There are quite a range of unique types of 3D filaments on the market with strange and exciting properties and characteristics, although none are quite as fun as our 1kg spools of eSUN 1.75mm eFlex TPU. This filament, although designed with flexibility in mind, features a hardness rating of 95 Shore A, which is a lot harder than typical “Flexible” filaments. However, this level of hardness means that, instead of being flexible like the sole of a flip-flop, the flexibility is more focused on adding impact resistance and enhanced durability that PLA Filaments simply can’t achieve.
This TPU is often regarded as a “Semi-Flexible” filament. However, despite this uniqueness, eSUN eTPU prints at similar specifications to standard PLA Filament. Just remember that with flexible filaments you need to apply slightly higher heat than usual, while running the print at a lower speed than most other 3D Filaments. This will prevent the filament from pulling off the lower layers while printing, resulting in great prints that are both durable and flexible.
While you may certainly be able to print and polish this filament to a fine aesthetic finish, it won’t be able to reach the same level of beauty when compared to other filaments like the Silk Filaments. Typical TPE is designed with a high elongation and low hardness for high flexibility. Still, this semi-flex filaments is designed for engineering applications rather than aesthetics, with this particular shore hardness commonly being used for roller skates and skateboard wheels.