3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PEBA vs TPE SEBS
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | PEBA (polyether block amide)FLEX | TPE (SEBS)FLEX |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $60.99/kg median; $60.99–$60.99/kg across 1 dated product listings | $98.25/kg median; $76.50–$120.00/kg across 2 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polyether block amide: rigid polyamide and flexible polyether blocks.[1] | Styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene thermoplastic elastomer — a styrenic rubber, not a polyurethane[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.01 g/cm³ (GB/T 1033; eSUN manufacturer data)[1] | 1.044 printed part density (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 1183-1) — the lightest elastomer here[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Not documented | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 77[3] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | Not documented | 77 for the Recreus 600 g spool; Proto-pasta only lists a 50 g coil, which prices at 120[3][4] |
| Market availability1–5 | Not documented | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2][4][3] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm diameter, 1 kg spool.[5] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.05 and 0.6 kg spools[2][3] |
| Typical applications | Manufacturer applications include footwear, sports equipment and cushioning.[1] | Soft-touch overmoulds and skin-contact parts where a non-polyurethane elastomer is wanted[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 230–260 °C; 240 °C recommended.[1] | 260–280 (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A) — far hotter than any TPU here[2] |
| Bed temperature°C | 60–90 °C[1] | 70–90 (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Not documented | Open frame is fine[2] |
| Part cooling fan | 10–50% fan recommended; mechanical-test specimens used 50–100%.[1] | Not documented |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | PEI build plate[1] | PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[6][7] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 9 mm³/s maximum in eSUN spiral-vase test; mechanical specimens used 2 mm³/s. Linear recommendation 25–110 mm/s is a separate quantity.[1] | 0.8–2.4 at the 10–30 mm/s BASF specifies on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer — the slowest material in this group[2] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[2] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | Nozzle 0.4 mm or larger; BASF caps print speed at 10–30 mm/s[2] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Not documented | Brass fine indefinitely[8] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Not documented | Non-abrasive[8] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; BASF caps print speed at 10–30 mm/s and Simplify3D warns that raised feed rates on flexibles most likely end in a jam[6][2] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[6] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Not documented | Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — BASF states drying is not necessary, unique among the elastomers here[2] |
| Drying temperature & time | 70–75 °C for 6–8 h; re-dry after receiving or extended exposure.[1] | None — BASF states Ultrafuse TPS 90A arrives in a printable condition and drying is not necessary[2] |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[9] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not documented | Not applicable — the SEBS chemistry has no amide or ester linkages to take up water, and BASF specifies no drying at all[2] |
| Storage requirement | Not documented | Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[9] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | >16.5 MPa printed XY, GB/T 1040; manufacturer lower bound, not an exact measurement.[1] | Not documented |
| Elongation at break% | >520% printed XY, GB/T 1040; manufacturer lower bound.[1] | Not documented |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 7.5 MPa printed Z, GB/T 1040 (manufacturer test)[1] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Very ductile — bends far before failing[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | 90 Shore A nominal grade designation; do not compare numerically with Shore D or Rockwell.[5] | 89 Shore A and 29 Shore D (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 7619-1)[2] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Poor — no SEBS creep test; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[10] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — living hinges viable[7] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Rubbery / highly elastic[2] |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | Abrasion 111 mm³ (ISO 4649) — the poorest abrasion resistance in this group, well behind TPU[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 110 °C Vicat softening (GB/T 1633, 120 °C/h, 10 N); not HDT or a continuous-use rating.[1] | 242–249 melting (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 11357-3)[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[7] |
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[7] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — essentially unaffected[2] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[7] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[7] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Not accepted in household plastic collection[7] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Not documented | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[11] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Not documented | Open a window / occasional ventilation[11] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[7] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[7] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | No practical vapour smoothing[7] |
| Support material pairing | Not documented | Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[7] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Not documented | Toluene dissolves SEBS at room temperature — Kraton quotes solution viscosity at 25 % mass in toluene, 25 °C.[12] |
| Softened or crazed by | Not documented | Soaking in hydrocarbon solvents and oils deteriorates it; short exposures are tolerated. Resists water, acids and bases.[12] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Not documented | Toluene will weld it, though the joint stays soft; no workshop-safe agent, and vapour smoothing is not practical.[12] |
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
- eSUN PEBA-90A Technical Data Sheet v1.0 (Aug 2025), checked 2026-10-17 eSUN · 2025-08 · tds
- Ultrafuse TPS 90A Technical Data Sheet (Version 1.1, SEBS) BASF Forward AM · 2020-12 · tds
- Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- eSUN PEBA-90A official product page: 1 kg price and product identity eSUN · 2026-10-17 · vendor
- Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
- 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
- KRATON polymers Grade Range — chemical resistance and toluene solution data Kraton Corporation · 2025-07 · tds