3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
Breakaway vs TPE SEBS
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Break-away supportSUPPORT | TPE (SEBS)FLEX |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $42.49/kg median; $26.00–$79.98/kg across 4 dated product listings | $98.25/kg median; $76.50–$120.00/kg across 2 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Break-away support compounds matched to a specific model material — Polymaker sells separate grades for PLA and for PA12[1][2] | Styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene thermoplastic elastomer — a styrenic rubber, not a polyurethane[3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.22 (PolySupport for PLA) and 1.29 (PolySupport for PA12), ISO 1183[1][2] | 1.044 printed part density (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 1183-1) — the lightest elastomer here[3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 26–80; the middle of the market is about 45[4][5][6] | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 77[7] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 26–80 across brands and grades; IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE 26, Polymaker PolySupport for PLA 40 at 750 g, YXPOLYER 45, PolySupport for PA12 80 at 500 g[4][5][6] | 77 for the Recreus 600 g spool; Proto-pasta only lists a 50 g coil, which prices at 120[7][8] |
| Market availability1–5 | Available from several mainstream brands[4][9] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3][8][7] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[4] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.05 and 0.6 kg spools[3][7] |
| Typical applications | Support that peels off by hand, avoiding the moisture handling and dissolution time that soluble supports demand[1] | Soft-touch overmoulds and skin-contact parts where a non-polyurethane elastomer is wanted[3] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 220–230 (PolySupport for PLA)[1] | 260–280 (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A) — far hotter than any TPU here[3] |
| Bed temperature°C | 25–60 (PolySupport for PLA)[1] | 70–90 (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A)[3] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[1] | Open frame is fine[3] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[10][11] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 4–12 at Polymaker's 50–150 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[1] | 0.8–2.4 at the 10–30 mm/s BASF specifies on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer — the slowest material in this group[3] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Easy — minor profile tuning[1] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[3] |
| Extruder requirement | A second extruder or a tool changer[1] | Nozzle 0.4 mm or larger; BASF caps print speed at 10–30 mm/s[3] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[1] | Brass fine indefinitely[12] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[1] | Non-abrasive[12] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Polymaker specifies a 55 °C dry for the PLA grade and warns brass nozzle life falls to about 9 h on the PA12 grade[1][2] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; BASF caps print speed at 10–30 mm/s and Simplify3D warns that raised feed rates on flexibles most likely end in a jam[10][3] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[10] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Moderate — 0.64 % equilibrium water absorption (PolySupport for PLA)[1] | Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — BASF states drying is not necessary, unique among the elastomers here[3] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 0.64 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySupport for PLA)[1] | Not documented |
| Drying temperature & time | Not documented | None — BASF states Ultrafuse TPS 90A arrives in a printable condition and drying is not necessary[3] |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[13] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[13] | Not applicable — the SEBS chemistry has no amide or ester linkages to take up water, and BASF specifies no drying at all[3] |
| Storage requirement | Not documented | Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[13] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Very ductile — bends far before failing[3] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | 89 Shore A and 29 Shore D (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 7619-1)[3] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Poor — no SEBS creep test; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[14] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — living hinges viable[11] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Rubbery / highly elastic[3] |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | Abrasion 111 mm³ (ISO 4649) — the poorest abrasion resistance in this group, well behind TPU[3] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 43 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, PolySupport for PA12). Polymaker's sheet prints a higher figure at the higher load, which is physically inverted; treat both HDT numbers as approximate[2] | Not documented |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, PolySupport for PA12) — printed above the 0.45 MPa figure on Polymaker's own sheet, which cannot be right; treat both as approximate[2] | Not documented |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Vicat 171 (PolySupport for PA12, ISO 306)[2] | 242–249 melting (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 11357-3)[3] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[11] |
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[11] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — essentially unaffected[3] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[11] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[11] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Not accepted in household plastic collection[11] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Surface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq (ASTM D257, THERMAX HTS2 and MTS1)[15][16] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[17] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[17] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[17] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[17] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[11] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[11] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | No practical vapour smoothing[11] |
| Support material pairing | This is the support material. Polymaker publishes an adhesion matrix per model material, from very good to unusable, because break-away supports only work against the polymer they were matched to[1][2] | Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[11] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | None — break-away support is removed mechanically; 3DXTech lists no water or solvent route for it.[18] | Toluene dissolves SEBS at room temperature — Kraton quotes solution viscosity at 25 % mass in toluene, 25 °C.[19] |
| Softened or crazed by | Not documented | Soaking in hydrocarbon solvents and oils deteriorates it; short exposures are tolerated. Resists water, acids and bases.[19] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — there is no solvent to weld or smooth with.[18] | Toluene will weld it, though the joint stays soft; no workshop-safe agent, and vapour smoothing is not practical.[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
- PolySupport Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- PolySupport for PA12 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Ultrafuse TPS 90A Technical Data Sheet (Version 1.1, SEBS) BASF Forward AM · 2020-12 · tds
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- YXPOLYER Breakaway Support Filament 1 kg Black — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE breakaway support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
- THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- 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
- THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- KRATON polymers Grade Range — chemical resistance and toluene solution data Kraton Corporation · 2025-07 · tds