TPU

TPU or thermoplastic polyurethane is a common flexible material often confused with TPE. TPU is a type of TPE. Recently, “TPU”, both as a term and as a material, has been gaining popularity over “TPE”. In today’s 3D printing scene, most flexible offerings are TPU-based materials, with TPE having fallen largely out of favor due to difficulties faced while printing. There are different versions of TPU material but in the main, it can be classed into two types. Firstly known as Polyether Polyurethane and secondly Polyester Polyurethane. Both have different characteristics that can be suited to a specific need.

Printability of TPU filament

TPU filaments are claimed to have a better printability than TPE filaments. Still, you need to take similar preventive measures as with TPE. The best results when printing with TPU will be seen when printing with a slow and consistent speed. As TPU has a high level of elasticity, it can mean that any sudden changes can cause a loss of control in the print speed. Fast print speeds can result in the filament compressing and will lead to a jam. Concluding: slow and steady is the best approach to take when printing TPU. The recommended printing speed is 5-40 mm/s (higher for harder filaments, lower for softer materials).

TPU mechanical and thermal properties

In certain blends, it can become very soft, but TPU material offers many benefits and features. 3D printed parts with TPU are durable and have the ability to withstand ambient temperatures of up to 80 degrees Celsius. TPU is very elastic ranging from 600 to 700%. It has increased chemical resistance to oils and greases. It also has an excellent interlayer adhesion and no curling or delamination during the 3D printing process.

Browse all TPU filaments in stock in our warehouse in Senec, Slovakia. For comparison, see also TPE and FLEX.