3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA Glow vs TPU soft

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

Glow-in-the-dark PLA guideSoft TPU (below 85A) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA Glow comparisonsMore TPU soft comparisons
PLA Glow vs TPU soft — documented properties and sources
PropertyGlow-in-the-dark PLAPLASoft TPU (below 85A)FLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$24.99/kg median; $19.99–$49.16/kg across 5 dated product listings$114.04/kg median; $109.80–$122.27/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA with a phosphorescent additive at 2–20 wt% (Bambu Lab SDS, filler not named)[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/cm³1.24 (colorFabb) to 1.26 (Bambu Lab), ISO 1183[3][4]1.07 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 1183)[2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 25[5][6]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 115[7][8][9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg20–49 across brands; ELEGOO 20, Bambu Lab 25, Polymaker 25, Filament PM 49 on 0.5 kg spools[10][5][6][11]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[7][9][8]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[5][6][10]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2][12][7]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75 and 1 kg spools[13][4]1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 0.85, 1, 2 and 3 kg spools[2][7][14][8]
Typical applicationsSignage, novelty and cosplay parts that glow after light exposure[3]Highly compliant seals, soft grips and prosthetic liners[2]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C190–230 on the Bambu Lab TDS against 210–240 in its own material table; colorFabb advises 195–220[3][15][4]Not documented
Bed temperature°C35–45 (Bambu Lab); 50–60 (colorFabb)[3][4]50–70 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[3]Open frame is fine[2]
Part cooling fanFan on; colorFabb allows 0–100 %[3][4]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[16][17]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; a hardened nozzle is mandatory[15][6]Expert / industrial hardware only — below 85 Shore A the filament buckles in almost any feed path that is not a short, constrained direct drive[14][17]
Extruder requirementBambu Lab: hardened steel and high-flow nozzles only, 0.2 mm excluded, AMS lite not compatible[15]Direct drive only, with a constrained filament path; Bowden is not viable at this hardness[14][12]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required[15][6][4]Brass fine indefinitely[18]
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[15][4]Non-abrasive[18]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle[15]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[16][17][19]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedVery high — softens in the cold zone readily[17]
Hotend requirementHardened steel nozzle; Bambu Lab lists glow-in-the-dark among the filaments its hardened-steel nozzle exists for[20][15]No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[16]
Other hardware wearBambu Lab reports the filament adds enough feeding resistance to fail prints on the AMS lite; colorFabb warns of brass nozzle wear[15][4]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.46 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[3]Moderate[19]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.46 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[3]Not documented
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; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[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[3][4]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa2030 ± 210 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 2960[3][4]Not documented
Elongation at break%8.6 ± 1.2 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 10.5 at break[3][4]870 at break (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 527) — the highest elongation in the dataset[2]
Flexural strengthMPa76 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[3]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2640 ± 130 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 3295[3][4]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²2.8 (colorFabb, ISO 179-1/1eA) and 8.8 ± 1.7 (Bambu Lab, ISO 179) printed XY, notched[3][4]Not documented
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 27.3 (Bambu Lab) and 30.8 (colorFabb), printed, ISO 179[3][4]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa26 ± 3 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[3]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning[3]Very ductile — bends far before failing[2]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documented81 Shore A and 30 Shore D (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 7619)[2]
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[21][22][23]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[24]
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[25][3]Excellent — living hinges viable[17]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[3]Rubbery / highly elastic[2]
Z strength as % of XY%81 by tensile, 72 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[3]Not documented
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedTear strength 95 kN/m (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 34-1)[2]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C55 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[3]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[3]Not documented
Glass transition (Tg)°C55 (DSC)[3]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C155 peak melt (DSC); colorFabb quotes above 155 by ISO 3146-C[3][4]170 melting (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, DSC)[2]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[26]Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[17]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedWithstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[17]
Food contactNot documentedNot food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[17]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedNot biodegradable[17]
RecyclabilityNot documentedNot accepted in household plastic collection[17]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[27]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[27]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[27]Open a window / occasional ventilation[27]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedDifficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[17]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[17]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing[17]
Support material pairingSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[3]Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[17]
Dimensional accuracy & detailGlow brightness rises with wall thickness; 0.2 mm nozzles are not usable[15]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.[28]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[29]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[28][30]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[29]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[31][30]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[29]

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. FiberFlex 30D Technical Data Sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  3. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PLA Glow Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  4. glowFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  5. PLA Glow — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Panchroma Luminous PLA — product page Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Chinchilla product page — print guidelines, spool sizes and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. NinjaFlex Edge product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Filament PM PLA GlowJet technical data sheet Filament PM (Plasty Mladec) · 2026-08 · tds
  12. Filaflex 82A product page (Shore hardness and elongation) Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. NinjaFlex 85A Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  15. PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  17. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  19. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Nozzles — material and compatibility Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  22. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  23. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  24. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  25. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  26. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  27. 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
  28. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  29. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  30. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  31. 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