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Flexible TPU

Whether you want a super soft phone case, or you want to add some impact resistance to your hard plastic print - TPU has you covered.

Flexible TPU FAQ

Are there any printing requirements?

It can depend. TPU95-HF can print on any printer since it has high flow capabilities, but TPU90 is very soft and will require a direct extruder with a good gear ratio.

Trying to print TPU90 on a Bowden setup will likely lead to extrusion issues.

TPU95 is in-between and it is possible to print on a Bowden setup - but you need to print very slowly.

What is difference between TPU90, TPU95, and TPU95-HF?

The number refers to the shore hardness of the material. Shore hardness works via the smaller the number, the softer the material.

This means that TPU90 would be our softest option with a shore hardness of 90A.

TPU95 has a shore hardness of 95A.

TPU95-HF is a bit closer to being a shore hardness of 98A rather than 95A, meaning it is the hardest of the 3 TPU options we have.

What is TPU95-HF?

PolyFlex™ TPU95-HF, created from Covestro’s Addigy®️ family, is a TPU with high flow properties making it ideal for high speed printing. PolyFlex™ TPU95-HF unlocks new applications for flexible materials in manufacturing.

How strong is TPU?

TPU options are EXTREMELY impact resistant and have phenomenal layer adhesion. It is going to be near impossible to break a TPU print by dropping it or throwing it at a wall.

The good layer adhesion though does make it difficult to use parent support material, since it is hard to remove after printing.

Will the spools work in an AMS?

This is hard to answer. While we have redesigned the edges of our spools so all Polymaker products will now spin great in the AMS - TPU is often too soft to feed into the AMS properly.

Use TPU in the AMS with caution - we suggest avoiding it.

Where are all the docs? TDS, SDS, etc.?

You can view all material products' TDS, SDS, and Printing Profiles HERE

You can also find mechanical properties HERE

You can then find our other docs:

REACH

RoHS

889

PCP

ISO9001 Cert

Need further information? We would recommend joining our Discord. Thousands of active community members may have already created the profile you are looking for!

Are PolyFlex TPUs UV resistant?

TPU is not inherently UV resistant, but we have additives to our TPUs to enhance their UV resistance.

PolyFlex™ TPU90

PolyFlex™ TPU90, created from Covestro’s Addigy®️ family, is a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) based filament designed to provide great flexibility without compromising on printing speed.

Parameter

Nozzle temperature

210 – 230 (℃)

Build surface treatment

PC and Texture PEI (Glue when needed)

Build plate temperature

25 - 60 (˚C)

Cooling fan

ON

Printing speed

30 – 70 (mm/s)

Retraction distance

3 - 6 (mm)

Retraction speed

40 - 60 (mm/s)

Closure Chamber

No Needed

Recommended support material

PolySupport™ and PolyDissolve™ S1

Drying setting

70˚C for 8h

Print Tips

This material can be printed on most printers, but it is highly recommended you use a direct extruder setup and not Bowden.

  • The further the gap between your extruder and hotend, the more difficult this material will be to print.

  • Print slow, and even slower if your extruder has a distance between itself and the hotend. 30mm/s - 60mm/s.

  • Keep your cooling fan on for good surface quality.

  • This material has amazing layer adhesion which will make using parent support material very difficult. It is suggested you design your part to not need support material as much as possible.

  • TPU is known for being stringy, so it is going to be difficult to get rid of all of the stringiness/hair on the print.

  • 90 refers to it's shore hardness of 90A.

FAQ

Can my printer print PolyFlex™ TPU90?

We highly recommend to use a direct drive printer to print PolyFlex™ TPU90. A direct drive printer is a printer with the extruder mounted on top of the hot end.

What makes PolyFlex™ TPU90 unique?

PolyFlex™ TPU90 is easier to print than similar flexible material thank to its high melt index.

What does the number stand for?

The number next to "TPU" refers to the shore hardness. A higher number means a harder material. TPU90 is our softest, followed by TPU95 and then TPU95-HF (which is closer to a shore hardness of 98A than 95A).

In 3D printing the shore hardness is only an indication on how flexible the printed part will be. However it is important to also take in consideration the infill percentage, number of walls, top/bottom layers and the layer height.

Do you have any suggestions when printing TPU90 with support structure on single extruder printer?

Generally, when printing with TPU materials, if support structures are needed, we recommend using specialized support materials such as PolyDissolve™ S1. However, considering the single extruder devices that users may have, we suggest customers adjust the orientation of the model to minimize the use of support structures, or place support structures in inconspicuous areas that won't affect the appearance.

Do you have a certificate that TPU90 complies with the essential safety and performance requirements of Regulation (EU) 2017/745 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2017 on medical devices?

The tests done on PolyFlex TPU90 are by method of ISO 10993 - 5 (Tests for in vitro cytotoxicity), 10 (Tests for irritation and skin sensitization), 11 (Tests for systemic toxicity), 23 (Tests for irritation).

This material can pass ISO-10993 -5/10/11/23 and is safe for skin contact applications.

Printing Profiles

Documents

TDS

SDS

Other Docs

PolyFlex™ TPU95

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.

Parameter

Nozzle temperature

210 – 230 (℃)

Build surface treatment

PC and Texture PEI (Glue when needed)

Build plate temperature

25 - 60 (˚C)

Cooling fan

ON

Printing speed

30 – 50 (mm/s)

Retraction distance

3 - 6 (mm)

Retraction speed

40 - 60 (mm/s)

Closure Chamber

No Needed

Recommended support material

PolySupport™ and PolyDissolve™ S1

Drying setting

70˚C for 8h

Print Tips

This material can be printed on most printers, but can print faster on a direct extruder than a Bowden setup.

  • The further the gap between your extruder and hotend, the slower you will have to print.

  • Print slow, and even slower if your extruder has a distance between itself and the hotend. 30mm/s - 60mm/s.

  • Keep your cooling fan on for good surface quality.

  • This material has amazing layer adhesion which will make using parent support material very difficult. It is suggested you design your part to not need support material as much as possible.

  • TPU is known for being stringy, so it is going to be difficult to get rid of all of the stringiness/hair on the print.

  • 95 refers to it's shore hardness of 95A.

FAQ

Can my printer print PolyFlex™ TPU95?

We highly recommend to use a direct drive printer to print PolyFlex™ TPU95. A direct drive printer is a printer with the extruder mounted on top of the hot end.

What does the number stand for?

The number next to "TPU" refers to the shore hardness. A higher number means a harder material. TPU90 is our softest, followed by TPU95 and then TPU95-HF (which is closer to a shore hardness of 98A than 95A).

In 3D printing the shore hardness is only an indication on how flexible the printed part will be. However it is important to also take in consideration the infill percentage, number of walls, top/bottom layers and the layer height.

Do you have any suggestions when printing TPU95 with support structure on single extruder printer?

Generally, when printing with TPU materials, if support structures are needed, we recommend using specialized support materials such as PolyDissolve™ S1. However, considering the single extruder devices that users may have, we suggest customers adjust the orientation of the model to minimize the use of support structures, or place support structures in inconspicuous areas that won't affect the appearance.

Printing Profiles

Documents

TDS

SDS

Other Docs

PolyFlex™ TPU95-HF

PolyFlex™ TPU95-HF, created from Covestro’s Addigy®️ family, is a TPU with high flow properties making it ideal for high speed printing. PolyFlex™ TPU95-HF unlocks new applications for flexible materials in manufacturing.

Parameter

Nozzle temperature

200 – 230 (℃)

Build surface treatment

PC and Texture PEI (Glue when needed)

Build plate temperature

25 - 50 (˚C)

Cooling fan

ON

Printing speed

30 – 100 (mm/s)

Retraction distance

3 - 6 (mm)

Retraction speed

40 - 60 (mm/s)

Closure Chamber

No Needed

Recommended support material

PolySupport™ and PolyDissolve™ S1

Drying setting

70˚C for 8h

Print Tips

This material can be printed on most printers and is designed for high flow. That said, it can print faster on a direct extruder than a Bowden setup.

  • The further the gap between your extruder and hotend, the slower you will have to print.

  • Print slower if your extruder has a distance between itself and the hotend. 40mm/s - 100mm/s.

  • Keep your cooling fan on for good surface quality.

  • This material has amazing layer adhesion which will make using parent support material very difficult. It is suggested you design your part to not need support material as much as possible.

  • TPU is known for being stringy, so it is going to be difficult to get rid of all of the stringiness/hair on the print.

  • TPU95-HF is a slightly harder than 95A and has a shore hardness rating closer to around 98A.

FAQ

What does the HF stand for?

HF stands for High Flow. This TPU is designed to print fast on direct, geared extrudres and can print even with a Bowden setup.

Can my printer print PolyFlex™ TPU95-HF?

PolyFlex™ TPU95-HF can be printed on an indirect drive printer however we highly recommend to use a direct drive printer to print PolyFlex™ TPU95-HF at its high speed settings. A direct drive printer is a printer with the extruder mounted on top of the hot end.

What makes PolyFlex™ TPU95-HF unique?

PolyFlex™ TPU95-HF is a high flow TPU, which means with the right setup (direct drive printer), it can be printed at 100mm/s+.

What does the number stand for?

The number next to "TPU" refers to the shore hardness. A higher number means a harder material. TPU90 is our softest, followed by TPU95 and then TPU95-HF (which is closer to a shore hardness of 98A than 95A).

In 3D printing the shore hardness is only an indication on how flexible the printed part will be. However it is important to also take in consideration the infill percentage, number of walls, top/bottom layers and the layer height.

Do you have any suggestions when printing TPU95-HF with support structure on single extruder printer?

Generally, when printing with TPU materials, if support structures are needed, we recommend using specialized support materials such as PolyDissolve™ S1. However, considering the single extruder devices that users may have, we suggest customers adjust the orientation of the model to minimize the use of support structures, or place support structures in inconspicuous areas that won't affect the appearance.

Printing Profiles

Documents

TDS

SDS

Other Docs