What are the characteristics of 3D printed TPU filament?
1. Strong flexibility: TPU's modulus of elasticity is usually 10~1000Mpa, and its products have good flexibility and resilience, and can be bent and deformed;
2. High mechanical strength: TPU products have outstanding bearing capacity, impact resistance and shock absorption performance.
3. Wide range of hardness: TPU has high elasticity in the hardness range of Shore A 60 ~ Shore D 80. Usually change the proportion of each reaction component of TPU, you can get products with different hardness.
Supplementary note: TPU hardness is usually measured by Shore A (Shore A) and Shore D (shore D) hardness testers. Shore A is used for softer TPU and Shore D is used for harder TPU. The hardness is mainly determined by the hard segment content in the TPU structure. The higher the hard segment content, the higher the hardness of the TPU. As the hardness increases, its products still maintain good elasticity and wear resistance. It should be noted that the lower the hardness, the higher the requirements for the 3D printer.
4. Wide temperature range: TPU is flexible in a wide temperature range of -40~120℃, and does not need plasticizers.
5. Outstanding cold resistance: The glass transition temperature of TPU is relatively low, and it still maintains good elasticity, flexibility and other physical properties at minus 35 degrees.
6. Oil resistance and weather resistance: TPU has good resistance to oils (mineral oil, animal and vegetable oils and lubricants) and many solvents. In addition, TPU has good weather resistance and excellent resistance to high-energy rays.
Precautions
1. Filaments storage: after each use, insert into the two holes of the material tray to avoid entanglement and knotting of the wire; then use a plastic bag to seal it and store it in a cool and dry place to avoid moisture and affect the print quality;
2. Model limitations: TPU filaments are not suitable for printing models that are too high, and the top is easy to swing;
3. Fan control: Do not use a fan to directly blow the model to dissipate heat during printing;
4. Applicable models: The consumables are flexible and have higher requirements for the machine's wire feeding structure. Usually 1.75mm TPU consumables, it is recommended to use the FDM model of short-range extrusion.
