3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
TPE SEBS vs TPU 98A
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | TPE (SEBS)FLEX | TPU 98A / hard TPUFLEX |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $98.25/kg median; $76.50–$120.00/kg across 2 dated product listings | $94.99/kg median; $34.99–$149.99/kg across 3 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene thermoplastic elastomer — a styrenic rubber, not a polyurethane[1] | Hard thermoplastic polyurethane at 98 Shore A to about 60 Shore D — the rigid end of the TPU range[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.044 printed part density (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 1183-1) — the lightest elastomer here[1] | 1.23 (Fillamentum Flexfill 98A); 1.2 (Extrudr FLEX HARD, ISO 2781)[2][3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 77[4] | 1 kg spools cluster near 150[5] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 77 for the Recreus 600 g spool; Proto-pasta only lists a 50 g coil, which prices at 120[4][6] | 95–150 across brands; Proto-pasta Clear Rigid TPU 95, Push Plastic TPU 100A 150[6][5] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1][6][4] | Available from several mainstream brands[5][6][3] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.05 and 0.6 kg spools[1][4] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75 and 1 kg spools[6][5] |
| Typical applications | Soft-touch overmoulds and skin-contact parts where a non-polyurethane elastomer is wanted[1] | Drive belts, wheels, snap-fits and bumpers that need to flex but hold shape under load[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 260–280 (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A) — far hotter than any TPU here[1] | 230–260 (Extrudr FLEX HARD)[3] |
| Bed temperature°C | 70–90 (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A)[1] | 50–90 (Extrudr FLEX HARD)[3] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[1] | Open frame is fine[3] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | 0–30 % (Extrudr FLEX HARD)[3] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[7][8] | PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[7][8] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 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[1] | 4.6 (Extrudr FLEX HARD, stated max volumetric speed on a 0.4 mm nozzle)[3] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Not documented | None[3] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1] | Easy — minor profile tuning; at this hardness the filament pushes like a rigid material[3] |
| Extruder requirement | Nozzle 0.4 mm or larger; BASF caps print speed at 10–30 mm/s[1] | Bowden viable at this hardness — Extrudr rates FLEX HARD to 100 mm/s where its soft grades cap lower[3] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[3] | Brass fine indefinitely[3] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[3] | Non-abrasive[3] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | 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[7][1] | Low[9] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[8] |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[7] | No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[7] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — BASF states drying is not necessary, unique among the elastomers here[1] | Moderate — the TPU family absorbs readily; Extrudr specifies a 12 h dry at 60 °C for FLEX HARD[3][9] |
| Drying temperature & time | None — BASF states Ultrafuse TPS 90A arrives in a printable condition and drying is not necessary[1] | 60 °C for 12 h (Extrudr FLEX HARD)[3] |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[9] | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[9] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not applicable — the SEBS chemistry has no amide or ester linkages to take up water, and BASF specifies no drying at all[1] | Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[9] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[9] | Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[9] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 53.7 at break (Fillamentum Flexfill 98A, DIN 53504)[2] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 318 at break (Fillamentum Flexfill 98A, DIN 53504); Extrudr FLEX HARD 490 (ISO 527-2)[2][3] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Very ductile — bends far before failing[1] | Very ductile — bends far before failing[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | 89 Shore A and 29 Shore D (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 7619-1)[1] | 98 Shore A and 60 Shore D (Fillamentum, ISO 7619-1); Extrudr FLEX HARD 58 Shore D (ISO 868)[2][3] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | 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[10] | Poor — no 98A creep test; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[10] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Excellent — living hinges viable[8] | Excellent — living hinges viable[8] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rubbery / highly elastic[1] | Semi-flexible[2][3] |
| Wear resistance & friction | Abrasion 111 mm³ (ISO 4649) — the poorest abrasion resistance in this group, well behind TPU[1] | Abrasion 23 mm³ (Fillamentum, ISO 4649 method A) and 26 mm³ (Extrudr FLEX HARD, ISO 4649-A) — the best abrasion figures in the group[2][3] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 242–249 melting (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 11357-3)[1] | 190–210 melting (Extrudr FLEX HARD, ISO 3146-C); Vicat A 140 (ISO 306)[3] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[8] | Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[8] |
| Chemical resistance | Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[8] | Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[8] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Excellent — essentially unaffected[1] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[8] | Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[8] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[8] | Not biodegradable[8] |
| Recyclability | Not accepted in household plastic collection[8] | Not accepted in household plastic collection[8] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[11] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[11] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[11] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[11] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[8] | Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[8] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[8] | Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[8] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | No practical vapour smoothing[8] | No practical vapour smoothing[8] |
| Support material pairing | Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[8] | Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[8] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Not documented | Tear strength 170 kN/m (Fillamentum, ISO 34-1) and 175 kN/m (Extrudr FLEX HARD, ISO 34-1B)[2][3] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Toluene dissolves SEBS at room temperature — Kraton quotes solution viscosity at 25 % mass in toluene, 25 °C.[12] | DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[13] |
| Softened or crazed by | Soaking in hydrocarbon solvents and oils deteriorates it; short exposures are tolerated. Resists water, acids and bases.[12] | Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[13] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Toluene will weld it, though the joint stays soft; no workshop-safe agent, and vapour smoothing is not practical.[12] | None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[13] |
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
- Ultrafuse TPS 90A Technical Data Sheet (Version 1.1, SEBS) BASF Forward AM · 2020-12 · tds
- Flexfill TPU 98A Technical Data Sheet Fillamentum · 2019-08 · tds
- Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
- Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
- Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- 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
- KRATON polymers Grade Range — chemical resistance and toluene solution data Kraton Corporation · 2025-07 · tds
- Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds