3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

Conductive vs TPU 85A

Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.

Conductive filament guideTPU 85A guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Conductive comparisonsMore TPU 85A comparisons
Conductive vs TPU 85A — documented properties and sources
PropertyConductive filamentSPECIALTYTPU 85AFLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$170.36/kg median; $89.99–$796.00/kg across 4 dated product listings$89.89/kg median; $31.99–$106.05/kg across 6 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryA carbon-filled compound conductive by volume rather than merely dissipative; Proto-pasta's is PLA-based, Recreus's and NinjaTek's are TPU, and add:north's Koltron G1 does not state its base polymer[1][2][3][4]Soft thermoplastic polyurethane at 82–85 Shore A[5][6][7]
Densityg/cm³Not documented1.11 (BASF Ultrafuse 85A) to 1.19 (NinjaFlex 85A), ISO 1183 / ASTM D792[7][5]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 90–181 for the carbon-filled grades; add:north's Koltron G1 sits far above at 796 because it is sold only in 100 and 250 g coils[8][9][10]1 kg-equivalent spools span 32–106; the middle of the market is about 90[11][12][5]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg90–796 across brands; Proto-pasta conductive PLA 90 at 1 kg, Recreus Conductive Filaflex 160 at 500 g, NinjaTek Eel 181 at 1 kg, add:north Koltron G1 796 at 250 g[8][2][9][10]32–106 across brands; Siraya Tech Flex TPU 85A 32 at 1 kg, add:north TPU Pro Matte 85A 72, Recreus Filaflex 82A 90 at 500 g, Proto-pasta Clear Flexible TPU 90, 3DXTech 3DXFLEX 85A 96, NinjaTek NinjaFlex 106[8][11][12][13][5]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[8][2]Available from several mainstream brands[11][8]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[8][2][9][10]1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[11][8][5]
Typical applicationsCapacitive touch surfaces, low-current traces, EMI shielding and static-safe fixtures[1]Soft-touch grips, seals, wearables and anything that must compress and rebound[5][6]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented200–220 (BASF Ultrafuse 85A, 210 typical)[7]
Bed temperature°CNot documented40 (BASF Ultrafuse 85A)[7]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1]Open frame is fine[7]
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedPEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[14][15]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented1.2–3.2 at the 15–40 mm/s BASF specifies on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[7]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone[7]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedSticks to anything — Recreus states its 82A grade has excellent bed adhesion without a heated bed or additives[6]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Not documentedHigh — drying plus tuning needed[16][15]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[1]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; at this hardness the filament will not push through a Bowden tube[5][6]
Extruder requirementNot documentedDirect drive only. NinjaTek calls its 85A grade ideal for direct-drive extruders and Recreus specifies direct-drive printers for 82A; BASF caps print speed at 15–40 mm/s with a nozzle of 0.4 mm or larger[5][6][7]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work[1]Brass fine indefinitely[17]
Abrasiveness1–5Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[1]Non-abrasive[17]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — Proto-pasta states the carbon-filled grade prints on standard PLA settings with no special nozzle required[1]High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[16][15]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedVery high — softens in the cold zone readily; soft filament buckles between the drive gear and the melt zone[15][5]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[14]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Not documentedModerate — NinjaTek measures 0.22 % in 24 h (ASTM D570) and BASF specifies a 70 °C dry for at least 5 h[5][7]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.22 after 24 h water immersion (NinjaFlex 85A, ASTM D570) — an immersion figure, not an equilibrium moisture content at 50 % RH[5]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented70 °C for at least 5 h in a hot-air dryer or vacuum oven (BASF)[7]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[16]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[16]Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; wet TPU prints with poor layer adhesion and weak, brittle layers[16]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[16]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPaNot documented26 ultimate (NinjaFlex 85A, ASTM D638)[5]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented12 (NinjaFlex 85A, ASTM D638) — two orders of magnitude below any rigid filament; NinjaTek's 95A Cheetah reaches 26 by the same method[5][18]
Elongation at break%Not documented650 at break (Filaflex 82A) and 660 (NinjaFlex 85A); BASF measures 600 in XY and 320 in ZX[6][5][7]
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning; carbon-black loading at conductive levels embrittles PLA[1]Very ductile — bends far before failing[5]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documented29 Shore D / 85 Shore A (BASF Ultrafuse 85A, ISO 7619-1); 85 Shore A (NinjaFlex, ASTM D2240); 82 A nominal for Filaflex[5][7][6]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — no 85A creep test; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg, and softer grades creep more[19]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Not documentedExcellent — living hinges viable[15]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rubbery / highly elastic[5][6]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented53 — BASF measures 320 % elongation at break in ZX against 600 % in XY[7]
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedAbrasion 0.08 g mass loss over 10 000 cycles (NinjaFlex, ASTM D4060); 82 mm³ (BASF, ISO 4649)[5][7]
Thermal Properties
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented216 melting (NinjaFlex 85A, DSC)[5]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedGood — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[15]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedWithstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[15]
Food contactNot documentedNot food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[15]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedNot biodegradable[15]
RecyclabilityNot documentedNot accepted in household plastic collection[15]
Electrical & ESD propertiesConductive rather than dissipative — Proto-pasta sells the grade as electrically conductive composite PLA[1]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[20]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[20]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[20]Open a window / occasional ventilation[20]
Dust & fibre handling hazardConductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedDifficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[15]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[15]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing[15]
Support material pairingNot documentedPolymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[15]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform dissolves PLA-based grades, leaving the carbon black; TPU-based grades need DMF, NMP or THF. Laboratory reagents.[21][22]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[22]
Softened or crazed byAcetone and ethyl acetate plasticise a PLA-based grade; a TPU-based grade swells in toluene, esters and alcohols.[21][22]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[22]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — neither PLA nor TPU has a workshop-safe welding or smoothing solvent.[21][22]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[22]

Material entries describe families or representative grades, not an interchangeable specification for every spool. Test methods, orientations and conditions may differ. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.

Sources for this comparison

  1. Electrically Conductive Composite PLA — product page and technical data Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · tds
  2. Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Eel 3D Printing Filament Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Koltron G1 Technical Data Sheet add:north · 2026-08 · tds
  5. NinjaFlex 85A Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  6. Filaflex 82A product page (Shore hardness and elongation) Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Ultrafuse TPU 85A Technical Data Sheet (Version 3.0) BASF Forward AM · 2022-08 · tds
  8. Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Eel product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. add:north Koltron G1 product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Siraya Tech Flex TPU 85A Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. add:north TPU Pro Matte 85A product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  15. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  18. NinjaTek technical specs comparison chart (Cheetah, NinjaFlex, Armadillo, Alloy 910, Nylon 645) NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  19. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  20. Emissions of Ultrafine Particles and Volatile Organic Compounds from Commercially Available Desktop Three-Dimensional Printers with Multiple Filaments (Azimi et al.) Environmental Science & Technology 50(3) 1260-1268 · 2016-01 · paper
  21. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  22. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds