Flexible filament for 3D printers

Flexible filament, commonly known as TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), is a 3D printing material that stands out for its elasticity and strength. This filament allows you to create objects that can bend, stretch, and compress without breaking.
This property makes it ideal for a wide variety of applications, from prototyping automotive parts to consumer products such as phone cases, shoes, and toys.

Properties of flexible filament:

• It is a material that is highly resistant to chemical agents.
• It is also resistant to breakage.
• Very resistant to wear and abrasion.
• Shock absorption.
• It can be used as a non-stick material.

What is Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) and what is it used for?

Thermoplastic polyurethane is one of the existing varieties within polyurethanes. TPU, as a thermoplastic elastomer, is usually abbreviated as TPE.
FLEXIBLE is a flexible filament that we recommend using for prints that require flexibility and toughness. All this, without giving up a good finish.
Our TPE -FLEXIBLE filament for 3D printers with FFF/FDM technology is manufactured at our headquarters in Salamanca, Spain. TPE is an elastomeric plastic with different properties than traditional elastic materials and in this post we will give you the keys to print flexible and resistant parts.

TPE – FLEXIBLE is characterized by having unique properties on the market. It is a filament resistant to bending, traction, compression, temperature and tearing in the direction of the layers. The adhesion between layers is superior to conventional flexible 3D filaments, achieving parts with a very versatile mechanical capacity.

TPE filament or flexible filament

TPE filament, also known as Thermoplastic Elastomer, is an elastic polymer that can be used in any 3D printer.
Among the types of flexible filaments for 3D printers, TPE filament is slightly the most rigid, so its main advantages are easier extrusion and use. It is a medium-strength 3D filament with very high flexibility and durability, very useful for parts that require high compression and traction.

Buy Winkle flexible filament in colors

Flexible filament allows you to print or create elastic objects on 3D printers. At Winkle we have basic colors to create simple pieces, these colors are black and white. But we also have very attractive colors such as devil red, canary yellow, pacific blue or avocado green.

With these Winkle flexible filament colors you can create any flexible piece you design. There are pieces that cannot be printed with another type of filament such as PLA or ABS, but that can be printed with flexible filament.

▶︎At Winkle we have exhaustive quality control, we guarantee a constant diameter throughout the winding, something that will make your prints of much higher quality, avoiding jams in your machine. Likewise, our process guarantees Winkle flexible filament the absence of chemical impurities that can modify the physical, chemical and aesthetic properties of our product.

In order to preserve the properties of our product, the flexible filament coils are sent packed in a sealed bag to protect them from moisture and UV rays. This makes TPE – TENAFLEX a perfect material for projects that require parts with flexibility and toughness.

How to print flexible filament on 3D printers

Printing with flexible filament is undoubtedly a very successful way to expand the possibilities of your 3D printer.

Unlike other 3D filaments, Winkle’s flexible filament offers a high degree of flexibility, adhesion between layers and, most importantly, elasticity. Printing objects or parts with flexible filament will provide a finish that is not only flexible but also extremely resistant, making it an ideal material for manufacturing car parts, mobile phone cases, phone camera cases, etc.

In all our 3D filaments we provide a technical sheet with the printing parameters that must be considered when printing with our Winkle filament. To achieve a better finish when printing with our TPE filament, you must take into account:

• Nozzle temperature: Between 230ºC and 240ºC.
• Bed temperature: Between 60ºC and 80ºC.
• The filament pull should be as close to the extruder as possible.
• It is advisable to lower the printing speed between 20 and 30 mm.

This type of filament has endless possibilities, we encourage you to share your impressions on social networks.