3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PEBA vs TPU soft
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | PEBA (polyether block amide)FLEX | Soft TPU (below 85A)FLEX |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $60.99/kg median; $60.99–$60.99/kg across 1 dated product listings | $114.04/kg median; $109.80–$122.27/kg across 4 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polyether block amide: rigid polyamide and flexible polyether blocks.[1] | Very soft thermoplastic elastomers below 85 Shore A. Fiberlogy's FiberFlex 30D measures 81 Shore A, the softest grade with a published datasheet found here[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.01 g/cm³ (GB/T 1033; eSUN manufacturer data)[1] | 1.07 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 1183)[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Not documented | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 115[3][4][5] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | Not documented | 110–122 at 1 kg-equivalent; Recreus 70A 110 and 60A 116 at 500 g, NinjaTek Edge 83A 112, NinjaTek Chinchilla 75A 122; the Recreus 3 kg spools fall to 70–73[3][5][4] |
| Market availability1–5 | Not documented | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2][6][3] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm diameter, 1 kg spool.[7] | 1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 0.85, 1, 2 and 3 kg spools[2][3][8][4] |
| Typical applications | Manufacturer applications include footwear, sports equipment and cushioning.[1] | Highly compliant seals, soft grips and prosthetic liners[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 230–260 °C; 240 °C recommended.[1] | Not documented |
| Bed temperature°C | 60–90 °C[1] | 50–70 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D)[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[9][10] |
| 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] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Expert / industrial hardware only — below 85 Shore A the filament buckles in almost any feed path that is not a short, constrained direct drive[8][10] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | Direct drive only, with a constrained filament path; Bowden is not viable at this hardness[8][6] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Not documented | Brass fine indefinitely[11] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Not documented | Non-abrasive[11] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Not documented | High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; below 85 Shore A the filament buckles and compresses, and Simplify3D warns that raised feed rates most likely end in a jam[9][10][12] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Not documented | Very high — softens in the cold zone readily[10] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[9] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Not documented | Moderate[12] |
| Drying temperature & time | 70–75 °C for 6–8 h; re-dry after receiving or extended exposure.[1] | Not documented |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[12] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not documented | Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[12] |
| Storage requirement | Not documented | Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[12] |
| 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] | 870 at break (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 527) — the highest elongation in the dataset[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.[7] | 81 Shore A and 30 Shore D (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 7619)[2] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Poor — no creep test at this hardness; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[13] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — living hinges viable[10] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Rubbery / highly elastic[2] |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | Tear strength 95 kN/m (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 34-1)[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] | 170 melting (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, DSC)[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[10] |
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[10] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[10] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[10] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Not accepted in household plastic collection[10] |
| 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[14] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Not documented | Open a window / occasional ventilation[14] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[10] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[10] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | No practical vapour smoothing[10] |
| Support material pairing | Not documented | Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[10] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Not documented | DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[15] |
| 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.[15] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Not documented | None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[15] |
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
- FiberFlex 30D Technical Data Sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
- Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
- Chinchilla product page — print guidelines, spool sizes and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
- NinjaFlex Edge product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
- Filaflex 82A product page (Shore hardness and elongation) Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
- eSUN PEBA-90A official product page: 1 kg price and product identity eSUN · 2026-10-17 · vendor
- NinjaFlex 85A Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
- 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
- Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds