TPU
Thermoplastic Polyurethane
TPU is flexible, elastic, and forgiving to print in terms of warping, but demands slow speeds, very low cooling, a release agent on the bed, and mandatory drying to prevent moisture-related jams and defects, making it more challenging to dial in than PLA but easier than ABS in terms of environmental requirements.
Ease of use: Moderate
This filament is moderately demanding to print, flexible. Worth watching: it can be moisture-sensitive and low on heat resistance.
Nozzle 210-230 °CBed 30-60 °CEnclosure Not RequiredStrength MediumHeat LowMoisture HighFumes LowSpeed sensitivity Very Highⓘ
ⓘ Ratings you can usually improve by dialing in your settings.
Things to watch
- Soaks up moisture quickly, keep it sealed and dry before printing
- Softens in heat, not for hot cars or near heat sources
- Shrinks as it cools, which can affect dimensional accuracy
- Struggles with bridges and steep overhangs without supports
Strengths
- Solid strength for everyday parts
- Wear-resistant for moving and rubbing parts
- Flexible and rubber-like
- Layers bond strongly for clean, watertight prints
- Stays flat, very little warping
- Food-safe potential with the right setup
Full spec sheet · 49 fields
Printing requirements
210-230 °C
Off, 40-60°C
Medium 50%
Off
Ambient (20-35°C)
Low
Open Window / Room Ventilation, Carbon Filtration
Dilutes airborne contaminants but doesn't filter them. Reduces VOCs and odors but not ultrafine particles.
1.03
Recommended (Glue (release), Tape)
Required
Recommended
40-50 °C for 6-8 h
Printing characteristics
Variableⓘ
None
0.5-1.5 %
Difficult
Exceptionalⓘ
Poorⓘ
Moderateⓘ
Moderateⓘ
Very Highⓘ
30 mm/s
High
None
Low
Material properties
1.20 g/cm³
Medium · 35 MPa
Low · 0.03 GPa
Flexible · 450% elong.
Low · 50 °C HDT
-35 °C
High · 1.00% in 24h
Low · 0.05 GPa
Fair
Good
Excellent
Fair
Poor
Good
Fair
Exceptional
None
With proper processing
Post-processing
Poor
Poor
No
Fair
Poor
Not recommended
Common uses
⚙️ Mechanical
Bushings & bearings
⚡ Electronics
Drone framesRC car parts
Filaments (25)
All brands
| Filament ↕ | Brand ↕ | Series ↕ | $/kg ↕ | Colors ↕ | Specialties | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bambu Lab | TPU 90A | — | Flexible / ElasticSoft | |||
| Bambu Lab | TPU 85A | — | SoftFlexible / Elastic | |||
| Bambu Lab | TPU for AMS | — | Flexible / Elastic | |||
| Bambu Lab | TPU 90A | — | Flexible / ElasticSoft | |||
| Bambu Lab | TPU for AMS | — | Flexible / Elastic | |||
| CookieCad | Elixir | $34.95 | IridescentShimmer | |||
| Bambu Lab | TPU 90A | — | Flexible / ElasticSoft | |||
| Bambu Lab | TPU 90A | — | Flexible / ElasticSoft | |||
| CookieCad | Elixir | $34.95 | Shimmer | |||
| Bambu Lab | TPU 85A | — | SoftFlexible / Elastic | |||
| Bambu Lab | TPU 90A | — | GradientFlexible / ElasticSoft | |||
| Bambu Lab | TPU 90A | — | Flexible / ElasticSoftTranslucent | |||
| Bambu Lab | TPU for AMS | — | Flexible / Elastic | |||
| Bambu Lab | TPU 85A | — | SoftFlexible / Elastic | |||
| Bambu Lab | TPU 85A | — | SoftFlexible / Elastic |
1–15 of 25