The very best TPU filament is dependent upon one quantity most listings bury: shore hardness. It decides whether or not a print appears like a skateboard wheel or a stress ball, how briskly you’ll be able to print, and whether or not your extruder can feed it in any respect. This information explains the size in plain phrases, then ranks eight spools throughout the hardness vary, from the forgiving 95A requirements each direct-drive printer handles to the genuinely delicate 85A grades and the brand new high-speed formulations that lastly make versatile printing fast.
TPU is one department of the versatile household; in case you are deciding between TPU, TPE, and the softer exotics, our versatile filaments information covers the entire class, and the filament information locations flexibles towards each different materials.
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Our prime TPU picks at a look
Greatest general
PolyFlex TPU95
Essentially the most dimensionally constant TPU we have now examined.
Shore hardness, defined in objects you will have held
Shore hardness is the entire persona of a TPU spool. On the A scale: 85A is a delicate pencil eraser, squashable between two fingers; 90A is a automotive tire, flexing beneath actual drive; 95A is a skateboard wheel or shoe sole, bendable however agency; and the uncommon 98A and up barely reads as versatile in any respect. When an inventory simply says TPU, it’s nearly at all times 95A, the business default, as a result of it hits the stability of genuinely versatile elements and printability on odd {hardware}.
Softer isn’t higher, it’s simply softer. Cellphone instances, bumpers, and wheels really work higher at 95A; gaskets, grips, and wearables justify 90A; and solely issues that should squash flat, baby-toy delicate, want 85A. Each step down the size roughly doubles the printing problem, so choose the firmest grade that also does the job.
Why TPU is difficult to print, and what really fixes it
Pushing versatile filament by an extruder is pushing a rope: any hole within the filament path lets it buckle and bird-nest. That’s the reason direct-drive extruders deal with TPU nicely and lengthy Bowden tubes battle beneath 95A, and why the actual settings guidelines are about consistency: print gradual (25 to 40mm/s for delicate grades, sooner just for HF formulations), maintain pace fixed, scale back or disable retraction, and by no means print TPU moist, as a result of it absorbs moisture rapidly and moist TPU bubbles and strings past saving. A filament dryer earns its carry on flexibles alone.
The excellent news: a tuned profile is repeatable. Get one clear benchy in a given TPU and that spool will behave for its complete life, which is greater than PETG can promise.
The very best TPU filaments in contrast
Costs are per kilogram and approximate; they fluctuate by colour, bundle, sale interval and area, so click on by for present pricing.
Filament
Hardness
Rated pace
Bowden OK
Tolerance
Greatest for
~Value/kg
Hardness95A
Rated paceAs much as 40mm/s
Bowden OKSure, cautious
Tolerance±0.03mm
Greatest forThe constant default
~Value/kg~$30
Hardness95A
Rated paceAs much as 120mm/s
Bowden OKSure
Tolerance±0.03mm
Greatest forQuick versatile printing
~Value/kg~$35
Hardness95A
Rated paceAs much as 40mm/s
Bowden OKSure, cautious
Tolerance±0.03mm
Greatest forWorth 95A commonplace
~Value/kg~$23
Hardness95A
Rated paceAs much as 40mm/s
Bowden OKSure, cautious
Tolerance±0.05mm
Greatest forFirst versatile spool, drones
~Value/kg~$28
Hardness95A
Rated paceAs much as 40mm/s
Bowden OKSure, cautious
Tolerance±0.05mm
Greatest forFunds colour vary
~Value/kg~$20
HardnessReads ~68D
Rated paceAs much as 150mm/s
Bowden OKAMS-fed
Tolerance±0.03mm
Greatest forMulti-material Bambu workflows
~Value/kg~$35
Hardness90A
Rated paceAs much as 30mm/s
Bowden OKDirect drive
Tolerance±0.03mm
Greatest forSofter gaskets and grips
~Value/kg~$35
Hardness85A
Rated paceAs much as 25mm/s
Bowden OKDirect drive solely
Tolerance±0.03mm
Greatest forReally delicate elements
~Value/kg~$45
The 95A requirements
The default grade: versatile sufficient for almost all the pieces, printable on almost something.
Polymaker PolyFlex TPU95
Greatest for: the TPU that behaves the identical each spool. Diameter consistency is all the pieces in versatile printing, as a result of a thick part jams the place inflexible filament would simply push by, and PolyFlex is essentially the most dimensionally constant TPU we have now run. It feeds reliably on direct drive and on shorter Bowden setups, bonds layers strongly, and the cured elements have the clear rebound of a high quality shoe sole. The reference 95A.
Value: ~$30/kg (approximate; varies by colour, sale interval and area, click on by for present pricing)
- Nozzle 210 to 230°C, mattress 25 to 60°C; print 25 to 40mm/s
- Greatest-in-class diameter consistency
- Works on direct drive and cautious Bowden setups
Overture TPU
Greatest for: versatile printing with out the versatile worth. Overture’s 95A is the amount vendor of the class for a purpose: clear winding (a tangle in TPU is a write-off), sane diameter management, and a worth that makes experimenting inexpensive. Floor end is a contact duller than PolyFlex and really delicate single-wall prints present extra artifacts, however for instances, bumpers, ft, and straps it merely does the job.
Value: ~$23/kg (approximate; varies by colour, sale interval and area, click on by for present pricing)
- Nozzle 210 to 230°C, mattress 25 to 60°C
- Clear winding, low tangle threat
- The inexpensive method to study versatile printing
SainSmart TPU
Greatest for: your first versatile spool. SainSmart’s 95A has the widest tolerance for imperfect settings we have now seen in a TPU: over-retract, print somewhat sizzling, run it on a inventory bed-slinger, and it nonetheless produces usable elements, which is strictly what you need whereas studying the fabric. It has been the drone-frame and RC group staple for years. Diameter spec is looser than the premium picks, so graduate to PolyFlex when precision begins to matter.
Value: ~$28/kg (approximate; varies by colour, sale interval and area, click on by for present pricing)
- Nozzle 200 to 220°C, mattress 25 to 50°C
- Tolerates imperfect settings; nice first TPU
- 0.8kg spools commonplace; drone group staple
eSUN TPU 95A
Greatest for: colour alternative on a price range. eSUN runs the biggest colour wall in inexpensive TPU, together with translucents that print into pleasingly glassy versatile elements, on the lowest critical worth within the class. High quality management is sweet relatively than nice: the occasional spool runs a contact thick, so watch the primary layers. For colourful instances, bands, and toys, it’s the worth reply.
Value: ~$20/kg (approximate; varies by colour, sale interval and area, click on by for present pricing)
- Nozzle 210 to 230°C, mattress 25 to 60°C
- Largest price range colour vary, translucents included
- Watch diameter on first layers; dry earlier than use
Greatest high-speed TPU
The latest repair for TPU’s greatest annoyance: the wait.
Polymaker PolyFlex TPU95-HF
Greatest for: versatile elements earlier than lunch. The HF soften formulation feeds and fuses at speeds that break odd TPU: we run it at 100mm/s+ the place commonplace 95A calls for a 3rd of that, with layer adhesion intact. Similar 95A really feel as common PolyFlex, identical consistency, noticeably much less stringing. In case your printer is trendy and your endurance finite, this replaces the usual spool outright.
Value: ~$35/kg (approximate; varies by colour, sale interval and area, click on by for present pricing)
- Nozzle 220 to 240°C, mattress 25 to 60°C; rated to ~120mm/s
- Triple the pace of ordinary 95A with intact power
- Much less stringing than commonplace TPU
Bambu Lab TPU for AMS
Greatest for: versatile elements inside a multi-material workflow. Abnormal TPU can’t survive an AMS feed path, so Bambu engineered a firmer grade (it measures round 68D, nearer to a stiff 98A really feel) that the AMS handles like inflexible filament: auto-loading, RFID profiles, multi-color prints with versatile sections. It’s the least squashy spool right here, extra living-hinge than stress-ball, however it’s the solely method to put versatile options in an automatic Bambu job.
Value: ~$35/kg (approximate; varies by bundle, sale interval and area, click on by for present pricing)
- Nozzle 220 to 240°C; prints close to rigid-filament speeds
- The one TPU rated for AMS feeding; RFID profiles
- Agency grade: hinges and bumpers, not squash toys
Softer grades: 90A and 85A
Beneath 95A, elements cease being firm-flexible and begin being genuinely delicate; printers begin caring much more.
Polymaker PolyFlex TPU90
Greatest for: the step softer that almost all direct-drive printers can nonetheless deal with. 90A is the place gaskets seal correctly, grips really feel grippy, and wearables cease being inflexible jewellery, and PolyFlex’s diameter consistency issues much more at this hardness. Gradual to 30mm/s, disable retraction, and maintain the filament path brief. The reward is elements with actual squish that also print reliably.
Value: ~$35/kg (approximate; varies by colour, sale interval and area, click on by for present pricing)
- Nozzle 210 to 230°C; 25 to 30mm/s; direct drive
- Actual softness with PolyFlex consistency
- Gaskets, grips, wearables, seals
NinjaFlex 85A
Greatest for: elements that should squash flat and bounce again. NinjaFlex successfully invented client versatile printing and its 85A authentic stays the benchmark delicate filament: stress-ball delicate, tear-resistant, and constant. It calls for respect, direct drive solely, 20 to 25mm/s, zero retraction, dry filament, and it’s the most costly spool on this web page. Nothing else prints a very delicate half as reliably.
Value: ~$45/kg (approximate; varies by colour, sale interval and area, click on by for present pricing)
- Nozzle 225 to 250°C; 20 to 25mm/s; direct drive ONLY
- True 85A softness, wonderful tear power
- The class benchmark since versatile printing started
How to decide on TPU
Begin out of your extruder, not the half. Direct drive opens the entire hardness vary; a protracted Bowden path realistically caps you at 95A, and even then favors essentially the most constant spools. Examine which you will have earlier than falling in love with an 85A mission.
Decide the firmest grade that does the job. Each step softer doubles the fuss: slower speeds, no retraction, extra stringing, pickier first layers. A 95A telephone case protects higher than an 85A one anyway; drop beneath 95A solely when squash is the precise requirement.
Dry it like nylon, not like PLA. TPU drinks moisture, and moist TPU is unprintable: effervescent, stringing, foamy layers. Sealed storage with desiccant and a pre-print drying cycle (4 to five hours at 50 to 55°C) must be commonplace process; our dryer information covers models with TPU presets.
If what your half actually wants is rigidity plus somewhat give, you might have considered trying PETG relatively than TPU in any respect; the filament information and the versatile class information map the complete territory between inflexible and rubber.
Often requested questions
What shore hardness ought to I select for my first TPU?
95A, nearly with out exception. It’s versatile sufficient for instances, bumpers, wheels, straps, and ft, however agency sufficient to feed by any direct-drive extruder and most Bowden setups. Go softer solely when an element particularly must compress, and anticipate every softer grade to demand slower, fussier printing.
Can I print TPU on a Bowden printer?
95A, sure, with care: gradual to 25 to 30mm/s, reduce retraction, and use essentially the most dimensionally constant spool you will get, as a result of any buckling in that lengthy tube turns into a jam. 90A is the sensible ground for Bowden, and 85A is realistically direct-drive solely.
Why does my TPU print bubble and string?
Moisture, nearly each time. TPU absorbs water inside days in open air, and moist TPU steams within the nozzle, leaving bubbles, foam-textured partitions, and heavy stringing. Dry the spool for 4 to five hours at 50 to 55°C and the identical filament often prints clear. Persistent stringing after drying means the nozzle is working sizzling.
How gradual do I actually need to print TPU?
Normal 95A behaves finest at 25 to 40mm/s with constant pace all through; delicate 85A desires 20 to 25mm/s. The exception is high-flow TPU, engineered to feed and fuse at 100mm/s or extra. Regardless of the grade, fixed pace beats intelligent pace: variation is what causes extruder hiccups.
Is TPU waterproof?
The fabric itself doesn’t take in significant water as soon as printed, and TPU elements survive soaking, sweat, and climate with out degrading, which is why it fits watch bands and outside bumpers. A printed half is simply as watertight as its partitions, although: use 3+ perimeters and slight over-extrusion for genuinely sealed prints.
Why will regular TPU not work in a Bambu AMS?
The AMS feed path contains lengthy tubes and sharp drive engagements that delicate filament buckles inside; jamming is near-guaranteed with odd 95A. Bambu’s TPU for AMS is a a lot firmer grade engineered to outlive that path. Softer TPUs run effective on Bambu printers through the exterior spool holder.
Does TPU put on out nozzles or extruders?
No; in contrast to fiber-filled filaments, TPU is mild on {hardware}. The damage level is operator endurance. Brass nozzles are effective, inventory hotends are effective. If a spool is grinding within the extruder, that could be a stress or pace drawback, not abrasion.
