TPU enables one-piece 3D-printed book

The publication, titled Manual, was developed by Hyperpress, a research initiative founded by designers Darius Ou and Benson Chong to explore the possibilities of additive manufacturing in graphic design and publishing.

The 26-page book is manufactured entirely from TPU and contains a selection of its own G-code – the machine instructions used to produce it. According to the designers, the project was intended as both a technical experiment and a conceptual exploration of what printed media could become when produced through additive manufacturing rather than conventional printing and binding processes.

Unlike traditional books, Manual is produced as a single component. Pages, spine and text are fabricated in one uninterrupted print operation, eliminating the need for separate printing, assembly or binding stages.

The project builds on a series of previous Hyperpress experiments dating back to 2021. Earlier publications included books manufactured from 3D-printed polymer composites incorporating wood pulp, but these required additional printing processes to add text and graphics after the pages had been produced.

For Manual, the designers developed what they describe as an "XY-for-Z" printing technique. Rather than printing pages flat on the build platform, the pages are produced vertically on their edges, allowing text to be formed on both sides while improving the quality and legibility of small lettering.

The use of TPU was central to the project's success. The material's flexibility enables the printed pages to bend and turn in a manner similar to conventional paper, while retaining sufficient strength to survive repeated handling.

However, printing thin vertical structures from a flexible elastomer presented significant manufacturing challenges.

"The biggest challenge was the flexible material, TPU, we were using to print the book," Ou told Fast Company. "Printing what are essentially thin, vertical walls in flexible materials requires a lot of testing and finessing with the print settings, as well as hardware tuning."

According to Hyperpress, extensive experimentation was required to balance flexibility, durability and print quality. The designers also encountered limitations in the size of text that could be reliably reproduced, restricting the amount of G-code that could be included in the finished publication.

While the project is not intended as a commercial publishing technology, it highlights the growing capabilities of TPU in additive manufacturing applications requiring both structural integrity and flexibility. The material is already widely used in 3D printing for footwear components, protective equipment, seals, gaskets and medical devices, but the Hyperpress project demonstrates its potential for highly intricate, mechanically functional printed structures.

The designers said the project was not intended to propose a new model for the publishing industry, but rather to explore the relationship between digital manufacturing and printed media.

Photo: © Darius Ou,  Hyperpress

Hyperpress