TPU is rubber-like, stretchy and impact-absorbing, and it is the only way to print a part that genuinely needs to flex and return. It also has a reputation for jamming, which is almost entirely about how your extruder pushes it.
Once you understand the mechanical problem, TPU stops being difficult.
Why flexible filament jams
Rigid filament behaves like a rod: push it at one end and it moves at the other. Flexible filament behaves like a spring. Push it too fast and instead of advancing, it compresses and buckles sideways in whatever gap exists between the drive gear and the hotend.
That is the entire failure mode. Everything that makes TPU print well follows from it:
- Print slowly, so the extruder never has to push hard enough to buckle the filament.
- Use a direct-drive extruder, which shortens the unsupported path to a few millimetres.
- Minimise retraction, because pulling a stretchy material back and pushing it forward again is exactly when it tangles.
EMBERFORM TPU 95A at a glance
| Diameter | 1.75 mm (±0.03 mm) |
| Net weight | 1 kg |
| Spool length | ~340 m |
| Nozzle temperature | 190-230 °C |
| Bed temperature | 75-85 °C |
| Price | $22 per spool |
Print slowly, around 20-30 mm/s. A direct-drive extruder is strongly recommended. Use minimal retraction to avoid jams.
What to print with it
Phone cases, gaskets and seals, grips and handle covers, wheels and tyres, straps, protective bumpers, and vibration-damping feet for machines and speakers. At 95A shore hardness it is firm enough to hold a shape while still bending easily, which is the most generally useful point on the flexible scale.
Stocked in Black and White.
Tuning tips
- Slow is the fix for almost everything. If TPU is jamming, halve the speed before changing anything else.
- Control flexibility with infill, not material. The same spool produces a firm phone case at high infill and a squishy grip at 10%.
- Skip the cooling fan mostly. TPU layer bonding benefits from staying warm.
- Dry it if it strings badly. TPU is moderately hygroscopic and wet TPU strings like cobwebs.
Buy it in Lebanon
EMBERFORM TPU 95A is $22 for a 1 kg spool, in stock and shipping across Lebanon for a flat $5, typically in 3-4 days. We accept Cash on Delivery and Whish.
Not sure this is the right material? The filament materials guide compares every EMBERFORM filament side by side, or browse engineering filaments and display filaments.