Rotherham firm's invention can be used to 'print' objects

Three-dimensional printing has the potential for producing small batches or one-off products quicker and easier then ever.

But one limiting factor was that the material used has been inflexible or brittle.

Materialise, whose UK base is at Rotherham’s Advanced Manufacturing Park, have designed a durable material called TPU 92A-1.

A spokesman said: “The new material can be used for highly-flexible and abrasive-resistant parts in a wide range of applications such as seals and gaskets, complex tubes, hoses and components for the shoe, fashion and leisure industry.”