22
I want to branch out from PLA. Should I try ABS or TPU?
(sh.itjust.works)
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
this post was submitted on 09 Mar 2025
22 points (95.8% liked)
3DPrinting
19243 readers
8 users here now
3DPrinting is a place where makers of all skill levels and walks of life can learn about and discuss 3D printing and development of 3D printed parts and devices.
The r/functionalprint community is now located at: or !functionalprint@fedia.io
There are CAD communities available at: !cad@lemmy.world or !freecad@lemmy.ml
Rules
-
No bigotry - including racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, or xenophobia. Code of Conduct.
-
Be respectful, especially when disagreeing. Everyone should feel welcome here.
-
No porn (NSFW prints are acceptable but must be marked NSFW)
-
No Ads / Spamming / Guerrilla Marketing
-
Do not create links to reddit
-
If you see an issue please flag it
-
No guns
-
No injury gore posts
If you need an easy way to host pictures, https://catbox.moe may be an option. Be ethical about what you post and donate if you are able or use this a lot. It is just an individual hosting content, not a company. The image embedding syntax for Lemmy is 
Moderation policy: Light, mostly invisible
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
TPU really needs direct drive extruder to work well. ABS needs an enclosure, but you could just make one from an 8x4 sheet of foam insulation and tape for cheap.
I don't know what a direct drive extruder is but I have a Bambu A1
A direct drive extruder is one where the motor that runs the filament sits right above the hotend. Since TPU is squishy, the long tube from a Boden setup gives it too much room to squish.
That's a bowden extruder, you'll have problems with TPU.
Try PETG, just dial up the retractions a bunch and slow it down.
A1 has a direct drive extruder. It does function as kind of a hybrid thing with the AMS though. Use of the AMS with TPU isn't recommended, but there are a couple of harder TPU filaments that supposedly work.
Oh, ok. Every picture I saw made it look like a bowden extruder sitting on the end of the X gantry, with the tube going over to the hotend.