3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
TPE SEBS vs TPU soft
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | TPE (SEBS)FLEX | Soft TPU (below 85A)FLEX |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $98.25/kg median; $76.50–$120.00/kg across 2 dated product listings | $114.04/kg median; $109.80–$122.27/kg across 4 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene thermoplastic elastomer — a styrenic rubber, not a polyurethane[1] | 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[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.044 printed part density (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 1183-1) — the lightest elastomer here[1] | 1.07 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 1183)[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 77[3] | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 115[3][4][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[3][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[3][5][4] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1][6][3] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2][7][3] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.05 and 0.6 kg spools[1][3] | 1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 0.85, 1, 2 and 3 kg spools[2][3][8][4] |
| Typical applications | Soft-touch overmoulds and skin-contact parts where a non-polyurethane elastomer is wanted[1] | Highly compliant seals, soft grips and prosthetic liners[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 260–280 (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A) — far hotter than any TPU here[1] | Not documented |
| Bed temperature°C | 70–90 (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A)[1] | 50–70 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[1] | Open frame is fine[2] |
| 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[9][10] | PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[9][10] |
| 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] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, 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[8][10] |
| Extruder requirement | Nozzle 0.4 mm or larger; BASF caps print speed at 10–30 mm/s[1] | Direct drive only, with a constrained filament path; Bowden is not viable at this hardness[8][7] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[11] | Brass fine indefinitely[11] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[11] | Non-abrasive[11] |
| 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[9][1] | 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[9][10][12] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Not documented | Very high — softens in the cold zone readily[10] |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[9] | No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[9] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — BASF states drying is not necessary, unique among the elastomers here[1] | Moderate[12] |
| Drying temperature & time | None — BASF states Ultrafuse TPS 90A arrives in a printable condition and drying is not necessary[1] | Not documented |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[12] | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[12] |
| 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[12] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[12] | Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[12] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 870 at break (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 527) — the highest elongation in the dataset[2] |
| 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] | 81 Shore A and 30 Shore D (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 7619)[2] |
| 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[13] | 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[13] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Excellent — living hinges viable[10] | Excellent — living hinges viable[10] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rubbery / highly elastic[1] | Rubbery / highly elastic[2] |
| Wear resistance & friction | Abrasion 111 mm³ (ISO 4649) — the poorest abrasion resistance in this group, well behind TPU[1] | Tear strength 95 kN/m (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 34-1)[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 242–249 melting (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 11357-3)[1] | 170 melting (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, DSC)[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[10] | Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[10] |
| Chemical resistance | Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[10] | Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[10] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Excellent — essentially unaffected[1] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[10] | Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[10] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[10] | Not biodegradable[10] |
| Recyclability | Not accepted in household plastic collection[10] | Not accepted in household plastic collection[10] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[14] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[14] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[14] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[14] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[10] | Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[10] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[10] | Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[10] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | No practical vapour smoothing[10] | No practical vapour smoothing[10] |
| Support material pairing | Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[10] | Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[10] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Toluene dissolves SEBS at room temperature — Kraton quotes solution viscosity at 25 % mass in toluene, 25 °C.[15] | DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[16] |
| Softened or crazed by | Soaking in hydrocarbon solvents and oils deteriorates it; short exposures are tolerated. Resists water, acids and bases.[15] | Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[16] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Toluene will weld it, though the joint stays soft; no workshop-safe agent, and vapour smoothing is not practical.[15] | None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[16] |
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
- FiberFlex 30D Technical Data Sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
- Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
- Chinchilla product page — print guidelines, spool sizes and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
- NinjaFlex Edge product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- Filaflex 82A product page (Shore hardness and elongation) Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
- NinjaFlex 85A Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
- 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
- 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