PolyFlex™ TPU 95A | Polymaker™
PolyFlex™ TPU95 is a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) based filament specifically engineered to work on most desktop 3D printers. It has a shore hardness of 95A and can stretch more than 3 times its original length.
Technical informations
Thermal properties | |
| Drying settings | 65 °C for 8 h |
Filament properties | |
| Country of origin | China |
| Filament density | 1.22 g/mm3 |
| Diameter tolerance | 0.05 mm |
| Hardness (shore) | 95A |
Spool weight and dimensions |
How to store filaments
Humidity and UV light can decrease the filament quality and weaken its mechanical properties. We strongly recommend storing open filaments in a dry and dark place. You can find a complete guide on how to properly store your filament here
Where to throw print fails and supports?
We kindly ask our customers to cope with plastic waste responsibly. Failed prints, support material, rafts, or brims should be liquidated according to the local guidelines. Paradoxically, in most cases, it is better to throw this waste in the regular trash can, as most of the material waste created in 3D printing is not identified, which causes more problems than benefits in the waste sorting facilities.
PolyFlex™ TPU 95A | Polymaker™
PolyFlex™ TPU95 is a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) based filament specifically engineered to work on most desktop 3D printers. It has a shore hardness of 95A and can stretch more than 3 times its original length.
Polymaker just introduced a new portfolio design, please note that PolyFlex™ TPU95 was formerly called PolyFlex™ so you may still receive a product named PolyFlex™.
General information about FLEX :
Flexible materials can be tricky for beginners, with the filament going out somewhere in the middle of the extruder, extreme stringing, or adhesion issues. It’s also easy to get confused by their names and their hardness. For example, Shore 80A is softer than Shore 40D and Shore 40D is harder than Shore 20D. To make things simple: Shore A is used to measure softer stuff Shore D is used to measure harder stuff.
There are various types of different flexible materials available: NinjaFlex, PolyFlex, RubberJet, TPA, TPC, TPE, TPU, PP, Soft PLA, PEBA and the list goes on... The most common two are:
- TPE - thermoplastic elastomers
- TPU - thermoplastic polyurethane.
Less common flexible materials are thermoplastic copolyester (TPC), thermoplastic polyamide (TPA), and then the arguably flexible materials like PP (Polypropylen) and Soft PLA, a purposely weakened version of PLA. Regarding NinjaFlex, PolyFlex, RubberJet, and so on, these are just fancy commercial names to stand out, but in most cases are TPU or TPE.
Printability of flexible filament
Printing with flexible filaments can be challenging at first, but there are a few tips that can drastically increase your print success rate. For successful printing with soft & flexible filaments, please follow the following tips:
- Start your journey with flexible filaments with a harder, less soft material.
- Decrease your printing speed. Start with 10 mm/s and slowly increase the printing speed up to 30 mm/s
- Turn off completely retractions. Retractions don't work with flexible filaments as they only stretch the filaments in the extruder and lead to inconsistent extruding pressure.
- Use as a bed adhesive regular office tape/scotch. As basic office tape is made from PP (polypropylene), it reacts perfectly with most flexible materials creating the perfect base material. If you're following this tip, it should not be even necessary to heat the hotbed.
- If you're having adhesion issues, make sure to addopt a specialized adhesives for flexible filaments, like Magigoo Pro Flex.
Some flexible filaments show lower adhesion to conventional 3D-printing build surfaces and a high tendency to warp. Others tend to stick too well to bare 3D printing surfaces such as glass and PEI.
Tips: For larger prints and filaments with a high shrinkage rate, a 20 mm brim is recommended. In cases of excess adhesion, it is recommended to wet print bed with a small amount of water, slowly apply it below the part, this should make the part removal easier.
Flexible filaments are not compatible with long bowden extruders as their flexibility makes an uneven pressure in the extrusion mechanism.
Mechanical and thermal properties of flexible filaments
Thermoplastic rubbers exist as co-polymers or a polymer blend, generally of a plastic and a rubber. This imparts both thermoplastic and elastomeric properties. As a result, these materials have the advantage of being able to stretch to moderate elongations and return to their original shape. Additionally, these materials have very good thermal properties, material stability, chemical resistance, and are more cost-effective to produce. As a result, these materials are highly sought in industrial applications.
Browse all flexible filaments in stock in our warehouse in Senec, Slovakia. For comparison, see also TPU and TPE.
PolyMaker is a premium quality 3D printing filament manufacturer. They're known for "hacking" 3D printing materials where their materials overtake any competition. With 7 registered technologies, their 3D printing filaments widen the range of applications of any desktop 3D printer. One of the most interesting is PolySmooth's layer-free technology, where when combined with the Polysher, you can obtain a perfectly smooth and perfectly layer-free print. Recently, PolyMaker decided to lower its impact on the planet and released PolyTerra™, an ecological breakthrough among filaments, where the filament, the package, and the spool are biodegradable. In addition, a tree is planted for each sold filament!
Material Comparison Chart
A comprehensive and extremely valuable resource provided by PolyMaker is the comparison chart. The chart is a true goldmine allowing easy comparison between materials with each mechanical and thermal property. It also includes data about the ease of printing.
Print Profiles
On Polymaker's download page you can find print profiles for most commercial 3D printers like Prusa, Flashforge, Raise3D, Ultimaker, Lulzbot.. also tweaked for different slicers, like Prusa Slicer, Cura or even IdeaMaker.
Browse all Polymaker™ filaments in stock in our Senec warehouse. PolyDryer, PolyBox and the Polysher smoothing machine are in 3D printing accessories.