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SunLu 500g 1.75mm TPU Filament
- Brands SunLu Code: V-HD-TPU1.75
TPU, or Thermoplastic Polyurethane (Wiki), is another common flexible material and is easily confused with TPE. So whatâs the difference between the two (other than one letter)? A simple explanation is that TPU is a type of TPE. Thatâs because TPE isnât really one specific material; it refers to a range of elastic thermoplastics, of which TPU is one.
 The image above is for general illustration purpose only.
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Recently, âTPUâ, both as a term and as a material, has been gaining popularity over âTPEâ. In todayâs 3D printing scene, most flexible offerings are TPU-based materials, with TPE having fallen largely out of favor due to difficulties faced while printing.
To avoid any confusion, this guide will differentiate the materials based on technical hardness ratings. Flexibles rated at 90A hardness or below will be considered TPE, even if the material is TPU-based.
This spool of TPU comes in 500 grams, less than the standard 1kg filament. The reason is TPU filament absorbs moisture far faster than PLA and you should finish the spool as soon as it is opened from the vacuum-sealed bag. So half a kilogram should help you in utilizing the filament.Â
In case you do not know, filaments absorb water vapour or moisture in the air? They do, sadly. It can affect the printing quality if the filament stored in a humid place. Humid conditions and UV light speed up the breakdown of the filament which weakens it and causes inconsistent or poor quality prints. For example, when water is absorbed by the filament and it is heated by the 3D printer for extrusion, the water combined with heat makes steam (you will hear a hissing sound as steam is created). This causes the filament to bubble as it comes out of the hot end and leaves you with an inconsistent surface on your print. To counter this problem, this TPU filament is vacuum-sealed and a bag of desiccant silica gel is placed inside it so that it can absorb remaining water vapour. The main purpose is so that the filament will always in a dry state. Check out the advice from 3DMN on printing TPU:
Note: TPU filament absorbs moisture or water vapour in the air faster than PLA, so it should be kept in an airtight container and cold condition after it is opened. And please includes the silica gel to absorb moisture/humidity in the container. If it is not kept in dry and proper conditions, it will cause a lot of problems, before and during printing. Besides keeping in the proper conditions, we recommend using the TPU filament within 3 months after you open the seal. Do check the article on 3D printer filaments storage by 3DPrintingForBeginner
The image above is for general illustration purpose only.
The shore hardness of this TPU is 98A and it is compatible with 3D printers that accepts open filament system, including Ender-3, Ender-3 PRO and Ender-3 V2. Check out the settings from Educenter on his Ender-3 in using TPU filament:
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Good luck and enjoy the 3D printing parts!
Dimensions :
The image above is for general illustration purpose only.
P/S: You can actually store your filament at the side of the spool :)