3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA Glow vs TPU 85A

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

Glow-in-the-dark PLA guideTPU 85A guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA Glow comparisonsMore TPU 85A comparisons
PLA Glow vs TPU 85A — documented properties and sources
PropertyGlow-in-the-dark PLAPLATPU 85AFLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$24.99/kg median; $19.99–$49.16/kg across 5 dated product listings$89.89/kg median; $31.99–$106.05/kg across 6 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA with a phosphorescent additive at 2–20 wt% (Bambu Lab SDS, filler not named)[1]Soft thermoplastic polyurethane at 82–85 Shore A[2][3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.24 (colorFabb) to 1.26 (Bambu Lab), ISO 1183[5][6]1.11 (BASF Ultrafuse 85A) to 1.19 (NinjaFlex 85A), ISO 1183 / ASTM D792[4][2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 25[7][8]1 kg-equivalent spools span 32–106; the middle of the market is about 90[9][10][2]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg20–49 across brands; ELEGOO 20, Bambu Lab 25, Polymaker 25, Filament PM 49 on 0.5 kg spools[11][7][8][12]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[13][9][10][14][2]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[7][8][11]Available from several mainstream brands[9][13]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75 and 1 kg spools[15][6]1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[9][13][2]
Typical applicationsSignage, novelty and cosplay parts that glow after light exposure[5]Soft-touch grips, seals, wearables and anything that must compress and rebound[2][3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C190–230 on the Bambu Lab TDS against 210–240 in its own material table; colorFabb advises 195–220[5][16][6]200–220 (BASF Ultrafuse 85A, 210 typical)[4]
Bed temperature°C35–45 (Bambu Lab); 50–60 (colorFabb)[5][6]40 (BASF Ultrafuse 85A)[4]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[5]Open frame is fine[4]
Part cooling fanFan on; colorFabb allows 0–100 %[5][6]Not documented
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[17][18]
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[4]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone[4]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedSticks to anything — Recreus states its 82A grade has excellent bed adhesion without a heated bed or additives[3]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Not documentedHigh — drying plus tuning needed[19][18]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; a hardened nozzle is mandatory[16][8]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; at this hardness the filament will not push through a Bowden tube[2][3]
Extruder requirementBambu Lab: hardened steel and high-flow nozzles only, 0.2 mm excluded, AMS lite not compatible[16]Direct 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[2][3][4]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required[16][8][6]Brass fine indefinitely[20]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — the phosphor is a hard ceramic; Bambu Lab groups glow with carbon fibre as the materials that wear nozzles and grind AMS PTFE, and both Bambu Lab and Polymaker require a hardened nozzle[16][6]Non-abrasive[20]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle[16]High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[19][18]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedVery high — softens in the cold zone readily; soft filament buckles between the drive gear and the melt zone[18][2]
Hotend requirementHardened steel nozzle; Bambu Lab lists glow-in-the-dark among the filaments its hardened-steel nozzle exists for[21][16]No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[17]
Other hardware wearBambu Lab reports the filament adds enough feeding resistance to fail prints on the AMS lite; colorFabb warns of brass nozzle wear[16][6]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.46 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[5]Moderate — NinjaTek measures 0.22 % in 24 h (ASTM D570) and BASF specifies a 70 °C dry for at least 5 h[2][4]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.46 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[5]0.22 after 24 h water immersion (NinjaFlex 85A, ASTM D570) — an immersion figure, not an equilibrium moisture content at 50 % RH[2]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented70 °C for at least 5 h in a hot-air dryer or vacuum oven (BASF)[4]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[19]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for this grade; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[19]Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; wet TPU prints with poor layer adhesion and weak, brittle layers[19]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[19]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa32 ± 3 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb quotes 61.5 by ISO 527 on its own specimens[5][6]26 ultimate (NinjaFlex 85A, ASTM D638)[2]
Young's modulusMPa2030 ± 210 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 2960[5][6]12 (NinjaFlex 85A, ASTM D638) — two orders of magnitude below any rigid filament; NinjaTek's 95A Cheetah reaches 26 by the same method[2][22]
Elongation at break%8.6 ± 1.2 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 10.5 at break[5][6]650 at break (Filaflex 82A) and 660 (NinjaFlex 85A); BASF measures 600 in XY and 320 in ZX[3][2][4]
Flexural strengthMPa76 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[5]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2640 ± 130 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 3295[5][6]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²2.8 (colorFabb, ISO 179-1/1eA) and 8.8 ± 1.7 (Bambu Lab, ISO 179) printed XY, notched[5][6]Not documented
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 27.3 (Bambu Lab) and 30.8 (colorFabb), printed, ISO 179[5][6]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa26 ± 3 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[5]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning[5]Very ductile — bends far before failing[2]
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[2][4][3]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — no glow-grade creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[23][24][25]Poor — 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[26]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength and the glow filler leaves a brittle, highly abrasive compound[27][5]Excellent — living hinges viable[18]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[5]Rubbery / highly elastic[2][3]
Z strength as % of XY%81 by tensile, 72 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[5]53 — BASF measures 320 % elongation at break in ZX against 600 % in XY[4]
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedAbrasion 0.08 g mass loss over 10 000 cycles (NinjaFlex, ASTM D4060); 82 mm³ (BASF, ISO 4649)[2][4]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C55 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[5]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[5]Not documented
Glass transition (Tg)°C55 (DSC)[5]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C155 peak melt (DSC); colorFabb quotes above 155 by ISO 3146-C[5][6]216 melting (NinjaFlex 85A, DSC)[2]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[28]Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[18]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedWithstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[18]
Food contactNot documentedNot food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[18]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedNot biodegradable[18]
RecyclabilityNot documentedNot accepted in household plastic collection[18]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[29]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[29]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[29]Open a window / occasional ventilation[29]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedDifficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[18]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[18]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing[18]
Support material pairingSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[5]Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[18]
Dimensional accuracy & detailGlow brightness rises with wall thickness; 0.2 mm nozzles are not usable[16]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[30]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[31]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[30][32]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[31]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[33][32]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[31]

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. Safety Data Sheet SDS20251127A12 — Bambu PLA Glow Bambu Lab · 2025-11 · msds
  2. NinjaFlex 85A Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  3. Filaflex 82A product page (Shore hardness and elongation) Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Ultrafuse TPU 85A Technical Data Sheet (Version 3.0) BASF Forward AM · 2022-08 · tds
  5. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PLA Glow Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  6. glowFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  7. PLA Glow — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Panchroma Luminous PLA — product page Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Siraya Tech Flex TPU 85A Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Filament PM PLA GlowJet technical data sheet Filament PM (Plasty Mladec) · 2026-08 · tds
  13. Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. add:north TPU Pro Matte 85A product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  18. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  21. Nozzles — material and compatibility Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  22. NinjaTek technical specs comparison chart (Cheetah, NinjaFlex, Armadillo, Alloy 910, Nylon 645) NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  23. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  24. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  25. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  26. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  27. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  28. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  29. 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
  30. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  31. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  32. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  33. Effect of vapour smoothing in trichloromethane on 3D printed PLA — surface, mechanical and chemical structure Pitale, Keche & Chopra, Engineering Research Express 6(4) 045579 · 2024-12 · paper