3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PEI 9085 vs TPU 95A

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

PEI (ULTEM 9085) guideTPU 95A guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PEI 9085 comparisonsMore TPU 95A comparisons
PEI 9085 vs TPU 95A — documented properties and sources
PropertyPEI (ULTEM 9085)HIGHTEMPTPU 95AFLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$309.80/kg median; $220.00–$392.00/kg across 6 dated product listings$39.99/kg median; $23.00–$106.05/kg across 15 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyetherimide, ULTEM 9085 grade — the flame-retardant PEI used for aircraft interiors[1]Thermoplastic polyurethane, polyester or polyether based, at about 92–95 Shore A[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.34 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech) against 1.27 specific gravity on moulded plaques (ASTM D792, Stratasys) — the two suppliers disagree[1][4]1.20–1.25 (ISO 1183); Prusament 1.25, Polymaker 1.20–1.24, Bambu Lab 1.22[2][3][5]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 298[6][7][8][9]1 kg spools cluster near 35; the specialist and industrial brands run to 106[10][11][5][12][13][14]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg220-392 across brands and formats; 3DXTech ThermaX PEI 9085 220 at 2 kg, 3D4Makers 270 at 2 kg, Fiberlogy 298 at 500 g, Kimya 321 at 500 g, IEMAI 3D 385 at 1 kg, 3DXTech CarbonX PEI 9085+CF 392[6][7][8][9][15]23–106 across brands; IEMAI 3D 23, LANDU 24, Siraya Tech 25, PS Imports 25, PrimaCreator 32, Bambu Lab 35–42, Polymaker 40–50, add:north 72, Recreus 90, 3DXTech 96, NinjaTek Cheetah 106[11][16][10][6][12][13][17][18][19][14]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[6][7][8][9]Ubiquitous, every brand and retailer[10][6][11][16][12][13]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 250 g to 2 kg spools, plus Stratasys canisters[6][9][4]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75 and 1 kg spools[10][6]
Typical applicationsAircraft interior parts and rail rolling stock, where the flame, smoke and toxicity rating is the requirement[1]Gaskets, phone cases, tyres, vibration mounts and protective covers[20]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.06 (Prusament) — the loosest tolerance Prusa publishes, because soft filament deforms in the gauge[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented210–240; Polymaker 210–230, Prusament 230 ± 10, Bambu Lab HF 220–240[2][3][5]
Bed temperature°C130–140 (3DXTech)[1]25–65; Prusament 65 ± 10, Bambu Lab 30–35, Polymaker 25–60[3][5][2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Actively heated chamber required[21][22]Open frame is fine[2]
Part cooling fanNot documentedFan on[2][5]
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[23][20]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented2.4 at Polymaker's 30–50 mm/s and 2.4 at Prusa's 30 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer; Bambu Lab's high-flow grade lifts the cap to 200 mm/s (16 mm³/s)[2][3][5]
Warping tendency1–5Severe — heated chamber needed[21]None[2]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedSticks to most surfaces[2]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Not documentedModerate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker specifies 3–6 mm retraction, well above the 1–3 mm used for rigid filaments[2]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Expert / industrial hardware only[21][22]Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; the speed ceiling is the main constraint[2][3]
Extruder requirementNot documentedDirect drive strongly preferred. BASF rates its 95A grade as running on both direct-drive and Bowden machines, but every maker caps speed at 15–50 mm/s unless the grade is specifically high-flow[24][2][3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[21]Brass fine indefinitely[25]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[1]Non-abrasive[25]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 120 °C pre-dry before every print[26]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle[27]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedHigh — all-metal hotend and strong cooling needed; soft filament buckles in the cold zone if it slows[20]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[23]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Not documentedLow (0.1–0.3 %) by Prusa's measurement at 0.04 % in 7 days, but Polymaker measures 0.82 % equilibrium and groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials[3][2][27]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.82 equilibrium (Polymaker); 0.02 after 24 h and 0.04 after 7 days at 22 % RH (Prusa)[2][3]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented70 °C for 8 h (Polymaker); 70 °C for 8 h or an 80–90 °C heatbed for 12 h (Bambu Lab)[2][5]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[27]
Effect of moisture on strengthNo dry-versus-conditioned figures are published; 3DXTech mandates a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry before every print because trapped water flashes to steam at these nozzle temperatures[26]Polymaker groups TPU with nylon, PVA and PETG as highly hygroscopic and says these often need to stay in a dryer while printing; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[27]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[27]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa63-77 at break (printed XZ, ASTM D638, Stratasys F900/F3300/Fortus 450mc, three tips and two colours); 54 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech)[4][1]41.4 ± 1.3 printed (Prusament, ISO 37); NinjaTek Cheetah 39 ultimate (ASTM D638)[3][28]
Young's modulusMPa2040-2540 (printed XZ, ASTM D638, Stratasys); 2050 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech)[4][1]Not documented
Elongation at break%5.4-9.1 at break (printed XZ, ASTM D638, Stratasys); 1.9-4.3 in ZX; 3DXTech quotes 3 (ISO 527)[4][1]551 ± 24 printed (Polymaker, ISO 37); the filament itself stretches 7264 % before break (Prusa, ISO 527)[2][3]
Flexural strengthMPa104-116 at break (printed XZ, ASTM D790 Procedure A, Stratasys); 72-98 in ZX; 3DXTech quotes 90 (ISO 178)[4][1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2400-2550 (printed XZ, ASTM D790, Stratasys F900 T16 and T16A) against 2120-2130 in ZX; 3DXTech quotes 2170 (ISO 178)[4][1]Not documented
Other impact dataIzod notched 88.5-140 J/m XZ against 37-80 J/m ZX; unnotched 647-2260 J/m XZ against 169-633 J/m ZX (printed, ASTM D256/D4812, Stratasys, across three printers and three tips)[4]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa39-63 at break (printed ZX, ASTM D638, Stratasys); the low end is the F900 T16 baseline, the high end the F3300 N500 hot end[4]9.5 ± 0.2 (Prusament interlayer adhesion, ISO 527)[3]
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning[1]Very ductile — bends far before failing[2][3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellRockwell M110 / R126 on extruded PEI stock (ASTM D785)[29]92 ± 0.4 Shore A and 39 ± 0.7 Shore D (Prusament); 95A (Polymaker, ISO 7619-1); 91 Shore A / 40 Shore D (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 40D, ISO 7619); 95A (NinjaTek Cheetah, ASTM D2240); 94.5 A measured on a printed Bambu Lab 95A part and 96.2 A on a Qidi one (My Tech Fun)[3][2][30][28][31]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Excellent — holds load for years. Printed ZX coupons keep 87 % of room-temperature tensile strength at 104 °C and 70 % at 132 °C (ASTM D638); extruded PEI stock is rated 170 °C long-term service[4][29]Poor — deforms under load at room temperature; a loaded bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days[31]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Not documentedExcellent — living hinges viable[20]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rubbery / highly elastic[2][3]
Z strength as % of XY%56-86 (Stratasys ZX against XZ tensile at break, ASTM D638, across F900/F3300/Fortus 450mc and T16/T20/T40A tips); 58 on the F900 T16 baseline[4]Not documented
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedAbrasion resistance is a headline property; BASF measures 64 mm³ loss by ISO 4649 on its 92A grade[24]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C158 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech) to 178 (printed XY 178.2 and ZX 178.4, ASTM D648 Method B at 66 psi, Stratasys); moulded 176.9[1][4]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C170-173 (printed XY 170.2 and ZX 172.6, ASTM D648 Method B at 264 psi); moulded 172.9[4]Not documented
Glass transition (Tg)°C177 (moulded plaque, ASTM D7426 inflection point, Stratasys); 186 (DSC, 3DXTech)[4][1][32]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented144 melting (BASF 95A, ISO 11357-3); Bambu Lab 183, Polymaker's modulus at 100 % elongation 8.9 MPa[24][5]
Continuous service temperature°C170 long-term service on extruded PEI stock, converted from 338 °F; 200 short term[29]Bounded by a melting point of 144–183 °C; no loaded-bar service figure is published for TPU[24][5]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K44.9 (printed XY, -50 to 80 °C, ASTM E831), falling to 31.4 over 80-160 °C; ZX gives 44.5 over -50 to 60 °C. Black pigment raises it to 51.9[4]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm on the base resin. Printed parts are tested to 14 CFR 25.853, BSS 7238 and 7239 and AITM 2.0007B and 3.0005 covering 60 s and 12 s vertical burn, 15 s horizontal burn, smoke density, toxic gas emission and OSU heat release[1][4]Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[2]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Good — years with some colour shift. 1000 h of QUV cycling to ASTM G154 left printed ZX coupons at 55.5 MPa yield against 56.0 unexposed, with elongation and modulus unchanged[4]Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[20]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedGood resistance to oils and common solvents (BASF)[24]
Food contactNot documentedNot food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[20]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedNot biodegradable[20]
RecyclabilityNot documentedNot accepted in household plastic collection[20]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised. None of these polymers was in the chamber study, and all are processed far above the temperatures it covered[33]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[33]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[33]Open a window / occasional ventilation[33]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedSanding is impractical — the surface tears rather than abrades[20]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[20]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing[20]
Support material pairingNot documentedPolymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove; PolyDissolve S1 is rated for TPU[20]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedStringing and elephant-foot are the accuracy limits; retraction has to be long and slow[2]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChlorinated hydrocarbons — dichloromethane and chloroform — are solvents for polyetherimide. Laboratory reagents.[34][35]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[36]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, MEK, benzene, toluene and butyl acetate craze or stress-crack it; alcohols, fuels and dilute acids do not.[35][34]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[36]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentDichloromethane is the only welding route, and it is a controlled carcinogen rather than a workshop material.[34][35]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[36]

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. ThermaX PEI 9085 Technical Data Sheet v4 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. PolyFlex TPU95 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  3. Prusament TPU 95A Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2025-05 · tds
  4. ULTEM 9085 Resin — FDM Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2026-04 · tds
  5. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — TPU 95A HF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  6. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Kimya PEI-9085 Natural 2.85 mm 500 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Fiberlogy PEI 9085 Natural, 1.75 mm / 500 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. 3D4Makers product catalogue 3D4Makers · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. LANDU TPU 3D Printer Filament 1.75 mm 95A Black 1 kg — Amazon listing Amazon.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. IEMAI 3D TPU 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. Cheetah product page — print guidelines, spool sizes and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. IEMAI 3D PEI 9085 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. TPU for AMS — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. Siraya Tech Flex TPU 95A Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. PrimaCreator EasyPrint FLEX TPU 95A product page PrimaCreator · 2026-08 · vendor
  19. add:north TPU Pro Matte 95A product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
  20. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
  22. Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Ultrafuse TPU 95A Technical Data Sheet (Version 2.0) BASF Forward AM · 2022-08 · tds
  25. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  26. THERMAX PEI 9085 — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  27. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  28. NinjaTek technical specs comparison chart (Cheetah, NinjaFlex, Armadillo, Alloy 910, Nylon 645) NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  29. TECAPEI natural (PEI) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  30. FiberFlex 40D Technical Data Sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  31. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  32. ThermaX PEI 1010 Technical Data Sheet v4 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  33. 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
  34. Radel PPSU, Veradel PESU, Acudel modified PPSU Design Guide — environmental stress cracking tables Solvay Specialty Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
  35. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  36. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds