TPU is a rubber-like, flexible filament. It is used for phone cases, seals, bumpers, shoe insoles and vibration dampers. It is a little trickier to print than PLA, but with the right settings it works well on most modern printers.
About this guide: Settings come from Prusa’s official filament material guide and Bambu Lab’s published TPU 95A HF settings. Checked in October 2026. “Check price” links go to the official store and may be affiliate links, which never changes the advice.
Typical settings
| Prusa guide (Flex) | Bambu Lab TPU 95A HF | |
|---|---|---|
| Nozzle temperature | 220–260 °C | 220–240 °C |
| Bed temperature | 40–85 °C | 30–35 °C, with glue |
| Hardened nozzle | No | Recommended by Bambu Lab |
| AMS / multicolor feeders | , | Not compatible with the AMS |
| Drying | 60 °C for 4–6 hours (Prusament TPU) | 70 °C for 8 hours |
Tips for printing TPU
- Print slowly. Flexible filament can buckle in the extruder if it is pushed too fast. High-flow TPUs like Bambu Lab’s 95A HF are made to print faster.
- Direct drive helps. Printers with the extruder right above the nozzle handle TPU better than long Bowden tubes.
- Keep it dry. TPU absorbs moisture, which causes stringing and bubbles. Dry it before printing.
- Feed it directly. Many multicolor systems can’t handle soft TPU, so feed it from an external spool holder.
Frequently asked questions
Why does TPU jam or tangle in my extruder?
Soft filament buckles when it is pushed. The failure owners report most is TPU bunching up between the drive gears and the hotend or wrapping around the gears. Prusa’s fixes are to print slowly (start around 20 mm/s and stay under 30–40 mm/s), loosen the extruder idler so the gears push only gently, and turn retraction off at first, adding it back only if needed. Keep part cooling off and the filament dry; Prusa lists TPU among the filaments that most often need drying.
Bowden printers have the hardest time, because the long tube gives the filament room to compress and kink. Prusa notes that the softer the filament, the harder it is to print, so a harder grade such as 95A is the safer first spool on those machines. Prusa’s starting temperatures are 230–245 °C at the nozzle and 60–75 °C on the bed. More in how to print TPU.
Sources: Prusa Knowledge Base, Prusa forum.