3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PEBA vs TPU-CF
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | PEBA (polyether block amide)FLEX | Carbon-fibre TPUFLEX |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $60.99/kg median; $60.99–$60.99/kg across 1 dated product listings | $107.05/kg median; $107.05–$107.05/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polyether block amide: rigid polyamide and flexible polyether blocks.[1] | Carbon-fibre reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane at the hard end of the range[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.01 g/cm³ (GB/T 1033; eSUN manufacturer data)[1] | 1.22 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 2781)[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Not documented | 107 for the only retail listing found (Extrudr 0.5 kg coil, incl. VAT)[3] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | Not documented | One listing only: EUR 49.56 incl. VAT per 0.5 kg coil, direct from Extrudr; no reseller or second brand found[3] |
| Market availability1–5 | Not documented | Niche, a handful of specialist brands — Extrudr's FLEX HARD CF is the only carbon-filled flexible with a published datasheet found here[2] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm diameter, 1 kg spool.[4] | 1.75 mm; 0.5 and 2 kg coils[3] |
| Typical applications | Manufacturer applications include footwear, sports equipment and cushioning.[1] | Stiffened flexible parts — damping mounts and semi-rigid brackets[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 230–260 °C; 240 °C recommended.[1] | 230–260 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[2] |
| Bed temperature°C | 60–90 °C[1] | 50–90 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[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[5][6] |
| 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] | 1.6–8 at the 20–100 mm/s Extrudr specifies on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle needed[2] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Not documented | Hardened steel required — Extrudr marks FLEX HARD CF as needing a hardened nozzle where its unfilled FLEX grades do not[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Not documented | Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Not documented | High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; a flexible base plus chopped carbon fibre, which Prusa lists as a higher nozzle-clogging risk, and Extrudr requires a hardened nozzle[7][2][5] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[5] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Not documented | Moderate[8] |
| Drying temperature & time | 70–75 °C for 6–8 h; re-dry after receiving or extended exposure.[1] | 60 °C for 6 h (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[2] |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[8] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not documented | Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[8] |
| Storage requirement | Not documented | Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[8] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | >16.5 MPa printed XY, GB/T 1040; manufacturer lower bound, not an exact measurement.[1] | Not documented |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 35 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 527-2/5A/500)[2] |
| Elongation at break% | >520% printed XY, GB/T 1040; manufacturer lower bound.[1] | 380 ultimate elongation (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 527-2/5A/500), against 490 for the unfilled FLEX HARD[2] |
| 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.[4] | 70 Shore D (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 868), against 58 Shore D for the unfilled FLEX HARD[2] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Below average — no CF-grade creep test; the grade is 70 Shore D where a 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[2][9] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Good — 380 % ultimate elongation and a damping application set (Extrudr cites longboard wheels), below the unfilled grades[2] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Semi-flexible[2] |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | Abrasion 26 mm³ (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 4649-A) — the same as the unfilled FLEX HARD[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | -24 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[2] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 110 °C Vicat softening (GB/T 1633, 120 °C/h, 10 N); not HDT or a continuous-use rating.[1] | Vicat A 140 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 306)[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[6] |
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[6] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[6] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[6] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Not accepted in household plastic collection[6] |
| 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[10] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Not documented | Open a window / occasional ventilation[10] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Not documented | Carbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[2] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[6] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[6] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | No practical vapour smoothing[6] |
| Support material pairing | Not documented | Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[6] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Not documented | Tear strength 165 kN/m (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 34-1B)[2] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Not documented | DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve the TPU matrix and leave the fibre; ketones are partial solvents. Laboratory reagents.[11] |
| Softened or crazed by | Not documented | Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[11] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Not documented | None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[11] |
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
- Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
- Extrudr TPU FLEX Hard CF — product page (1.75 mm, 0.5 and 2 kg coils, price) Extrudr (FD3D GmbH) · 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
- Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds