (SDM) introduces closed-loop controlled elastomer additive manufacturing to SDM’s production portfolio, addressing long-standing limitations in dimensional stability and mechanical repeatability for soft materials. Delivering soft parts with unprecedented resolution and features sizes.
This collaboration brings together Inkbit’s Vision-Controlled Jetting (VCJ™) platform and SDM’s deep experience serving industrial, aerospace, medical, and automotive customers-unlocking elastomer applications that demand not only geometric fidelity, but predictable, repeatable mechanical performance. Delivering soft parts with unprecedented resolution and features sizes.
From an industrial adoption standpoint, this partnership addresses a long-standing gap between visually realistic elastomer prototypes and true production-capable elastomer parts.
Vision-Controlled Jetting (VCJ) is Inkbit’s closed-loop additive manufacturing process that combines high-resolution material jetting with continuous optical inspection and real-time adaptive control of the print process.
Traditional jetting systems rely on mechanical planarization, where rollers physically flatten each deposited layer. This mechanical contact introduces constraints on material behavior and limits the range of elastomers that can be processed reliably. In these systems, material deposition is based on assumed flow, cure, and layer stacking characteristics. Over long builds, particularly with compliant materials, small deviations accumulate, leading to dimensional drift and inconsistent mechanical response.
VCJ removes mechanical planarization entirely. By leveraging full digital, non-contact control of the build surface and deposition process, each printed layer is optically measured and corrected in real time. This non-contact architecture enables the stable processing of soft, highly compliant elastomers such as TEPU™ materials, while maintaining tighter dimensional control.
This closed-loop, non-contact control enables:
For elastomer components, where geometry directly defines functional behavior, closed-loop control is not an enhancement. It is a requirement.
PolyJet remains a valuable technology for early-stage design validation, ergonomic studies, and visual prototyping. VCJ is designed for a different stage of the product lifecycle.
Rather than competing technologies, PolyJet and VCJ serve complementary roles-VCJ extending elastomer additive manufacturing into production-grade territory.
Inkbit’s TEPU™ elastomers were engineered specifically for VCJ and industrial use cases. Available in Shore 30A and 50A hardnesses, these materials provide rubber-like behavior with the dimensional stability required for manufacturing.
Key material attributes include:
When paired with VCJ’s closed-loop control, TEPU elastomers maintain predictable performance even in designs that traditionally challenge additive elastomer processes.
The combination of VCJ and TEPU enables elastomer applications that historically required molding, tooling, or multi-step assembly processes.
Representative use cases include:
Enabling performance-driven design rather than compromise-driven simplification.
For SDM customers, this collaboration delivers clear operational value:
From an industrial manufacturing perspective, these advantages directly address the friction points that have historically limited elastomer additive manufacturing in production environments.
The collaboration between Inkbit and Stratasys Direct Manufacturing represents a shift toward controlled, production-grade elastomer additive manufacturing.
By aligning closed-loop process control, engineered elastomer materials, and service-bureau-scale production expertise, this partnership positions VCJ-enabled elastomers as a practical manufacturing solution-capable of supporting real-world performance requirements with consistency and confidence.
Jeff Enslow is a senior marketing and growth executive with long-standing experience shaping and launching advanced additive manufacturing ecosystems. Over the course of his career, he has worked at the intersection of materials, platforms, and production workflows, building high-tech brands and market narratives that translate complex technical innovation into scalable, production-ready solutions. Previously, Jeff led marketing for the Industrial Business Unit at Stratasys, partnering closely with engineering and applications teams to support the adoption of industrial additive technologies across aerospace, automotive, medical, and industrial markets. Having participated in multiple additive adoption cycles from early promise to production reality, he brings a seasoned perspective to the SDM + Inkbit collaboration and the integration of TEPU™ materials into production part services.
With over a decade of experience in additive manufacturing, Kevin drives the success of Stratasys Direct’s 3D printing services portfolio, shaping material strategies, optimizing product sales, and enhancing customer experience through e-commerce platforms. He has expertise in powder bed fusion technologies like SLS, SAF, and MJF, contributing to material development and process innovations in industries such as aerospace, automotive, and consumer goods. Kevin holds both a BS and an MSE in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and is an active speaker at industry conferences like AMUG and RAPID + TCT.
