3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

POM vs TPU soft

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

POM (acetal) guideSoft TPU (below 85A) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore POM comparisonsMore TPU soft comparisons
POM vs TPU soft — documented properties and sources
PropertyPOM (acetal)ENGINEERINGSoft TPU (below 85A)FLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshotsNot documented$114.04/kg median; $109.80–$122.27/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyoxymethylene, normally the copolymer POM-C. Apium's filament grade is POM-C with antistatic additives; no unfilled POM filament was found on sale[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/cm³1.41 (extruded POM-C stock)[1]1.07 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documented1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 115[4][5][6]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented110–122 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[4][6][5]
Market availability1–5Special order, 1-2 makers worldwide — Apium sells a POM-C ESD filament through its own shop and states its printers are the only ones able to process POM-C; no POM filament appears in the 3DJAKE or igo3d product sitemaps, at MatterHackers or at Printed Solid[2][7][8][9]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3][10][4]
Spool sizes & diametersNot documented1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 0.85, 1, 2 and 3 kg spools[3][4][11][5]
Typical applicationsGears, bushings, bearings, conveyor and food-machinery parts; Apium markets its POM-C ESD grade for semiconductor insulators, aerospace fasteners and sliding parts[1][2]Highly compliant seals, soft grips and prosthetic liners[3]
Printing Parameters
Bed temperature°CNot documented50–70 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Not documentedOpen frame is fine[3]
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[12][13]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Not documentedExpert / industrial hardware only — below 85 Shore A the filament buckles in almost any feed path that is not a short, constrained direct drive[11][13]
Extruder requirementApium states that the adaptive heating system on its industrial machines is what makes POM-C printable, and that no other 3D printer can process it[2]Direct drive only, with a constrained filament path; Bowden is not viable at this hardness[11][10]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Not documentedBrass fine indefinitely[14]
Abrasiveness1–5Not documentedNon-abrasive[14]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Not documentedHigh — 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[12][13][15]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedVery high — softens in the cold zone readily[13]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[12]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Low (0.1-0.3 %) — extruded POM-C stock takes up 0.18 % in 24 h and 0.80 % at saturation (ASTM D570)[1]Moderate[15]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[15]
Effect of moisture on strengthNot documentedPolymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[15]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[15]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa66.9 at break and 64.1 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 9700 and 9300 psi)[1]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa2275 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638; converted from 330,000 psi)[1]Not documented
Elongation at break%40 at break and 9 at yield (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D638)[1]870 at break (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 527) — the highest elongation in the dataset[3]
Flexural strengthMPa89.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 13,000 psi)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2758 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D790; converted from 400,000 psi)[1]Not documented
Other impact dataIzod 53 J/m on extruded POM-C stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in[1]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking; extruded stock elongates 40 % before failing. No printed figure is published[1]Very ductile — bends far before failing[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellRockwell 86 (and R120) — the source names only the R scale on extruded POM-C stock (ASTM D785)[1]81 Shore A and 30 Shore D (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 7619)[3]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — 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[16]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Not documentedExcellent — living hinges viable[13]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Not documentedRubbery / highly elastic[3]
Wear resistance & frictionWear factor 65e-10 in3*min/(ft*lb*h) and a dynamic coefficient of friction of 0.21 at 40 psi and 50 fpm (ASTM D3702, extruded stock) — the properties that make acetal the default gear and bushing plastic; Apium lists good sliding properties as the reason for its grade[1][2]Tear strength 95 kN/m (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 34-1)[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C158 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 316 °F)[1]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C110 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D648 at 264 psi; converted from 230 °F)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C165 melting (extruded POM-C stock; converted from 329 °F)[1]170 melting (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, DSC)[3]
Continuous service temperature°C91 long term and 141 intermittent (extruded POM-C stock; converted from 195 °F and 285 °F)[1]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K84.6 (extruded POM-C stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.7e-5 in/in/°F)[1]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 HB on extruded POM-C stock[1]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedGood — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[13]
Chemical resistanceGood chemical resistance, particularly to bases; Apium lists resistance to bases as a headline property[1][2]Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[13]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Good — minor absorption; 0.80 % water at saturation (ASTM D570, extruded stock)[1]Not documented
Food contactNot documentedNot food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[13]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedNot biodegradable[13]
RecyclabilityNot documentedNot accepted in household plastic collection[13]
Electrical & ESD propertiesVolume resistance 1e14 ohm-cm, dielectric strength 500 V/mil and dielectric constant 3.7 at 60 Hz on extruded stock (ASTM D257, D149, D150); Apium's filament grade adds antistatic agents[1][2]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Not documentedLow hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[17]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Not documentedOpen a window / occasional ventilation[17]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningEasy to machine — Ensinger lists machinability as a headline property of POM-C stock[1]Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[13]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[13]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing[13]
Support material pairingNot documentedPolymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[13]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inHexafluoroisopropanol dissolves it at room temperature; NMP and DMF only when hot. Laboratory reagents.[18]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[19]
Softened or crazed byAcids, oxidants, halogens and hot concentrated zinc chloride attack it; alcohols, ketones and esters do not.[18][20]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[19]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — no solvent softens POM below its melting point, which is why it is bolted or heat-welded rather than glued.[18]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[19]

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. TECAFORM AH natural (POM-C) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  2. POM-C ESD 3D printing — material page Apium 3D Technologies · 2026-08 · doc
  3. FiberFlex 30D Technical Data Sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Chinchilla product page — print guidelines, spool sizes and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. NinjaFlex Edge product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. 3DJAKE product catalogue 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. igo3d product sitemap (17452 product URLs) igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Filaflex 82A product page (Shore hardness and elongation) Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. NinjaFlex 85A Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  12. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  13. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  15. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  17. 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
  18. Resistance of Ultramid, Ultraform and Ultradur to chemicals (TI-KTU/AS-28 e) BASF · 2000-10 · tds
  19. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  20. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds