Théo Rebière's PhD thesis with rubber compound manufacturer EMAC, in collaboration with 3D printing startup Lynxter, was defended in December 2024. It had received seed funding from E2S(2) and was supervised by Christophe Derail and Sylvie Dagréou, teacher-researchers at the Institute of Analytical Sciences and Physical Chemistry for the Environment and Materials (IPREM), a joint UPPA/CNRS research unit.
Tires, floor tiles, windscreen wipers, “Sophie the giraffe”... EMAC SAS, which originally worked in the molding of rubber parts, has been devoting itself for almost 20 years to the design of formulas based on natural and polymer rubbers, as well as to the production of rubber compounds in all their states, from solid to liquid. Depending on the type of rubber used, the mechanical, abrasion and friction properties of the final parts obtained after curing vary.
With the advent of 3D printers, the idea of directly printing rubber objects, such as tires, has emerged in recent years. Until now, however, machines had been unable to print and bake at the same time at high temperatures.
The research project “Additive manufacturing from elastomers: adapting material structure and 3D printing” was made possible thanks to a collaboration with Bayonne-based startup Lynxter, which manufactures 3D printers with more versatile processing properties than those found on the market.
In the course of his thesis, Théo Rebière succeeded in proposing 3D printable blends. He has presented his work at national and international symposia and trade fairs in Lyon and Germany, and won the oral presentation prize of the French Polymer Group. A publication is currently in preparation.
(1) The “Energy and Environment Solutions” (E2S) research consortium brings together UPPA, INRAE, Inria and CNRS. It has obtained funding from the French Programme“ Investing in the Future” - now France 2030 - thanks to the I-SITE (“Sciences, Innovation, Territories, Economy Initiative”) label of university excellence awarded by the French government to the Université of Pau and Pays de l'Adour.
