Repeat after me: "Any 3D Printer can print TPU"
I receive your messages and comments every day expressing your concerns about buying TPU because "my printer can't print it". FALSE! your printer can't print it if you are using setting for PLA, which is what you normally use... but not any more...
Here is my ultimate tutorial to print TPU. Please consider that every TPU brand is different, some of them are cheap, some of them are ultra expensive, but our Z Industries 95A TPU has the perfect balance between price, quality and reliability.
That being said, here is the list of settings that crafted after years of practicing:
Note: Even the same 3D Printer, with the same settings, and the same filament, could have a different result, there are MANY factors to consider like your ambient temperature, humidity, and modifications/mods/upgrades on your printers. This guide is a general list of instructions that can be tweaked based on your own setup.
For BOWDEN 3D Printers (Ender 3, Ender 3 Pro, Prusa Mini, Anet, Etc)
1. Nozzle Temperature: 220 - 240°C
For our filament, you get the perfect balance between this range. If it's too cold, you may have underextrusion or even clog your nozzle, and if it's too hot, you will get a lot of stringing . If you think the temperature values of your printer are offset, don't be afraid of testing values outside of the range as long as you don't notice any of the above extreme scenarios.
2. Bed Temperature: 0°- 60° C
Let me explain. TPU doesn't warp, so you don't need to turn on your heat bed at all (0° means that the bed is off, not that you have to put ice on it... I read your comments). However, there are specific cases where turning the heat bed could be beneficial, and that's when you need to increase your bed adhesion.
If the first layer of your model doesn't cover enough surface of your bed compared to its volume, turn it on up to 60°C. In other words, if your model is not sticking to your bed, set the bed temperature at 60°C.
3. Printing Speed: 25 - 35mm/s
This value is SUPER IMPORTANT. The key for a successful TPU print is to be patient. The worst case scenario when printing TPU is a clogged nozzle, you don't want that, you want a perfect high quality print. Here is when you need to know your printer, some of you will get a perfect result at 35mm/s immediately, but if your nozzle clogs, stop your print, clean your nozzle and try again at a slower speed.
4. Retraction Distance: 5-7mm
This parameter is related to stringing and nozzle clogs. If your temperature and speed are within the range, and you still have issue, it means that you need to increase your retraction speed. When the distance is too short, you will get stringing, over extrusion and clogs, but when the distance is too long, you will get under extrusion (little gaps or very thin extrusion lines). Start at 5mm, increase it at ratios of 0.5mm and check what distance gives you the best result.
5. Retraction Speed: 100mm/s
This setting will help you to avoid clogs, that's because the extruder retracts the filament fast enough to not let it melt and clog the nozzle. In other words, trust me, with TPU it's better to have a fast speed retraction.
6. Z hop: Turn it OFF
This setting is good for PLA because it produces a cleaner print, but with TPU it's totally the opposite. The pressure on the nozzle is normally higher due to the flexible nature of the filament, so if you constantly change the pressure with the hops, it will result in a bad combination of stringing and under extrusion.
7. Supports: Avoid them as much as possible
Removing supports with TPU is very painful, it decreases the print's surface quality and makes the post processing a little bit harder. There are situations where you can change the orientation of your model to generate less supports, but if it's strictly needed, I suggest you use Tree Supports (Available on CURA). Tree supports have less contact with the surface of your print, so it will simplify things a little bit.
And that's it! test the settings, and send me your results on Discord, reddit or any social media. If you are still having issues, send me a message and we will help you step by step until you get a perfect TPU print.
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For DIRECT DRIVE 3D Printers (Prusa MK3S, Artillery Sidewinder X1, CR10S Pro V3, etc)
1. Nozzle Temperature: 220 - 240°C
For our filament, you get the perfect balance between this range. If it's too cold, it may clog your nozzle, and if it's too hot, you will get a lot of stringing. If you think the temperature values of your printer are offset, don't be afraid of testing values outside of the range as long as you don't notice any of the above extreme scenarios.
2. Bed Temperature: 0°- 60° C
Let me explain. TPU doesn't warp, so you don't need to turn on your heat bed at all (0° means that the bed is off, not that you have to put ice on it... I read your comments). However, there are specific cases where turning the heat bed could be beneficial, and that's when you need to increase your bed adhesion.
If the first layer of your model doesn't cover enough surface of your bed compared to its volume, turn it on up to 60°C. In other words, if your model is not sticking to your bed, set the bed temperature at 60°C.
3. Printing Speed: 35mm/s 50mm/s
Here is when a direct extruder simplifies everything! although depending on your printer, it could still struggle due to the pulley gear shape, most of the direct extruder printers are able to handle TPU pretty well. I suggest you start testing with 50mm/s if your nozzle clogs, stop your print, clean your nozzle and try again at a slower speed.
4. Retraction Distance: 2-5mm
Again, a direct extruder is an advantage because there is not much room for the filament to form clogs. If your temperature and speed are within the range, and you still have issue, it means that you need to increase your retraction speed. When the distance is too short, you will get stringing, over extrusion and clogs, but when the distance is too long, you will get under extrusion (little gaps or very thin extrusion lines). Start at 2mm, increase it at ratios of 0.5mm and check what distance gives you the best result.
5. Retraction Speed: 100mm/s
This setting will help you to avoid clogs, that's because the extruder retracts the filament fast enough to not let it melt and clog the nozzle. In other words, trust me, with TPU it's better to have a fast speed retraction.
6. Z hop: Turn it OFF
This setting is good for PLA because it produces a cleaner print, but with TPU it's totally the opposite. The pressure on the nozzle is normally higher due to the flexible nature of the filament, so if you constantly change the pressure with the hops, it will result in a bad combination of stringing and under extrusion.
7. Supports: Avoid them as much as possible
Removing supports with TPU is very painful, it decreases the print's surface quality and makes the post processing a little bit harder. There are situations where you can change the orientation of your model to generate less supports, but if it's strictly needed, I suggest you use Tree Supports (Available on CURA). Tree supports have less contact with the surface of your print, so it will simplify things a little bit.
And that's it! test the settings, and send me your results on Discord, reddit or any social media. If you are still having issues, send me a message and we will help you step by step until you get a perfect TPU print.
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Mastering Flexible Filament Tips:
A) Remove moisture from your filament once a week:
TPU is very hygroscopic, which means that it could absorb moisture if you live in a humid location. For that you need to dry it! if you can afford a filament dryer, great, if not, put your spool in the oven for 30 minutes, at 170°F (75°C). Depending on your location, you can do this regularly to increase the quality of your prints.
B) Get a Heat Gun:
The process of learning the best settings for your printer could take longer than what you expect. It doesn't mean you have to throw your print out! for those ugly stringing issues, use a heat hun and make your TPU experience more enjoyable. It will take a fraction of the time to totally clean out your prints.
C) Sandpaper is not very useful:
You might be tempted to smooth your printer surface with sandpaper, and I highly encourage you to try it for the sake of learning. SPOILER ALERT, it's not going to work. Unless you are planning to paint it afterwards, sandpaper is just going to damage the surface of your print, making it look ugly and not uniformD) Super Glue is your best friend:
It's very common to have multipart TPU prints, specially for cosplay or gaming. In this case, super glue will come very handy to put the part together while keeping the flexibility and resistance of the print. Sometimes you will notice a white-ish powder around the glued area, which happens do to the reaction of super glue and oxygen. it's not a big deal, you can clean it with alcohol and everything will look brand new.
I hope this guide helps you to get a successful TPU Print, you can contact us at any time with pictures, videos and screenshots of your issues, and we will fix it for you.
