Garden Railway Forum

I've been asked to print something using flexible TPU filament. Does anyone have any experience with this and/or hints, tips and 'DO NOT do this'! ?

Not even heard of it until now, but this chap has ....

https://3dprinting.com/reviews/hands-on ... -filament/

Rik

I've got a roll sitting on the shelf here for a project I haven't started yet.

Researching it there are three factors to consider;
TPU comes in many different types of varying flexibility, make sure you know what you're buying and that it will suit your requirements.
It can be difficult to get both plate adhesion on the first layer and removal after printing.
It always needs to be put into a dryer before use.

Thanks Paul. Yes, my investigations have thrown up much the same limits re stickability and drying. As for the type of TPU, the guy who has asked me to do the print is supplying the filament he wants me to use, so if it doesn't work in context, it ain't my fault! What he wants is a stepped sleeve to link two cylindrical components together tightly, but they are fractionally different diameters - ca 0.5mm difference. Simple PLA would do the job, and I've already tried that, but the problems of tolerance make it almost impossible to get a tight sliding fit on both parts and his theory is that the flexibility of TPU might provide enough 'give' to allow a tight fit without forcing it. We shall see!

Let us know how you get on.

hat he wants is a stepped sleeve to link two cylindrical components together tightly, but they are fractionally different diameters - ca 0.5mm difference.

Without knowing the function of the parts it's difficult to comment on TPU's applicability. It might be prefect, but it may be poor if the loads are too high or from the wrong direction.

the problems of tolerance make it almost impossible to get a tight sliding fit on both parts

PLA should be OK for that anyway, but the measurement of parts need to be absolutely correct and the printer/filament combination needs good calibration too.
I've made some adaptors for dust collection of woodworking kit which sounds a similar task. The problem is that the parts often have a very fine taper on them that makes measurement and design difficult.

ge_rik wrote: Fri Nov 07, 2025 6:47 pm Not even heard of it until now, but this chap has ....

https://3dprinting.com/reviews/hands-on ... -filament/

Rik

Thanks Rik.
I had heard of it before and wondered about its use, but never looked into it because I didn't see a need to use it - most of the suppliers pictures seem to show model tyres!
That link is very interesting, but as Paul said there are various versions of the chemical recipe which have some effect on the material, although exactly what I've no idea. The one I'm being sent is:

ERYONE TPU Filament 1.75mm, 3D Printer Filament,Flexible 95A TPU, +/-0.03mm, 0.5kg 1 Spool, Black

It has very good feedback on Amazon but I can't put the Amazon link here because it keeps saying it can't find the link

Should be here this afternoon so we'll see what happens!

philipy wrote: Sat Nov 08, 2025 10:24 am

ERYONE TPU Filament 1.75mm, 3D Printer Filament,Flexible 95A TPU, +/-0.03mm, 0.5kg 1 Spool, Black

It has very good feedback on Amazon but I can't put the Amazon link here because it keeps saying it can't find the link

Should be here this afternoon so we'll see what happens!

Because my large printer is an Eryone, I've been using their fament for a good few years. I've certainly never had problems with their PLA whereas I keep finding Sunlu snaps if I leave it a couple of weeks between print runs

Rik

TPU is flexible filament. Stays flexible. Good stuff

BUT

A RPITA to work with. Normally, the supports just fall of if you touch them. With TPU they are hard to get off (pliers needed) and it is easy to damage the model.
Takes a lot of trial and error to get the supports to support and to be removable at the same time.

Disclaimer:

I don't have a 3D printer..

Is this the type of stuff that people have used to print 'working' hinges?

I have also (in passing) seen drive-chain having been printed.
With the reports of the supply of Delrin chain drying up, I wondered on the collectives thoughts on 'printing' an alternative?

Phil.P

TPU can also be used to print seals/gaskets but it is not resitant against petrol.

Well... so far so good.
Admittedly only a very simple object, but none of the doom and gloom seems to have materialised. The object is a tube approx 13mm long and 30mm/30.5mm diameter (with a 0.5mm step internally half way down).

Just using my standard PLA printer settings ( 60 bed and 205 head temps) with a standard brass nozzle, bed adhesion was fine and no real probs getting them off ( I've printed 3 of the same object). There is a fair bit of very fine stringing across the inside but that is probably just needing settings tweaks and tbh, for what I need its easier and quicker to trim it than mess about with fine tuning the settings.

So, the pic on the left is off the printer, the middle one is self explanatory and the RH one is the same object relaxed afterwards and shape regained.