3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

Breakaway vs TPU soft

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

Break-away support guideSoft TPU (below 85A) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Breakaway comparisonsMore TPU soft comparisons
Breakaway vs TPU soft — documented properties and sources
PropertyBreak-away supportSUPPORTSoft TPU (below 85A)FLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$42.49/kg median; $26.00–$79.98/kg across 4 dated product listings$114.04/kg median; $109.80–$122.27/kg across 4 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]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/cm³1.22 (PolySupport for PLA) and 1.29 (PolySupport for PA12), ISO 1183[1][2]1.07 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 26–80; the middle of the market is about 45[4][5][6]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 115[7][8][9]
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[4][5][6]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[7][9][8]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[4][10]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3][11][7]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[4]1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 0.85, 1, 2 and 3 kg spools[3][7][12][8]
Typical applicationsSupport that peels off by hand, avoiding the moisture handling and dissolution time that soluble supports demand[1]Highly compliant seals, soft grips and prosthetic liners[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C220–230 (PolySupport for PLA)[1]Not documented
Bed temperature°C25–60 (PolySupport for PLA)[1]50–70 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1]Open 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[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]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning[1]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][14]
Extruder requirementA second extruder or a tool changer[1]Direct 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[1]Brass fine indefinitely[15]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[1]Non-abrasive[15]
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; below 85 Shore A the filament buckles and compresses, and Simplify3D warns that raised feed rates most likely end in a jam[13][14][16]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedVery high — softens in the cold zone readily[14]
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[16]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.64 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySupport for PLA)[1]Not documented
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[16]
Effect of moisture on strengthNot a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[16]Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[16]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[16]
Mechanical Properties
Elongation at break%Not documented870 at break (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 527) — the highest elongation in the dataset[3]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedVery ductile — bends far before failing[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documented81 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[17]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Not documentedExcellent — living hinges viable[14]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Not documentedRubbery / 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°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]170 melting (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, 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)[18][19]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[20]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[20]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[20]Open a window / occasional ventilation[20]
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.[21]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[22]
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.[22]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — there is no solvent to weld or smooth with.[21]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[22]

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. FiberFlex 30D Technical Data Sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. YXPOLYER Breakaway Support Filament 1 kg Black — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE breakaway support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Chinchilla product page — print guidelines, spool sizes and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. NinjaFlex Edge product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 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. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  14. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  16. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  18. THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  19. THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  20. 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
  21. THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  22. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds