3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA Silk vs TPU 95A

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

Silk PLA guideTPU 95A guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA Silk comparisonsMore TPU 95A comparisons
PLA Silk vs TPU 95A — documented properties and sources
PropertySilk PLAPLATPU 95AFLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$19.49/kg median; $9.75–$24.99/kg across 15 dated product listings$39.99/kg median; $23.00–$106.05/kg across 15 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA with a gloss-forming additive package; suppliers publish the composition as polylactic acid only[1]Thermoplastic polyurethane, polyester or polyether based, at about 92–95 Shore A[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.27 (ISO 1183)[1]1.20–1.25 (ISO 1183); Prusament 1.25, Polymaker 1.20–1.24, Bambu Lab 1.22[2][3][4]
Typical priceUSD/kgMainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[5][6][7]1 kg spools cluster near 35; the specialist and industrial brands run to 106[8][9][4][10][11][12]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg10–25 across brands; CHCKX 10 in a 16-roll bundle, SUNLU 13, LANDU 18, YXPOLYER 20, Polymaker 22, Devil Design 25[13][14][15][16][17]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[9][18][8][19][10][11][20][21][22][12]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[5][13][23]Ubiquitous, every brand and retailer[8][19][9][18][10][11]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 1 and 1.1 kg spools; dual- and tri-colour coextruded variants[24][25]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75 and 1 kg spools[8][19]
Typical applicationsDecorative prints where surface gloss matters more than strength[1]Gaskets, phone cases, tyres, vibration mounts and protective covers[26]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[27]±0.06 (Prusament) — the loosest tolerance Prusa publishes, because soft filament deforms in the gauge[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C210–240 — 20 °C above the plain PLA window[1]210–240; Polymaker 210–230, Prusament 230 ± 10, Bambu Lab HF 220–240[2][3][4]
Bed temperature°C35–45[1]25–65; Prusament 65 ± 10, Bambu Lab 30–35, Polymaker 25–60[3][4][2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1][28]Open frame is fine[2]
Part cooling fanFan on[1]Fan on[2][4]
Bed surface & adhesion aidCool Plate SuperTack, smooth PEI or textured PEI[1]PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[29][26]
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][4]
Warping tendency1–5None[1]None[2]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Sticks to anything[30]Sticks 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 difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; hotter nozzle and slower cap of 250 mm/s[1]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[31][2][3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[28]Brass fine indefinitely[32]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[33][28]Non-abrasive[32]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very low[28]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle[34]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[35]High — all-metal hotend and strong cooling needed; soft filament buckles in the cold zone if it slows[26]
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[30]No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[29]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[1]Low (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][34]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.40 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[1]0.82 equilibrium (Polymaker); 0.02 after 24 h and 0.04 after 7 days at 22 % RH (Prusa)[2][3]
Drying temperature & time55 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer, or 65–75 °C for 12 h on an X1 heatbed[1][36]70 °C for 8 h (Polymaker); 70 °C for 8 h or an 80–90 °C heatbed for 12 h (Bambu Lab)[2][4]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[34]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[34]
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[34]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[34]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[37][30]Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[34]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa33 (printed XY, ISO 527); eSun Silk broke 22 % below the 16-brand PLA mean on identical 4×4 mm bars[1][38]41.4 ± 1.3 printed (Prusament, ISO 37); NinjaTek Cheetah 39 ultimate (ASTM D638)[3][39]
Young's modulusMPa2130 (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]Not documented
Elongation at break%2.8 (printed XY, ISO 527) — a quarter of PLA Basic at 12.2[1][37]551 ± 24 printed (Polymaker, ISO 37); the filament itself stretches 7264 % before break (Prusa, ISO 527)[2][3]
Flexural strengthMPa75 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2460 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²10.3 (printed XY, ISO 179, notched); unnotched 18.5[1]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa25 (printed Z, ISO 527), and flexural Z collapses to 30 against 75 in XY; eSun Silk broke at 12.3 kg where twelve of the 16 plain PLAs managed 44.6–61.5 kg[1][38][40]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 / RockwellNot documented92 ± 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][41][39][42]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — no silk-specific creep data published; plain PLA sagged from 12 to 18.7–20.3 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[43][44]Poor — deforms under load at room temperature; a loaded bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days[42]
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)[45][35]Excellent — living hinges viable[26]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rubbery / highly elastic[2][3]
Z strength as % of XY%76 by tensile, 40 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[1]Not documented
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedAbrasion resistance is a headline property; BASF measures 64 mm³ loss by ISO 4649 on its 92A grade[31]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C60 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C56 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1]Not documented
Glass transition (Tg)°C57 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C158 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 66 °C[1]144 melting (BASF 95A, ISO 11357-3); Bambu Lab 183, Polymaker's modulus at 100 % elongation 8.9 MPa[31][4]
Continuous service temperature°C50 — a loaded bar begins to move at this temperature (My Tech Fun, eSun eSilk PLA)[40]Bounded by a melting point of 144–183 °C; no loaded-bar service figure is published for TPU[31][4]
Annealing response50–55 °C for 6–12 h[1]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[37][46]Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[2]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[35][47]Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[26]
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[46][35]Good resistance to oils and common solvents (BASF)[31]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Good — insoluble in water[37]Not documented
Food contactBase resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[35]Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[26]
Biodegradability / compostabilityIndustrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[48][35]Not biodegradable[26]
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[48]Not accepted in household plastic collection[26]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[49]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[49]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[49]Open a window / occasional ventilation[49]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[47][35]Sanding is impractical — the surface tears rather than abrades[26]
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[35][50]Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[26]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[35]No practical vapour smoothing[26]
Support material pairingSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[1]Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove; PolyDissolve S1 is rated for TPU[26]
Dimensional accuracy & detail55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges; gloss hides fine detail and is destroyed by sanding[1]Stringing and elephant-foot are the accuracy limits; retraction has to be long and slow[2]
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.[51]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[52]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[51][53]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[52]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[54][53]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[52]

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. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PLA Silk+ Bambu Lab · 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. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — TPU 95A HF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  5. Panchroma Silk PLA collection Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Spectrum PLA Silk — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. 3DJake ecoPLA Silk Black 1.75mm 1000g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. LANDU TPU 3D Printer Filament 1.75 mm 95A Black 1 kg — Amazon listing Amazon.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. IEMAI 3D TPU 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Cheetah product page — print guidelines, spool sizes and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Sunlu Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1kg Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. Bambu Lab PLA Silk 1.75mm 1kg 3D Universe · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. CHCKX 16 Pack Silk Dual Color PLA Filament Bundle CHCKX (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. YXPOLYER Silk PLA Black&Gold product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. LANDU Silk Tri-Color PLA Filament 1.75 mm 1 kg LANDU (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. TPU for AMS — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  19. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  20. Siraya Tech Flex TPU 95A Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
  21. PrimaCreator EasyPrint FLEX TPU 95A product page PrimaCreator · 2026-08 · vendor
  22. add:north TPU Pro Matte 95A product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
  23. Overture Silk PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  24. eSUN PLA-Silk Magic 1.75mm eSUN Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  25. JAYO Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1.1kg JAYO Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  26. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  27. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  28. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  29. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  30. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  31. Ultrafuse TPU 95A Technical Data Sheet (Version 2.0) BASF Forward AM · 2022-08 · tds
  32. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  33. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  34. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  35. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  36. Filament Drying Recommendations Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  37. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  38. 16 PLA brand comparison test — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2022-10 · test
  39. NinjaTek technical specs comparison chart (Cheetah, NinjaFlex, Armadillo, Alloy 910, Nylon 645) NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  40. Testing eSun PLA filaments: PLA-ST vs PLA+ vs Silk PLA My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  41. FiberFlex 40D Technical Data Sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  42. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  43. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  44. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  45. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  46. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  47. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  48. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  49. 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
  50. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  51. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  52. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  53. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  54. 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