TPU Filament: An Overview

What is TPU Filament?

3D printing is a rapidly growing field, with new innovations and improvements happening all the time. As more and more businesses and individuals begin utilizing 3D character creator software, there is an increasing need for specialized software to facilitate these processes.

Have you at any point thought about 3D printing adaptable parts? Provided that this is true, Thermoplastic Polyurethane, or TPU, as it’s generally known, is most certainly a material to add to your rundown.

TPU 3D printing offers interesting potential outcomes that are generally unattainable with other 3D printing materials like ABS, PLA, or nylon. Consolidating the properties of both plastic and elastic, TPU can create flexible, exceptionally solid parts that can be effectively twisted or compacted.

In the present instructional exercise, we’ll investigate the advantages and utilizations of TPU, the advances that help the material, as well as a couple of tips to assist you with making 3D printing with TPU as simple and effective as could be expected. So, keep reading!

What is TPU?

A person holding a TPU filament in his hand. Image source: BCN3D Technologies

Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) has a place with the group of thermoplastic elastomers and joins the best properties of thermoplastics and rubbers (thermosets).

You may be more familiar with the term TPE — or Thermoplastic Elastomer. Previously the go-to material for adaptable 3D printing, TPE is a highly delicate, elastic-like plastic that can be bowed or extended without distortion. Nonetheless, its sheer quality makes TPE an incredibly moving material for machine extruders to 3D print.

TPU, then again, can be considered the more up-to-date adaptation of TPE. TPU has elastic-like versatility, high tear and scraped spot opposition, high stretching at the break, and warm strength.

Moreover, TPU is likewise impervious to oils, lubes, and various solvents. Being firmer than TPE, TPU is subsequently a lot simpler to 3D print with.

Specifications for TPU material

• TPU has high durability, flexibility, and strength.
• It has high abrasion resistance and medium-high chemical and water resistance.
• The nozzle temperature of TPU is between 220 – 250 ‎°C.
• Its heated bed is up to 60 ‎°C.

TPU filament features

Black color TPU filament rounded in a wheel. Image source: Amazon

TPU fiber has various features, making it an incredible decision for many purposes. It is impervious to the scraped area, oil, substance, and wearing, making it ideal for use in businesses like the car industry. Printed pieces of TPU are additionally impervious to low temperatures, which implies that it doesn’t become weak and hard to work with.

Contrasted with TPE, which is likewise an adaptable fiber, TPU is somewhat more straightforward to print and holds its flexible properties better at lower temperatures. TPU material likewise has a higher scraped spot opposition and higher protection from oils and lubes.

TPU fiber, in contrast to other stiffer thermoplastic, has characteristics that incorporate adaptability and congruity. It additionally has an incredible interlayer attachment and no twisting or delamination during the 3D printing process.

• Rigid or elastic

The hardness of TPU can rely upon the mix of polymers. The temperature at which TPU fiber will expel is 220-250 degrees. A warmed form stage isn’t needed. However, when utilized, the temperature should not exceed 60 degrees. The extruder framework should endure adaptable and compressible materials up to a steady temperature of 250 degrees.

• Flexibility

The adaptability of TPU is magnificent; however, this relies upon the 3D printing programming settings. At the point when you utilize a low degree of infill, the 3D printed plan will be more adaptable. This makes it conceivable to raise more versatile or unbending protests. Regarding 3D printing, TPU fiber requires the exchange of a bigger measure of energy than many different fibers. In any case, contrasted with other materials, there are no twisting issues that can be capable through thermic shock.

Tips for 3D printing using TPU material

It’s vital to figure out the qualities and shortcomings of printing with TPU fiber. How would you take advantage of this material? It is essential to consider potential issues before beginning with TPU material to know what’s in store.

1. Optimizing the feed rate: It is much of the time best to utilize a reliable feed rate that is slow while 3D printing with adaptable fibers. This is down to how the material is flexible and can become wild, assuming any abrupt changes to the print speed. Speeding up can bring about pressure on the fiber, prompting a jam. Finding the ideal print speed for 3D printing TPU material can take several endeavors. Notwithstanding, a decent beginning stage is a speed of 35 mm/s.

To accomplish this by utilizing TPU material, print at lower layer levels, guaranteeing they are in the scope of 0.1mm to 0.2mm. At the lower layer level, there is a prerequisite for less plastic, which implies that the extruder takes care of it at a lower rate which facilitates the weight of the fiber.

2. Use a negative tolerance and avoid using rafts: Planning an adaptable section that throws a tantrum on top of another article merits thinking about utilizing a negative resistance between the parts. This will guarantee that the adjustable part can extend easily over the other piece.

Utilizing adaptable fiber, for example, TPU material, and not employing rafts is significant. Since the base layers of the rate have a higher pace of expulsion, it could prompt issues.

3. Optimize the retraction settings: Since TPU material is adaptable and versatile, it makes it extremely delicate for quick developments like withdrawals. Subsequently, to effectively 3D print utilizing the TPU fiber, you must advance the withdrawal settings to restrict the consequences. It’s pivotal regardless of a limited withdrawal quantity while using a slower speed to assist with any conceivable overflowing from the extruder (hot-end).
4. Shorten the distance: The overall assessment supports 3D printing adaptable materials with a Direct Drive extruder. In any case, you can arrive at similar outcomes while utilizing the right settings on a 3D printer with a Bowden extruder. Significantly, the fiber goes to the soften zone to have tight resilience, which can forestall any crimping or snaking.
5. Placement of the spool: Several changes to the spool of the material can have a considerable effect. The extruder drive wheel will regularly maneuver the fiber into the spout, which brings about the fiber spool loosening up a modest quantity of plastic all the while. As TPU is versatile, the fiber will be extended while pulled, prompting under-expulsion. Accordingly, mount the spool over the printer, so the fiber loosens up downwards, decreasing any obstruction.

Industries that use TPU material in 3D Printing

A wide range of enterprises utilizes TPU 3D printing because its elements offer them various benefits.

• Sporting goods and footwear: As the need might arise to be adaptable and hard-wearing, TPU material is the ideal decision. It may be found in preparing help, water gear, and wellness hardware in many games. Footwear needs to endure low temperatures, adaptability, and be impervious to water and synthetic substances. This way, 3D printing TPU is perfect for assembling outdoor supplies.
• SLEM researched the possibilities of 3D printed footwear: SLEM, a development, and schooling community for the footwear business, have requested that Tractus3D collaborate on a 3D printing project for shoes. The objective is to investigate the way that how much material waste can be decreased, however much as could reasonably be expected, while researching new and existing strategies for fast customization of advanced models for each client.

SLEM figured out that FDM innovation and different methodologies like FFF creation ostensibly address the most practical answer for modifying soles. Shoes made utilizing these cycles are especially compelling in fitting sole plans to the extraordinary necessities of wearers, from shape and solace to acquiring explicit applications like games. Later, a definitive objective for shoe organizations will be a speedy circle back from getting client information to convey to them and getting the soles printed, enhanced, created, and conveyed to clients soon.

• Aerospace: The airplane business is additionally viewing the utilization of TPU 3D imprinting seriously as it also has expanded its utilization, seeing precisely the exact thing it brings to the table. It can likewise be found in instrument boards and sensors.
• Automotive: The auto business has gone to TPU material and carried it out into the assembling system of vehicles. Lately, the utilization has risen extensively. Therefore, it can frequently be found in instrument boards, sensors, switches, and regions.