3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PPS vs TPU soft

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

PPS guideSoft TPU (below 85A) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PPS comparisonsMore TPU soft comparisons
PPS vs TPU soft — documented properties and sources
PropertyPPSHIGHTEMPSoft TPU (below 85A)FLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$116.97/kg median; $84.00–$200.00/kg across 3 dated product listings$114.04/kg median; $109.80–$122.27/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyphenylene sulfide — a semi-crystalline high-temperature polymer[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/cm³1.28 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech) and 1.33 (ISO 1183, Spectrum PPS AM230)[1][4]1.07 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 84–200; the middle of the market is about 117[5][6][7]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 115[8][9][10]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg84-200 across brands and diameters; IEMAI 3D 84 at 1 kg, Spectrum PPS AM230 117 at 750 g, 3DXTech ThermaX PPS 140 at 2.85 mm and 200 at 1.75 mm[5][6][7]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[8][10][9]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5][6]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3][11][8]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 500 g and 750 g spools[5][6]1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 0.85, 1, 2 and 3 kg spools[3][8][12][9]
Typical applicationsChemical-plant and under-bonnet parts needing solvent resistance above 200 °C[2]Highly compliant seals, soft grips and prosthetic liners[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C335-345 (3DXTech printed-specimen conditions); 300-330 (Spectrum)[1][4]Not documented
Bed temperature°C110-130 (3DXTech); 100-120 (Spectrum)[1][4]50–70 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Actively heated chamber required[13][14]Open frame is fine[3]
Recommended chamber temperature°C60-80 actively heated (Spectrum PPS AM230)[4]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidAdhesive required — Spectrum specifies Magigoo Pro HT[4]PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[15][16]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Expert / industrial hardware only[13][14]Expert / industrial hardware only — below 85 Shore A the filament buckles in almost any feed path that is not a short, constrained direct drive[12][16]
Extruder requirementNot documentedDirect drive only, with a constrained filament path; Bowden is not viable at this hardness[12][11]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[13]Brass fine indefinitely[17]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[1]Non-abrasive[17]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 110 °C pre-dry before every print[18]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[15][16][19]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedVery high — softens in the cold zone readily[16]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[15]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Polymaker states minimal water absorption at 0.05 %[2]Moderate[19]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.01 in 24 h on extruded stock (ASTM D570) — effectively non-absorbing[20]Not documented
Drying temperature & timeAt least 3 h at 90 °C in hot dry air if the filament has taken up moisture (Spectrum)[4]Not documented
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[19]
Effect of moisture on strengthLittle to measure — equilibrium uptake is 0.05 %; 3DXTech still specifies a 110 °C, 4 h pre-dry before printing[2][18]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)MPa50 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 65 at break injection-moulded (ISO 527, Spectrum); 94 at yield on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[1][4][20]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa2650 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 3650 injection-moulded (ISO 527, Spectrum); 5769 on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[1][4][20]Not documented
Elongation at break%18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech) against 2.0 injection-moulded (Spectrum) and 2.5 on extruded stock — the suppliers disagree by nearly an order of magnitude[1][4][20]870 at break (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 527) — the highest elongation in the dataset[3]
Flexural strengthMPa52 (printed XY, ISO 178, 3DXTech); 141 on extruded stock (ASTM D790)[1][20]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2540 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²1.3 notched injection-moulded (ISO 179-1eA, Spectrum); unnotched 18[4]Not documented
Other impact dataIzod notched 33 J/m on extruded PPS stock, converted from 0.62 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[20]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Moderate[1]Very ductile — bends far before failing[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellRockwell 105 (and R124) on extruded PPS stock (ASTM D785)[20]81 Shore A and 30 Shore D (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 7619)[3]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Excellent — holds load for years. Ensinger lists high creep resistance as a headline property of extruded PPS stock, and Spectrum states that rigidity, strength and creep resistance are unchanged under continuous load at high temperature[20][4]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[21]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Not documentedExcellent — living hinges viable[16]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rubbery / highly elastic[3]
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedTear strength 95 kN/m (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 34-1)[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C90 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech); 129 injection-moulded (ISO 75, Spectrum); 204 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi)[1][4][20]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C107 injection-moulded (ISO 75 at 1.81 MPa, Spectrum); 104 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[4][20]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C283 melting (ISO 11357, 3DXTech) and 280 on extruded stock; Vicat softening 236 at 50 N injection-moulded (ISO 306, Spectrum)[1][4][20]170 melting (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, DSC)[3]
Continuous service temperature°C170 long-term service on extruded PPS stock, converted from 338 °F[20]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K59.4 (extruded PPS stock, 22-60 °C, ASTM D696; source states 3.3e-5 in/in/°F)[20]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm, rated on the base resin[1]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedGood — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[16]
Chemical resistanceOutstanding — PPS resists essentially all solvents below 200 °C[2]Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[16]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Excellent — essentially unaffected; extruded stock takes up 0.01 % water in 24 h[20]Not documented
Food contactNot documentedNot food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[16]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedNot biodegradable[16]
RecyclabilityNot documentedNot accepted in household plastic collection[16]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised. None of these polymers was in the chamber study, and all are processed far above the temperatures it covered[22]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[22]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[22]Open a window / occasional ventilation[22]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedDifficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[16]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[16]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing[16]
Support material pairingNot documentedPolymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[16]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inNone — PPS does not dissolve in any known solvent below 200 °C.[23][24]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[25]
Softened or crazed byNothing at 23 °C; Ensinger rates it only conditionally resistant to benzene, dichloromethane, toluene and pyridine.[24]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[25]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — no solvent welds or smooths PPS.[23]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[25]

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. ThermaX PPS Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. PPS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  3. FiberFlex 30D Technical Data Sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Spectrum PPS AM230 Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2022-04 · tds
  5. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Spectrum PPS AM230 Natural, 1.75 mm / 750 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. IEMAI 3D PPS 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Chinchilla product page — print guidelines, spool sizes and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. NinjaFlex Edge product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Filaflex 82A product page (Shore hardness and elongation) Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. NinjaFlex 85A Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  13. Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
  14. Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  16. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  18. THERMAX PPS — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  20. TECATRON natural (PPS) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  21. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  22. 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
  23. PPS (Polyphenylene sulfide) — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  25. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds