TPU-LW
Thermoplastic Polyurethane (Foaming)
4 products from 3 makers. Bambu Lab does not list this material for the H2C; its published process temperatures are within the printer's limits.
- Not published:
- tensile modulus (XY),
- Tensile strength (XY)
- 10.3MPa
- one product
- Not published:
- tensile strength (Z),
- Not published:
- notched Charpy impact.
- Not applicable:
- HDT at 0.45 MPa.
- Price
- 70CAD/kg
- one product
TPU-LW is a foaming thermoplastic polyurethane, a lightweight flexible elastomer. Makers sell it for footwear, weight-saving drone and robot parts, and flexible wearables. Printed flat, it typically reaches a tensile strength of 10.3 MPa and breaks at 629 % elongation. On the H2C every product calls for drying, and makers warn of stringing and oozing as the foam expands in the hotend.
Partly documented Tensile strength (XY) and price rest on 1 product each and tensile modulus (XY), tensile strength (Z) and notched Charpy impact are not published. Each figure is the median of the products that publish it comparably, and beside it the middle half of them; a value on a test bar no document describes as printed, or with no stated test load, is set apart, except a heat deflection of a plastic that cannot crystallise, which its glass transition sets, unless its document points to a moulded or resin bar.
On the H2C
Printing in full- Nozzle
- 248 °C
- all 4 products
- Bed
- 50–55 °C
- most products that give one
- Heated chamber
- not stated
- Drying
- 55–80 °C, 1–6 h
- all 4 products call for it
- Nozzle type
- not stated
No product's setting is beyond the H2C's limits: nozzle 350 °C, bed 120 °C, heated chamber 65 °C.
Among the materials
Among the materials, TPU-LW has a high elongation at break (XY) and a low tensile strength (XY) and density: each is in the top or bottom quarter of the materials that publish it. Its price sits in the middle half.
Mechanical properties
Printed flat (XY), TPU-LW typically reaches a tensile strength of 10.3 MPa, and breaks at 629 % elongation.
| As each sheet publishes it | Siraya Tech Flex TPU Air | Recreus FILAFLEX FOAMY | eSUN TPU LW | Recreus 95 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tensile strength (XY) | 10.3 MPa | not published | not published | not published |
| Elongation at break (XY) | 629 % | not published | not published | not published |
| Shore A hardness | 78 Shore A | not published | not published | 95 Shore A |
Not published for TPU-LW: tensile modulus, strength across the layers and notched impact.
Thermal properties
As published, Vicat softening is 53–83 °C, from one product.
Not published for TPU-LW: HDT at 0.45 MPa, HDT at 1.8 MPa and the glass transition.
Printing on the H2C
TPU-LW's print settings and service temperatures against the H2C's limits
What does printing it on the H2C take, and how hot can a part get?
- share of the products that accept each temperature
- what most products accept
- the H2C's limit, and beyond it
- a product
- as published, under each sheet's own test
Printing it on the H2C
In service
°C
One temperature axis for the settings a print needs and the temperatures a part meets. A setting's shade is how many of the products whose sheets give a window accept each degree; the H2C's limit closes its row.
The figure as a table
| Setting or property | Most products, or the median | Products | H2C limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nozzle | 248 °C | 4 | 350 °C |
| Bed | 50–55 °C | 4 | 120 °C |
| Heated chamber | — | 0 | 65 °C |
| Drying | 55–80 °C, 1–6 h | 4 | — |
| Vicat softening temperature | 53–83 °C | 1 | — |
No TPU-LW product gives a heated chamber window. Windows read from the Bambu Lab Filament Guide are not shaded: the guide speaks for every product that reads it.
| Setting | Siraya Tech Flex TPU Air | Recreus FILAFLEX FOAMY | eSUN TPU LW | Recreus 95 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nozzle | 230–270 °C | 248 °C | 210–270 °C | 248 °C |
| Bed | 30–45 °C | 50–55 °C | 40–60 °C | 50–55 °C |
| Heated chamber | not stated; within, by its kind | not stated; within, by its kind | not stated; within, by its kind | not stated; within, by its kind |
| Drying | 70–80 °C for 4–6 h | 55 °C for ≥ 1 h | 55 °C for ≥ 4 h | 55 °C for ≥ 1 h |
| Nozzle type | not stated | not stated | not stated | not stated |
In grey, a setting a product reads from a data sheet it shares or from the Bambu Lab Filament Guide, where its own sheet is silent, or a chamber all of them leave silent, read from what the makers of its kind of plastic state.
What makers say about printing it
Printing advice
Set travel speed to maximum (200- 500mm/s) and ensure proper retraction settings to minimize stringing.
Recreus FILAFLEX FOAMY, data sheet, p. 2
Moisture sensitivity
Drying is crucial for optimal results
Recreus FILAFLEX FOAMY, data sheet, p. 3
More from makers: adhesion between layers and odour and emissions
Adhesion between layers
Strong Bonds: Excellent layer adhesion for durable & flexible parts.
Siraya Tech Flex TPU Air, data sheet, p. 1
Odour and emissions
Always print in a well-ventilated area.
Siraya Tech Flex TPU Air, maker's product page or guide, p. 1
Products
Four products from three makers: Recreus, eSUN and Siraya Tech.
Uses, limitations and chemicals
What it is sold for
Footwear Innovation: Complete shoes, insoles, and soles
Recreus FILAFLEX FOAMY, data sheet, p. 1Lightweighting: Significantly reducing weight for drone parts, robotics, and more.
Siraya Tech Flex TPU Air, data sheet, p. 1As a flexible foaming material, the printed model is soft and skin-friendly, suitable for printing as flexible wearables and COSPLAY models.
eSUN TPU LW, data sheet, p. 1
What makers warn about
Due to the foaming nature of this material, stringing will be more pronounced than with standard TPU.
Recreus FILAFLEX FOAMY, data sheet, p. 2Active foaming materials naturally expand in the hotend, causing oozing during travel moves.
Siraya Tech Flex TPU Air, data sheet, p. 1
Finish and accuracy
Imagine creating parts up to 50% lighter than standard TPU, with a unique, soft, fabric-like texture straight off the print bed!
Siraya Tech Flex TPU Air, maker's product page or guide, p. 1Soft, Skin-Friendly Texture: Smooth, comfortable finish
Recreus FILAFLEX FOAMY, data sheet, p. 1
Chemicals and environment
Where no maker of these products speaks to an exposure, reference data for plain TPU resin is shown. Fillers, pigments and printing change it, so it does not stand for these products.
| TPU resin | Verdict | Agents |
|---|---|---|
| Acid resistance | not resistant | Concentrated acids (not resistant), Dilute acids (limited), 3 % Hydrochloric acid (strong mineral acids; 3 % sulphuric acid will be similar) (limited) and 3 % Nitric acid (oxidizing mineral acids) (not resistant) |
| Alkali resistance | not resistant | Concentrated alkaline solutions (not resistant), 3 % Soda lye (caustic soda) (limited) and 3 % Ammonium solution (limited) |
| Organic solvent resistance | not resistant | Ketones (acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, cyclohexanone) (not resistant), Ethanol (aliphatic alcohols) (limited), Toluene (aromatic hydrocarbons) (not resistant) and Tetrahydrofuran, dimethylformamide, dimethyl acetamide, N-methyl pyrrolidone, dimethyl sulphoxide, pyridine (not resistant) |
| Oil and grease resistance | limited | Lubricating oils and greases (IRM 901, 902, 903 test oils) (resistant), Saturated hydrocarbons (diesel oil, isooctane, petroleum ether, kerosene) (limited), Gasoline (FAM test fluid B, DIN 51604: toluene / iso-octane / di-isobutylene / methanol / ethanol / water) (not resistant) and Brake fluid (not resistant) |
| Water solubility | resistant | Tap water (resistant) |
| Hydrolytic stability | limited | Hot water, moisture vapour, tropical climate (polyester-based TPU) (not resistant) and Hot water, moisture vapour, tropical climate (polyether-based TPU) (resistant) |
| UV and outdoor | limited | UV radiation, unstabilised (stabilised required) |
Density and price
Its three products give a density of 880–1,200 kg/m³. One product has a sampled price: Siraya Tech Flex TPU Air at 70 CAD/kg.
| As each sheet publishes it | Siraya Tech Flex TPU Air | Recreus FILAFLEX FOAMY | eSUN TPU LW | Recreus 95 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 880 kg/m³ | not published | 1,120 kg/m³ | 1,200 kg/m³ |
| Price | 70 CAD/kg | not published | not published | not published |
Regular prices, never sale prices, from 9 Canadian shops and 10 foreign shops, sampled 10 Sep–20 Oct 2026, not live; shipping and tax are not included.
Other properties, as published
One more property is published, each under its own sheet's test conditions, so they are listed, not ranked.
Melt mass-flow rate
| Property | Products | Lowest–highest |
|---|---|---|
| Melt mass-flow rate | 2 | 5–8 g/10 min |
Estimated values
No product publishes a tensile modulus (XY) that can be ranked, so the selector estimates it from the products' related values and similar materials. An estimate is a range, never a product's value, and nothing above rests on it.
| Property | Likely | Plausible | Precision | Beside what is published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tensile modulus (XY) | 4–280 MPa | 1–840 MPa | a factor of 70 between its ends | no product publishes it |
What likely and plausible mean
Tested against known values, a likely range held the true value 8 times in 10, and a plausible range 19 times in 20. How the estimates are made.
Sources
10 documents from 4 publishers (6 data sheets, 3 makers' product pages and guides and 1 printer document), read 10 Sep–1 Oct 2026. Each value on TPU-LW's Products page names its document and page, and links to the original.
Bambu Lab, H2C Filamant Printing Guide (the H2C's printer guide): print settings for 4 products.
Every document (10), by publisher
| Publisher | Documents | Values | Products |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recreus | 5 | 20 | 2 |
| Siraya Tech | 2 | 31 | 1 |
| eSUN | 2 | 7 | 1 |
- Bambu Lab, H2C Filamant Printing Guide | Bambu Lab Wiki
- eSUN, TPU-LW Lightweight TPU Filament | Flexible Foaming TPU for 3D Printing
- eSUN, TPU-LW Technical Data Sheet
- Recreus, Flexible Filaflex 95 Foamy filament
- Recreus, TECHNICAL DATA SHEET FILAFLEX 95 FOAMY
- Recreus, TECHNICAL DATA SHEET FILAFLEX FOAMY
- Recreus, TECHNICAL DATA SHEET FILAFLEX FOAMY
- Recreus, TECHNICAL DATA SHEET FILAFLEX FOAMY
- Siraya Tech, Siraya Tech Flex TPU Air FDM 3d printer Filament TDS
- Siraya Tech, Siraya Tech TPU Air User Manual