Home » Misc » 3D print flexible filament

3D print flexible filament


Ultimate Materials Guide - 3D Printing Flexible Filament

Overview

Flexible filaments are made of Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) which are a blend of hard plastic and rubber. As the name suggests, this material is elastic in nature allowing the plastic to be stretched and flexed easily. There are several types of TPE, with Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) being the most commonly used among 3D printing filaments. In many cases, these terms are used interchangeably, along with popular brand names such as Ninjaflex. The degree of elasticity in the plastic depends on the type of TPE and the chemical formulation used by the manufacturer. For example, some filaments can be partially flexible like a car tire but others can be elastic and fully flexible like a rubber band. This guide will cover tips to help you with both of these variations of flexible filaments.

  • Flexible and soft
  • Excellent vibration dampening
  • Long shelf life
  • Good impact resistance
  • Difficult to print
  • Poor bridging characteristics
  • Possibility of blobs and stringing
  • May not work well on Bowden extruders

Hardware Requirements

Before 3D printing with flexible filaments, make sure your 3D printer meets the hardware requirements listed below to ensure the best print quality.

Bed

Temperature: 45-60 °C
Heated Bed Optional
Enclosure Not Required

Build Surface

PEI
Painter’s Tape

Extruder

Temperature: 225-245 °C
Direct Drive Extruder Recommended

Cooling

Part Cooling Fan Required

Best Practices

Flexible filaments come with many unique challenges that you want to be aware of. These tips will help you reduce the chances of common 3D printing issues such as clogging, kinking, and stringing.

Use Direct Drive Extruders

While some partially flexible filaments work fine with Bowden Extruders, most fully flexible filaments require a Direct Drive extruder for best results. The distance between the drive gear and the melt zone of the hot-end needs to be as short as possible to efficiently feed the filament into the nozzle. Additionally, the pathway through which the filament travels into the melt zone should have tight tolerances to prevent the filament from kinking or coiling inside. For these reasons, it is typically much easier to print flexible filaments with a Direct Drive extruder versus a Bowden extruder. If you are unsure about your 3D printer’s capabilities, you may want to check with the manufacturer to see if the extruder has been approved for use with flexible filaments.

Use Slow and Consistent Feed Rates

Flexible filaments typically print best using a slow and consistent feed rate. Because the material is elastic, it can be very difficult to control sudden changes in the print speed. Higher print speeds can cause the filament to compress and will most likely result in a jam. Slow and steady is the best approach. Simplify3D provides all of your feed rate settings on the Speeds tab of your process settings so that you can easily configure these values. Finding the optimal print speed for your material can take several attempts based on trial and error. We have seen that speeds of 1200 mm/min (20 mm/s) can be a good starting point for most materials.

Reduce Resistance from the Filament Spool

A few tweaks to your material spool can also make a big difference with flexible materials. Typically, your extruder will pull the filament into the nozzle, forcing the filament spool mounted on your printer to unwind a bit of plastic in the process. However, because flexible materials are elastic, this will stretch the filament out as it is being pulled in and can actually result in under-extrusion. Try mounting the spool above your printer so that the filament unwinds in a downward direction which can reduce the resistance. It can also be incredibly helpful to mount the spool’s hub on a bearing to allow the spool to spin as freely as possible.

Tune Your Retraction Settings

The elastic nature of flexible filament makes it sensitive to quick movements such as retractions. In order to successfully print the filament, you will need to optimize your retraction settings to reduce these movements. While you are first starting with this material, we would recommend disabling retraction completely. You can make this change in Simplify3D on the Extruders tab of your process settings. With retraction disabled, you can focus on finding the perfect speed and extrusion rates that allow you to reliably print your models. After you are more confident in these settings, you may wish to add a very small amount of retraction with a slower retraction speed to help with any potential oozing from the hot-end. Simplify3D also includes a unique option called Coasting, which will automatically help lower the pressure in the nozzle when you approach the end of a segment, which can significantly reduce blobs and stringing with these materials. If you want more information about other options that can help reduce hairs and stringing on your prints, we have an entire section on our Print Quality Guide dedicated to that issue: How to Reduce Stringing and Oozing.

Optimize Your Travel Movements

Retractions can be particularly troublesome for flexible materials, so it is typically best to minimize the number of retractions required for your print. Simplify3D has a great feature that was built specifically for this situation. Instead of moving in a straight line from point A to B, the software will actually choose a completely new path when moving between these points, with the goal of staying within the interior of your object so that there won’t be any oozing or stringing. With this unique feature enabled, you can greatly reduce the amount of retractions required for your print and significantly improve your print quality. To use this feature, click on the Advanced tab of your process settings, and enable the “Avoid crossing outline for travel movement” option.

Pro-Tips

  • Optimize the feed rate by printing at lower layer heights in the 0.1mm – 0.2mm range. The lower layer height requires less plastic, so it allows your extruder to use a lower feed-rate, relieving the burden on the filament.
  • Try to avoid using rafts with flexible materials, as the base layers of the raft have higher extrusion rates which may create issues.
  • If you are designing a flexible part that needs to fit on top of another object, try using a negative tolerance between the parts so that the flexible part will need to stretch to fit over the other object snugly.

Get Started with Flexible Filaments

Now that you’re ready to start printing with flexible materials, we have a few tips to help you get started. View some typical applications below, try out a few of our sample projects, or choose a popular filament brand to purchase for your next project.

Common Applications

  • Vibration dampening
  • Grip Sleeves
  • Phone cases

Sample Projects

  • RC Car Tire
  • Phone case
  • Bike Handle

Popular Brands

  • NinjaTek Ninjaflex, Armadillo, Cheetah
  • Polymaker PolyFlex
  • eSun TPE
  • Sainsmart Flexible TPU

Flexible Filament | MatterHackers

  1. Home
  2. Store
  3. 3D Printer Filament
  4. Flexible Filament

3D printing with flexible materials can really expand the capabilities of any project. Materials like MatterHackers PRO Series Flex, NinjaTek, or Soft PLA all behave similarly to rubber, which makes it perfect for printing things like gaskets, stoppers, or even phone cases. Flexible filaments are all thermoplastic elastomers that can provide the perfect amount of bend, elasticity, and strength to your 3D printed parts.

Flexible Filament Collections

All Flexible Filament 3D Printer Filament

Flexible Filament

PRO Series Flex

All the benefits of flexible filament together with improved strength over other flexible filaments

NinjaTek

High quality and industry-leading flexible materials.

Soft PLA

Soft PLA is a flexible material great for parts that need to bend to fit their environment.

PRO Series TPU

Strong yet bendable filament that has excellent layer to layer bonding.

MH Build Series TPU

An affordable, low-cost TPU filament intended for producing quality, 3D printed parts.

Guides & Articles

How To Succeed When 3D Printing With PLA Filament

Discover the best practices for 3D printing with PLA filament - from finding the right temperature, to which surfaces to 3D print on, this step-by-step guide will help you succeed with 3D printing PLA.

How To Succeed When Printing With ABS

ABS filament is a versatile material that's a great option for when you need your 3D-printed parts to be strong and heat-resistant. Learn how to print this material like a Pro in this in-depth guide.

How to Succeed when 3D Printing with PETG Filament

This in-depth guide provides everything you need to succeed when printing with PETG filament. Embrace the fantastic properties of durable and easy to print, PETG filament!

How to Succeed with 3D Printing Metal on a Desktop 3D Printer

The time is here to explore easy and affordable metal 3D printing. 3D printing with real metal on a desktop 3D printer is now possible using Ultrafuse Metal 3D printing filament from BASF Forward AM.

How To Succeed When 3D Printing With Nylon

Learn how to 3D print Nylon like a pro. Nylon is a stronger and more durable alternative to PLA or ABS and easy to 3D print with using these Tips and Tricks.

How To Succeed When Printing With Flexible Filament

Let’s take a look at what makes flexible filaments easier to print and how you can add flexible filament to your 3D printing material toolbox.

How to Succeed with NylonX

NylonX has quickly become one of our favorite filaments for strong, durable, and ready-to-use parts. Here's an in-depth look at Nylon X, and some printing tips to get the most out of this great new material.

How to Succeed When 3D Printing with MH Build Resin

Make SLA resin 3D printing easier with this helpful detailed article on how to successfully fine-tune photopolymer resin to your 3D printer.

How To Succeed: 3D Printing with Nylon and Nylon Composites

Nylon and nylon composites perform exceptionally well in a variety of uses, it just takes a gentler touch to print it successfully.

How To Succeed When 3D Printing With ASA Filament

Follow this step-by-step guide to learn how to print with ASA, the perfect material for any outdoor projects.

Free 3D File Anet A6 Flexible Thread Tensioner・3D Printing Template to Download・Cults

Killer team injury tracker (for 12mm dice)

1.87 €

Miniature rotary handle / gripper with quick-change magnetic caps

Free

Gran Board Dash - Wall Mount

Free

SMA Pigtail holder for Realacc X210 / Genius (30 mm between posts)

Free

DJI Mavic Quadlock Support and Gimbal Protector

Free

Caja Chorus RF DIY Laptimer LEVEL RC

Free

IR tracker Swivel holder

Free

Modular Mounting System Active Cooling Downlight Bracket

Free

The best files for 3D printers in the Tools category

3D LabPrint C152 Cooling Vents

Free

Respirator Breathing Mask

Free

Box

1. 30 €

fortnite bunny bear mask and more, mascaras de bunnys de silicona. fornite, ovito y mas.

Free

WoodenMallet cnc

Free

simple pocket caliper

free

nine0003 Filament guide with pulley for direct drive 3D printers

8,90 €

Animal Crossing Marina

Free

Bestsellers in the Tools category

telephone ring holder

0,90 €

Business Card Embossing System

3 €

Ender 3 S1 pro fan duct 5015 4020

1,30 €

UNIVERSAL BED LEVELING INDICATOR FOR VERY ALL PRINTERS

2,82 €

Cut-Man - PET bottle cutter with handle!

€3. 49

PRECISION CALIPER 3D PRINT DIY

3.12 €

ENDER 3 S1, S1 PRO, SPRITE, V3 AIR DUCT 5015 OR 4020, ACCELEROMETER, LED strip

€2.69 -twenty% 2.15 €

PRECISE DIAL INDICATOR 3D PRINT DIY

1,90 €

ENDER 3 S1/S1 PRO COIL HOLDER AND DEPORTED COIL

€2.13 -twenty% 1.70 €

Ender 3 S1 Air duct for stock fan

€1.20 -10% 1.08 €

Ender 3 S1 BEST cable guide - vertical

€2. 50 -25% 1.88 €

Cooling system Minimus Hotend

2.34 €

ARTEMIS -> Shop for Alligator 2 || 6.5" arrows || Repeating crossbow

6.25 €

Fire Hydrant Storage Container

1.89 €

Case for Chill Buddy lighter

0,93 €

Quick Print Paint Bottle Rack (6 sizes)

2.86 €

Do you want to support Cults?

Do you like Cults and want to help us continue our journey on our own ? Please note that we are a small team of 3 people , so supporting us in maintaining activities and creating future developments is very easy. Here are 4 solutions available to everyone:

  • AD: Disable your AdBlock banner blocker and click on our banner ads.

  • AFFILIATION: Shop online with our affiliate links here Amazon.

  • DONATIONS: If you want, you can donate via PayPal here. nine0006

  • * INVITE FRIENDS: * Invite your friends, discover the platform and great 3D files shared by the community!

3D printing filaments

Hello friends!

This article would like to highlight the appearance of threads in printing. I will try to note the main factors influencing the appearance of threads.

1) Idling speed and acceleration. The idle run consists of the following stages - first there is a retract, then the movement of the extruder, then again a retract. The plastic is spontaneously squeezed out precisely during the idle time, forming various kinds of defects. Now imagine an example if the idling takes zero seconds. Under this condition, the plastic will not have time to spontaneously extrude. Therefore, the higher the speed and acceleration, the less time the idling lasts, which means there will be fewer threads. But speed and acceleration are limited by the motor driver, the motors themselves, and the rigidity of the printer frame. nine0006

Therefore, you can try to slightly increase the speed and acceleration with each print, but at the same time make sure that the motors do not overheat, otherwise microsteps may be skipped, which will lead to print rejects.

2) Idling path. Different slicers process parts according to different algorithms, which means that the idling trajectory may differ. Some slicers build more rational extruder motion than others. Therefore, you can try to prepare the same part in several slicers and stop at the option that will be more rational. nine0006

3) Feeder dependent, i.e. from the plastic supply system. Printers most often have one of two options: "bowden", i.e. far-distance or "direct", this is when the "feeder" is located near the extruder. Under the same printing conditions with direct, there will always be fewer threads than with bowden. But this does not mean that you can always switch from Bowden to Direct. It may also be that your printer will not be able to work with "direct" for one reason or another. The transition to "direct" must be considered with each printer individually. nine0006

4) Retract setting, i.e. plastic rollback - its task is to remove the residual pressure in the extruder during idling. Without retract, the threads will appear more intensely. For most printers, the values ​​are as follows - for direct, the range is from 1 to 6mm, and for bowden, from 4 to 12mm. (the amount of retract also depends on the diameter of the nozzle).

5) Plastic quality. If you are constantly printing only budget plastics and are unhappy with the result, then try to buy plastic in a higher price category, and more importantly, with good reviews. And then compare the print quality. But the main thing - from different manufacturers, compare the same types of plastic - you should not compare, for example, ABS from one manufacturer, and PLA from another. nine0006

6) Plastic drying. By the way, this applies to almost all plastics, not just nylon. If you have unnamed or cheap plastic in your hands, it is recommended to dry it after opening it, because. it is not known whether the plastic was dried before packaging.

7) Nozzle diameter. The larger the diameter, the more plastic will spontaneously squeeze out during idling. There is nothing you can do about it, it just needs to be taken into account when choosing a nozzle diameter.

8) Extruder temperature. If you heat the extruder to the upper limit of the recommended range (indicated on the plastic that is being printed), then the fluidity of the plastic will be higher, and it will be more easily extruded from the nozzle. Plastic manufacturers give a temperature range for a reason. If you set the print speed to high, then the extruder temperature should be in the upper limit of the range. But if the print speed is low, then there is no need to heat up the extruder much, otherwise filaments may appear due to overheating of the plastic. nine0006

Therefore, you can try to reduce the temperature of the extruder as follows - during printing, every couple of minutes, reduce the temperature by 5 degrees over and over and watch the print closely. If the threads disappear, remember the temperature and stick to it. But if the temperature is greatly lowered, then the plastic will not be able to extrude at all. Don't overdo it.

9) Dependence of temperature on the type of extruder. There are many different models of extruders. For example, consider the E3D V6 and E3D V6 Volcano extruder. The E3D V6 Volcano has an extended nozzle and an extended aluminum block. And this means that the zone where the plastic is in the molten state is larger, so it can push through a larger volume of plastic per unit of time. As a result, this extruder will be able to print at higher speeds than the regular E3D V6. But here you need to understand the following - if you have a "powerful" extruder, and you print at low speeds, then the plastic will overheat, which will lead to the appearance of threads. Therefore, for powerful extruders, it is better to set the temperature in the lower limit of the recommended range. And on the contrary - for an extruder that cannot heat up a large amount of plastic, the temperature should be kept in the middle or at the upper limit of the recommended one. nine0006

The conclusion here is the following - for different models of extruders, different printing temperatures are needed.

10) Free travel distance. If you are printing multiple parts at once, try to space them closely to reduce the dry travel distance. Well, if a solid part is printed, with individual elements at a great distance from each other, in this case, you can try to change the location of the part in space so that there are fewer idle moves.

11) File analysis before printing. When your G-code is ready, do not be lazy and meticulously analyze it before printing, because. at the verification stage, you can detect unwanted elements that can create various kinds of defects, including the appearance of threads. By the way, in whatever slicer I prepare the file, I almost always check the finished code with the help of “Repetier-Host”, because it shows all the movements that can lead to certain defects.

12) Plastic type. All plastics have both strengths and weaknesses. For example, PETG plastic has a high tendency to filament. ABS, on the other hand, has a low predisposition to threads, but it will have to concentrate on the problem of shrinkage and a low degree of sintering of the layers. nine0006

Therefore, before printing, familiarize yourself with the pros and cons of the plastic with which you plan to print.

13) Using the "Lift Z" function. When enabled, a gap will be created between the extruder and the printed part. It is needed so that during idle the extruder does not cling to the outer walls of the part. This feature can significantly reduce the number of threads. But it should be used if the printer has a powerful driver and a motor along the Z axis, as well as a screw with a thread pitch of at least 8mm. This is necessary to achieve high speed and acceleration on the Z axis. Well, if you try to use this function at low speeds, the problem will only get worse and there will be more threads, because. idle time, taking into account "Lift Z", will increase significantly. The idling time with the "Lift Z" function consists of: movement along the Z axis + retraction + idling + retract + movement along the Z axis. nine0006

Therefore, you can try to experiment with this function and see the result.

14) Problems with the extruder. Imagine a situation where you put a large retract, but a large plug of melted plastic formed in the thermal barrier between the nozzle and the Teflon tube. In such a situation, no matter how big you put the retract, this plug will not disappear, but will remain in its place.

Learn more