3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

Breakaway vs TPU 85A

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

Break-away support guideTPU 85A guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Breakaway comparisonsMore TPU 85A comparisons
Breakaway vs TPU 85A — documented properties and sources
PropertyBreak-away supportSUPPORTTPU 85AFLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$42.49/kg median; $26.00–$79.98/kg across 4 dated product listings$89.89/kg median; $31.99–$106.05/kg across 6 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryBreak-away support compounds matched to a specific model material — Polymaker sells separate grades for PLA and for PA12[1][2]Soft thermoplastic polyurethane at 82–85 Shore A[3][4][5]
Densityg/cm³1.22 (PolySupport for PLA) and 1.29 (PolySupport for PA12), ISO 1183[1][2]1.11 (BASF Ultrafuse 85A) to 1.19 (NinjaFlex 85A), ISO 1183 / ASTM D792[5][3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 26–80; the middle of the market is about 45[6][7][8]1 kg-equivalent spools span 32–106; the middle of the market is about 90[9][10][3]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg26–80 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[6][7][8]32–106 across brands; Siraya Tech Flex TPU 85A 32 at 1 kg, add:north TPU Pro Matte 85A 72, Recreus Filaflex 82A 90 at 500 g, Proto-pasta Clear Flexible TPU 90, 3DXTech 3DXFLEX 85A 96, NinjaTek NinjaFlex 106[11][9][10][12][3]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[6][9]Available from several mainstream brands[9][11]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[6]1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[9][11][3]
Typical applicationsSupport that peels off by hand, avoiding the moisture handling and dissolution time that soluble supports demand[1]Soft-touch grips, seals, wearables and anything that must compress and rebound[3][4]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C220–230 (PolySupport for PLA)[1]200–220 (BASF Ultrafuse 85A, 210 typical)[5]
Bed temperature°C25–60 (PolySupport for PLA)[1]40 (BASF Ultrafuse 85A)[5]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1]Open frame is fine[5]
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[13][14]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s4–12 at Polymaker's 50–150 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[1]1.2–3.2 at the 15–40 mm/s BASF specifies on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[5]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone[5]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedSticks to anything — Recreus states its 82A grade has excellent bed adhesion without a heated bed or additives[4]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Not documentedHigh — drying plus tuning needed[15][14]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning[1]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; at this hardness the filament will not push through a Bowden tube[3][4]
Extruder requirementA second extruder or a tool changer[1]Direct drive only. NinjaTek calls its 85A grade ideal for direct-drive extruders and Recreus specifies direct-drive printers for 82A; BASF caps print speed at 15–40 mm/s with a nozzle of 0.4 mm or larger[3][4][5]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[1]Brass fine indefinitely[16]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[1]Non-abrasive[16]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — 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]High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[15][14]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedVery high — softens in the cold zone readily; soft filament buckles between the drive gear and the melt zone[14][3]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[13]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.64 % equilibrium water absorption (PolySupport for PLA)[1]Moderate — NinjaTek measures 0.22 % in 24 h (ASTM D570) and BASF specifies a 70 °C dry for at least 5 h[3][5]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.64 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySupport for PLA)[1]0.22 after 24 h water immersion (NinjaFlex 85A, ASTM D570) — an immersion figure, not an equilibrium moisture content at 50 % RH[3]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented70 °C for at least 5 h in a hot-air dryer or vacuum oven (BASF)[5]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[15]
Effect of moisture on strengthNot a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[15]Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; wet TPU prints with poor layer adhesion and weak, brittle layers[15]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[15]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPaNot documented26 ultimate (NinjaFlex 85A, ASTM D638)[3]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented12 (NinjaFlex 85A, ASTM D638) — two orders of magnitude below any rigid filament; NinjaTek's 95A Cheetah reaches 26 by the same method[3][17]
Elongation at break%Not documented650 at break (Filaflex 82A) and 660 (NinjaFlex 85A); BASF measures 600 in XY and 320 in ZX[4][3][5]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedVery ductile — bends far before failing[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documented29 Shore D / 85 Shore A (BASF Ultrafuse 85A, ISO 7619-1); 85 Shore A (NinjaFlex, ASTM D2240); 82 A nominal for Filaflex[3][5][4]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — no 85A creep test; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg, and softer grades creep more[18]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Not documentedExcellent — living hinges viable[14]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Not documentedRubbery / highly elastic[3][4]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented53 — BASF measures 320 % elongation at break in ZX against 600 % in XY[5]
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedAbrasion 0.08 g mass loss over 10 000 cycles (NinjaFlex, ASTM D4060); 82 mm³ (BASF, ISO 4649)[3][5]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C43 (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°C53 (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°CVicat 171 (PolySupport for PA12, ISO 306)[2]216 melting (NinjaFlex 85A, DSC)[3]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedGood — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[14]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedWithstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[14]
Food contactNot documentedNot food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[14]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedNot biodegradable[14]
RecyclabilityNot documentedNot accepted in household plastic collection[14]
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq (ASTM D257, THERMAX HTS2 and MTS1)[19][20]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[21]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[21]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[21]Open a window / occasional ventilation[21]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedDifficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[14]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[14]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing[14]
Support material pairingThis 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[14]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inNone — break-away support is removed mechanically; 3DXTech lists no water or solvent route for it.[22]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[23]
Softened or crazed byNot documentedToluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[23]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — there is no solvent to weld or smooth with.[22]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[23]

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. PolySupport Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  2. PolySupport for PA12 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  3. NinjaFlex 85A Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Filaflex 82A product page (Shore hardness and elongation) Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Ultrafuse TPU 85A Technical Data Sheet (Version 3.0) BASF Forward AM · 2022-08 · tds
  6. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. YXPOLYER Breakaway Support Filament 1 kg Black — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE breakaway support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Siraya Tech Flex TPU 85A Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. add:north TPU Pro Matte 85A product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  14. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  17. NinjaTek technical specs comparison chart (Cheetah, NinjaFlex, Armadillo, Alloy 910, Nylon 645) NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  18. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  19. THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  20. THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  21. 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
  22. THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  23. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds