3D printer tube

Technical Specifications

Technical Specifications Warning: Printing At High Temperatures May Create Harmful Off-Gassing

How To Install FAQ Safety Precautions Shop Now!

PTFE, or Polytetrafluoroethylene, is a synthetic polymer commonly used as a coating for non-stick pots and pans. It is the slipperiest substance known to man, and is said to be the only surface to which a gecko cannot stick. Although Bowden tubes can be made from several different polymers, PTFE is generally considered the best because of its high melting point and low coefficient of friction.

1.75mm Bowden tubing, because of its small diameter, is made with an expensive paste extrusion process. Very precise equipment is needed to obtain a consistent shape and internal diameter. Additives such as colorant are difficult, because the PTFE doesn't readily want to mix with anything. Plain white PTFE is the cheapest and most common.

Our tubing is manufactured using the most sophisticated equipment currently available. It always comes out perfectly round, and the diameter stays as consistent as possible.

Our TL Bowden Tubing is made from pure virgin Japanese PTFE resin. This resin is not only translucent, it is also slightly softer and more flexible than average PTFE.

Our TL tubing features a 2.0mm nominal inner diameter. This makes it well suited for printing larger or uneven diameter filaments such as wood and metal flake filaments. Higher end wood filaments especially have a tendency to be "chunky," containing large bits of real wood.

Image credit: E3D

Our XS Bowden Tubing is also made from the highest quality pure virgin Japanese PTFE, and formed using the paste extrusion process. However, we have added a "Secret Sauce" which lowers the coefficient of friction. This additive also makes the tubing dark and opaque.

Our XS tubing has a nominal internal diameter of 1.9mm. This smaller diameter makes it ideal for printing flexible filaments, because there is no room for the filament to bind up inside the tube. The low friction coefficient allows any filament to glide through the tube with ease.

For mor information about the differences between our two lines of tubing, please see our How to Choose page.

Data Sheet


Additives	None	None	Blue Color	Blue Color and Secret High Lubricity Additive Mixture
Best For Chunky Filaments	NO	NO	YES	YES
Best For Flexible Filaments	NO	NO	NO	YES
Can See Through	NO	YES	YES	NO
Pulling Friction^♠	1. 0	0.9	0.8	0.8
Color	White	White, Clear, or Translucent	Blue, Translucent	Dark Blue
Density (kg/m3)	2100-2200	2100-2200	2100 +/-100	2300 +/-100
Hardness	50-70	50-70	55	60-65
Inner Diameter (mm)	Typically 2.0 to 2.1	Typically 2.0 to 2.1	2.05 +/- 0.05	1.90 +/- 0.05
Linear Thermal Expansion at 250 °C	No data	No data	3.4-3.6%	2.2-3.3%
Material	Cheapest PTFE, FEP, or Other Polymers	Better PTFE, PFA, or Other Polymers	Highest Quality Pure Virgin PTFE	Highest Quality Pure Virgin PTFE
Melting Point (°C)^♥	Variable, as low as 220	Variable, as low as 220	around 300	up to 340
Outer Diameter (mm)	Typically 3. 9 to 4.1	Typically 3.9 to 4.1	3.95 +/- 0.05	3.95 +/- 0.05
Roundness (ϵ)	Variable	Variable	< 0.1	< 0.1
Stiffness^§	High	High	Medium	Medium High
Thermal Conductivity (W/m-k)	no data	no data	0.25	0.25
Wear Rate (gm/s)	No data	No data	0.01	0.01
Young's Modulus (GPa)^¥	Variable	Variable	0.5	0.53

^♠Pulling Friction is calculated as the average force required to pull 1.2 meters of 1.75mm PLA filament through 1 meter of tubing at a constant speed, relative to 1 meter of cheap white reference tubing. Note that although we observed the friction of the TL series to be about the same or even slightly lower than our XS series, it also has a larger internal diameter.

^§Other Bowden tubes may vary significantly in stiffness, depending on the material from which they're made. Our tubing generally tends to be more flexible than most, with the TL being more flexible than XS, partly because of the difference in additives, and partly because the XS has a greater cross-sectional area (XSA) due to the smaller internal diameter.

^¥Young's Modulus (YM) is the measure of elasticity of the material. Our XS Series additives give the PTFE a slightly greater YM than the TL Series.

^♥Temperatures were approximated by heating samples of all tubing simultaneously, observing how quickly each one began to deform. Printer failures may happen at significantly lower temperatures.

Printing high temperature materials may create dangerous off-gassing. Please refer to the Safety Page.

How To Install FAQ Safety Precautions Shop Now!

Choosing Fittings

Choosing Fittings
Frequently Asked Questions How To Install Choosing Your Tubing Measuring Your Filament

Fittings tend to wear out and loose teeth, so its never a bad idea to swap in new ones when you change your Bowden tube.

What are the differences between them?

First, the size of the tubing it accepts. Bowden tubes for 1.75mm filament are 4mm outer diameter. Part numbers beginning with PC4 indicate "Push Connector 4mm"

The next difference is threading. Most Bowden systems use either an M6 ("Metric 6mm"), M5, or M10 thread. 01 Threading is also common, which is a 1/8 inch NPT thread. The distance between the threads is called the pitch.

The third thing to look for is whether the fitting allows the tube to pass all the way through. We now carry 01NPT and M10 threaded fittings in both styles. Note that some fittings can be modified to allow the tube to go all the way through by careful drilling. For 1.75 tubing, use a #19 (4mm) drill bit. For 2.85 tubing, use a 1/4" drill bit.

Which fitting is right for me?

The easiest way it to look closely at the pictures, paying close attention to the measurements. We are working to build a list of printers for each fitting size, but it isn't complete yet. Please help us out by emailing or tweeting at us, and let us know what printer you're running, and what fittings it uses.

Don't see your printer listed here? Help us build our database by emailing [email protected] or tweeting @CapTubes with pictures and measurements of your fittings.


PC4-M6 PC4-M6 fittings feature a 4mm opening, and M6 threading with a 1.0mm pitch. This is our most popular fitting, used by the Creality CR-10 (extruder end), and many of the newer RepRap printers. Note that this fitting does not allow the tube to pass all the way through. We also carry a PC4-M6-C, which is a more compact, lightweight version.
PC4-M6-C This is the Compact, lighter weight version of the PC4-M6. They feature a 4mm opening, and M6 threading with a 1.0mm pitch. Packed into a sleek housing measuring only 8 mm in diameter and 16 mm long (compared to 10x20mm for the full size version. )
PC4-M10x0.9-4.1 New in stock 8/2018 The M10 threaded fitting with 0.9mm pitch is used by the Creality CR-10 at the Hot End side. It has a 4.1mm opening at the back end that allows the tube to pass all the way through to the hotend.
PC4-M10x1.0 and PC4-M10x0.9 M10 threaded fittings available with 0.9 and 1.0mm pitch, for 4mm tubing. This is used in some of E3D's hot ends, and TEVO printers. Note that there are several versions of the M10 fittings. Be sure to check the pitch of the threads for the best fit.. These do NOT allow the tube to pass all the way through, like the CR-10. (those are above) M10x0.9 fittings can also be used on the CR-10 by cutting an additional piece of PTFE to go on the other side of the fitting, down into the hot-end for a 'quick disconnect' style set-up similar to the Monstah adapter.
PC4-M5 This is another common size for RepRaps, and is utilized in the Monstah Adaptor for the popular HE280 hotend. It has a 0.9mm pitch M5 thread, and does not allow the tubing to pass all the way through.
PC4-01 NPT This fitting has an 1/8 inch NPT thread. This is similar to an M10 except with a slight taper. 01 and M10 threads are so close that they can often be used interchangeably. Note that these do not allow the tube to pass all the way through. )
PC4-01 NPT-4.1 This fitting has an 1/8 inch NPT thread. This is similar to an M10 except with a slight taper. 01 and M10 threads are so close that they can often be used interchangeably. This version has a 4.1mm back end that allows the tube to pass all the way through to the hotend. These are used in the Stacker S4 printer. )
PC6-M10 This is an M10 threaded fitting for our 6.35mm tubing, for 2.85mm filaments. Note that these do not allow the tubing to pass all the way through.
PC6-M10-6. 2This is an M10 threaded fitting for our 6.35mm tubing, for 2.85mm filaments. Pre-drilled to allow the tubing to pass all the way through. Please Note: we have marked these out-of-stock as of 2019.
Monstah Adapter Direct from Mastermind Sarah from New Zealand; we introduce you to the Official Monstah Adapter. Working with Sarah, Capricorn is your Premiere North American distributor. Only seems “fitting” we pair the adapter with our premium XS tubing to provide the best defense against the infamous HE280 puck! What is the HE280 puck? If you’re unfamiliar with the HE280, it’s a hotend offered by another wonderful Hoosier company, SeeMeCNC; unfortunately, it can be a challenge to get the PTFE tube seated properly against the heat break to prevent pooling of plastic from forming, aka the dreaded puck! The puck leads to feeding inconsistencies, jamming, and loads of colorful words shouted over another failed print. Time to “Scare the Puck Out!” and outfit your HE280 with an Official, Capricorn XS enhanced, Monstah Adapter!

What if I accidently purchase the wrong fittings?

Please contact support@captubes. com and we will provide instructions to return the un-used fittings for an exchange or refund.

What if you don't carry the fitting I need?

We are constantly expanding our selection to meet the needs of the community. Please tweet us @CapTubes or email [email protected] with your printer or hotend, and the specs of the fittings you need.

Frequently Asked Questions How To Install Choosing Your Tubing Measuring Your Filament

Such different pipes or such different 2x4

Technician

The taste and color ... all Teflon tubes are different!

Once again, thinking about how to make something less problematic out of 'drygo-tronxy-...-death', I surfed the open spaces of aliExpress in search of something so magical that everything would be fine once and for all. Not found. And I found an extremely wide range of PTFE tubes for Bowden feed and thermal barriers. And my head went round.

If for Bowden everything is more or less clear and you can somehow orient yourself by colors, then for a thermal barrier it is already more difficult. Let's start in order.

1.Bowden. The modern trend is to put a tube with an inner diameter (ID) of 1.9mm on the printer. For example, these are:

Their outer (OD) diameter is 4.0 mm. They are usually light or dark blue in color. Comrade already wrote about the advantages of their use. Glueer in Is it worth strangling your toad? . I agree with the author of that post, we must take it. However, it is worth noting that the market now offers tubes of different colors. And here you need to be careful - among the red tubes they meet with an inner diameter of 1.8! mm. It's too optimistic in my opinion. Among the transparent tubes there are both 2.1 and 2.2 mm. At the same time, the Chinese often label them the same ID2 / OD4. Be careful when buying. Also pay attention to the operating temperature of the tubes. Most 250-260 degrees. But there are also promises of 300 degrees. Although it is possible that they are confused with the maximum.

2. Tubes in the thermal barrier.

And here everything is more fun because they are all the same color and the inner and outer diameters are dancing.

And we need such as recommended by Josef:

In other words, with an inner diameter of at least 1.85 mm. However, most offer around 2 mm.

Of course, you need to buy a tube specifically for your thermal barrier. And there are many varieties of it. Some of them:

I think it's clear that if you have a 3mm hole in the thermal barrier, and buy a tube with OD2.6, then nothing good will come of it.

In general, when buying a tube for a thermal barrier, you need to be doubly careful and look not only at what is written in the brief description, but also at what is located in the technical specifications.

And one more thing... Do not cut the pipe with scissors. There is a special tool for this:

Regards, Mnogo3D

3D printing Ryazan

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3D printer tube

Technical Specifications

Warning: Printing At High Temperatures May Create Harmful Off-Gassing

Data Sheet

Choosing Fittings

What are the differences between them?

Which fitting is right for me?

PC4-M6

PC4-M6-C

PC4-M10x0.9-4.1

PC4-M10x1.0 and PC4-M10x0.9

PC4-M5

PC4-01 NPT

PC4-01 NPT-4.1

PC6-M10

PC6-M10-6.

Monstah Adapter

What if I accidently purchase the wrong fittings?

What if you don't carry the fitting I need?

Such different pipes or such different 2x4

The taste and color ... all Teflon tubes are different!

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