TPU 3D Printing: Flexible, Compliant, Grippy

TPU stands for thermoplastic polyurethane. It bends like a rubber and rebounds back to shape. Hardness is measured on the Shore A scale rather than tensile strength. We print TPU in the 85A to 95A range, which feels like a tough rubber band on the soft end and like a softer plastic on the hard end.

TPU is the only flexible polymer we print. PLA, PETG, ABS, and PA-CF are all rigid.

TPU is the right pick for gaskets, end-effector pads on robot grippers, shock-absorbing feet, hinges that bend instead of pivot, and parts that need to grip a smooth surface.

We print a lot of TPU for robotics shops building gripper pads and for plant maintenance teams replacing rubber bumpers.

85A TPU feels like a tough rubber band. It bends easily and rebounds slowly. 95A TPU feels closer to a hard plastic but still bends without cracking. The right pick depends on how much give the part needs.

Tell us the use case on your quote request. We will suggest a Shore if you do not have one in mind.

Skip TPU when the part needs to hold a tight tolerance under load. It will bend. Pick PA-CF or PETG for a rigid load-bearing part.

Skip TPU when the part lives in high heat above 80 C. The polymer softens. Pick ABS for heat with some toughness.

TPU costs more per kilogram than PETG and prints slower. Per-part price runs higher than PETG by about thirty to fifty percent on the same STL. The gap narrows at volume.

For real numbers on your part, upload your STL at get a quote.