3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA HS vs TPU soft

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

High-Speed PLA guideSoft TPU (below 85A) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA HS comparisonsMore TPU soft comparisons
PLA HS vs TPU soft — documented properties and sources
PropertyHigh-Speed PLAPLASoft TPU (below 85A)FLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$19.99/kg median; $11.49–$32.99/kg across 10 dated product listings$114.04/kg median; $109.80–$122.27/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA with rheology and crystallisation tuned for high volumetric flow; melt index 15.4 g/10 min vs 7–11 for standard PLA[1][2]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[3]
Densityg/cm³1.23 (ISO 1183, at 21.5 °C)[1]1.07 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kgMainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[4][5][6]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 115[7][8][9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg11–33 across brands; budget house brands 11–18, Prusament 33[10][11][12]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[13][6][14]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3][15][7]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 1 kg spools[4][6]1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 0.85, 1, 2 and 3 kg spools[3][7][16][8]
Typical applicationsLarge or repetitive prints on printers that can sustain high flow[17][13]Highly compliant seals, soft grips and prosthetic liners[3]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.03 (Bambu Lab PLA Basic, rated to 258 mm/s)[18]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C210–230 for high-speed work; 190–210 at classic speeds[1][13]Not documented
Bed temperature°C30–60 (Polymaker); 35–45 (Bambu Lab)[1][19]50–70 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1]Open frame is fine[3]
Part cooling fanFan on[1]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[20][21]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s≈24 at 300 mm/s with a 0.4 mm nozzle and 0.2 mm layer; 30 % more flow than regular PLA at the same temperature[1][13][17][22]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5None[1]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Sticks to anything[23]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; needs a printer that can actually reach the flow rate[13][1]Expert / industrial hardware only — below 85 Shore A the filament buckles in almost any feed path that is not a short, constrained direct drive[16][21]
Extruder requirementNot documentedDirect drive only, with a constrained filament path; Bowden is not viable at this hardness[16][15]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[24]Brass fine indefinitely[25]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[26][24]Non-abrasive[25]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very low[24]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[20][21][27]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[28]Very high — softens in the cold zone readily[21]
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[23]No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[20]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.40 % equilibrium at 23 °C / 70 % RH[1]Moderate[27]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.40 equilibrium at 23 °C / 70 % RH (Polymaker PolySonic)[1]Not documented
Drying temperature & time55 °C for 6 h; 50 °C for 8 h (Bambu Lab)[1][19]Not documented
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[27]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[27]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[27]Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[27]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[19][23]Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[27]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa43.9 at 300 mm/s and 46.0 at 46.7 mm/s (printed XY, ISO 527); 58.6 on My Tech Fun bars for Creality Hyper PLA[1][29]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa2650 at 300 mm/s, 2878 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]Not documented
Elongation at break%15.1 at 300 mm/s, 21.5 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]870 at break (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 527) — the highest elongation in the dataset[3]
Flexural strengthMPa71.4 at 300 mm/s, 76.5 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2798 at 300 mm/s, 2868 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²5.0 at 300 mm/s, 6.1 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 179, notched)[1]Not documented
Other impact dataPrinting at 300 mm/s instead of 46.7 mm/s costs 4.6 % tensile strength and 18 % notched Charpy[1]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa32.4 at 300 mm/s, 37.3 at classic speed (printed Z, ISO 527); 35.3 for Creality Hyper PLA vs 23.0 for average PLA on identical bars[1][29]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Moderate[1]Very ductile — bends far before failing[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell78.7 Shore D measured on printed bars for Sunlu PLA Meta (My Tech Fun), against 75.3 for the same maker's plain PLA[30]81 Shore A and 30 Shore D (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 7619)[3]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — 12 mm bar sagged to 17.7 mm over 6 days at 1.25 kg[29]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[31]
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 (R = 0.2)[32][28]Excellent — living hinges viable[21]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rubbery / highly elastic[3]
Z strength as % of XY%74 at 300 mm/s, 81 at classic speed (printed)[1]Not documented
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedTear strength 95 kN/m (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 34-1)[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C53 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1]Not documented
Glass transition (Tg)°C59 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C164 peak melt (DSC); crystallisation 96 °C, Vicat 61 °C[1]170 melting (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, DSC)[3]
Continuous service temperature°C53 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature[29]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K96–99 for plain printed PLA (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[33]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[19][2]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[28][34]Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[21]
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis[1]Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[21]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Good — insoluble in water[19]Not documented
Food contactBase resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[28]Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[21]
Biodegradability / compostabilityIndustrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[35][28]Not biodegradable[21]
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[35]Not accepted in household plastic collection[21]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[36]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[36]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[36]Open a window / occasional ventilation[36]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[34][28]Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[21]
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[28][37]Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[21]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[28]No practical vapour smoothing[21]
Support material pairingPolySupport and PolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker)[1]Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[21]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[38]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[39]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[38][40]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[39]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[41][40]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[39]

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. PolySonic PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  2. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  3. FiberFlex 30D Technical Data Sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  4. PolySonic PLA 1.75mm/1kg — product page Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Overture High Speed PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. High Speed PLA filament collection Anycubic Official Store · 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. PLA Meta filament collection Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. QIDI PLA Rapido 1.75mm 1kg 3D Printers Depot · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Prusament PLA Prusa Pro Green 1kg (NFC) Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. PolySonic PLA — product page Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. Creality PLA filament collection Creality Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. Filaflex 82A product page (Shore hardness and elongation) Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. NinjaFlex 85A Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  17. Polymaker Launches New High-Speed 3D Printing Filament — PolySonic PLA & PLA Pro Polymaker · 2023-11 · doc
  18. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  19. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  20. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  21. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  22. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  23. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  25. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  26. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  27. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  28. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  29. Creality Hyper PLA filament review — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  30. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  31. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  32. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  33. Characterization of Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 3D Printing Polymeric Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors Materials 17(18):4668 · 2024-09 · paper
  34. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  35. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  36. 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
  37. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  38. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  39. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  40. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  41. 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