Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) is a flexible substance. When you’re 3D printing using TPE material, you must optimize the feed rate to produce the best potential result. It is best to print at a layer height of roughly 0.1mm to 0.2mm. You’ll need less plastic because the height is lower. This allows the extruder to employ a lower feed rate, reducing filament pressure. When printing with TPE, the greatest results are obtained by printing at a modest and consistent speed. Because TPE has high elasticity, any rapid changes in the print speed can result in a loss of control. Here are some of the top things you need to know before printing with TPE filaments.
Slow and Consistent Printing Speed
As previously stated, the slower the print speed, the better. As a result, printing at a speed of 35 mm/second or less will produce superior results. The usage of a heated build platform is not essential. When using a heated build plate, keep the temperature below 60 degrees Celsius to avoid affecting adhesion.
Avoid Using Rafts and Use a Negative Tolerance
It is critical to avoid using rafts while 3D printing using TPE material. Because the base layers of the rafts frequently have higher extrusion rates, this could present issues. You should apply a negative tolerance between the parts in 3D printing where the end product will need to fit on top of another object. This ensures that the flexible part may extend over the other object and fit snugly.
Shorten the Distance
The filament may buckle if there is a space between the extruder drive gear and the hot end’s input hole. If this happens, the filament will try to find another way out. It can result in a so-called bird’s nest or spaghetti if left neglected, resulting in a jam. To achieve the optimum results, the distance between the drive gear and the melt zone of the hot end should not be too long. This ensures that the filament feeds efficiently into the nozzle. Even more crucial, you should maintain tight tolerances along the filament’s course of travel to avoid kinking and coiling.
Placement of the Spool
A small adjustment to the material spool can make a big difference. The extruder will pull the filament into the nozzle, causing the filament spool on your 3D printer to unwind a little bit of plastic. The elasticity of TPE filament, on the other hand, means that as the extruder draws it in, the filament will stretch out, resulting in underextrusion.
We hope you have enjoyed our recap of the top things you need to know before printing with TPE filament. If you are looking at using a wide variety of filaments, don’t just stop at TPE. Ensure you know the benefits of using such filaments as PLA+.
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