TPU 55D | Devil Design
With a Shore hardness of 55D, this is one of the less flexible filaments that we offer on our website. If you're beginning with flexible materials, starting with a less soft filament like this one is a good idea.
Technical informations
Thermal properties | |
| Drying settings | 80 °C for 3 h |
Filament properties | |
| Country of origin | Poland |
| Filament density | 1.23 g/mm3 |
| Diameter tolerance | 0.05 mm |
| Hardness (shore) | 55D |
| Recommended adhesive | Magigoo Pro Flex |
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.
TPU 55D | Devil Design
With a Shore hardness of 55D, this is one of the less flexible filaments that we offer on our website. If you're beginning with flexible materials, starting with a less soft filament like this one is a good idea.
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.
Devil Design is a Polish filament manufacturer known for reliable PLA and PETG with a good quality-to-price ratio and a wide colour range. Its filaments suit hobby makers and anyone who prints a lot and wants consistent results without paying for a premium label. JustCreate3D keeps Devil Design in stock in its warehouse in Senec, Slovakia, and dispatches orders quickly.
Devil Design has been making filaments since 2014 and runs six production lines non-stop. Its materials are known for good flow and quality even at higher printing speeds. The founders are also behind reprapy.pl, a Polish 3D printing community forum launched in 2016.
Devil Design filaments at JustCreate3D
- Everyday PLA – PLA, the glossy PLA SILK and PLA Glow in the Dark.
- PETG – PETG for tougher functional parts.
- Technical materials – ASA for outdoor parts, HIPS as a support or lightweight material, the nylon PA12 and the flexible TPU 55D.
- Starter packs (6 × 330 g) – PLA Multicolor Starterpack, PETG Multicolor Starterpack, Multimaterial Starterpack: a cheap way to try several colours or materials.
How to choose
New to 3D printing? Start with PLA. If your parts need more toughness, go for PETG; for parts exposed to sun and weather, choose ASA, which prints best in an enclosed printer. Not sure which material suits you? The Multimaterial Starterpack lets you test six materials in smaller spools.
Frequently asked questions
Is Devil Design good for fast printers?
Devil Design filaments are known for good flow and stable quality even at higher printing speeds, so they are a popular choice for modern, faster printers. Always start from the temperature range printed on the spool.
What is in the starter packs?
Each starter pack contains six spools of 330 g. The PLA and PETG packs offer six colours of one material; the Multimaterial pack combines different materials, such as PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, HIPS and TPU.
Where is Devil Design made?
Devil Design is a Polish manufacturer. It has been producing filaments on its own production lines since 2014.
Browse all Devil Design filaments, or compare with other PLA and PETG filaments.