Printing Flexible Filament – Which 3D Printer Should You Choose?

With the launch of the Ultimaker S5, Ultimaker enters the industrial side of the desktop 3D printing market.

The Ultimaker S5 is almost fully-enclosed. Glass doors optimize the airflow & temperature inside the build chamber. This model is also the first Ultimaker provided with a 4.7 inch LCD touch screen display.

The S5 has multi-point bed leveling which enables you to create a precise and detailed height map of your print bed. This results in better adhesion when printing specialty materials.

• - Fully assembled
• - Removable bed
• - Aerostruder tool head
• - Einsey Rambo controller board

Raise3D Pro2 features we like:

• - Dual extruders
• - Built-in HEPA filter
• - Fully constrained filament path

FlashForge Guider II S features we like:

• - Closed print chamber
• - Built-in HD camera
• - Air filter
• - Filament runout detection
• - Print recovery
• - Connect via WIFI, USB and SD

BCN3D Sigmax features we like:

• - Independent dual extruder system
• - Operating sound: 50 dBA
• - Large build volume
• - Fully constrained filament path

NinjaTek NinjaFlex TPU Filament, 1.75mm, 500g Spool, Black.

Temperature:

• - Extruder: 225°C – 235°C
• - Print bed: Room temperature – 40°C

Print Speed:

• - Top and bottom layers: 10-20 mm/ sec (600-1200 mm/ min)
• - Infill speeds: 15-35 mm/ sec (900-2100 mm/ min)

Tips:

• - Glue and/ or blue painters tape is suggested if not using a heated bed.
• - Layer 2+ use cooling fan if available.

Verbatim Primalloy TPE Filament, 1.75mm, 500g Spool, White.

Temperature:

• - Extruder: 210°C – 235°C
• - Print bed: 40°C - 50°C

Print Speed:

• - Top and bottom layers: 10-30 mm/ sec (600-1800 mm/ min)
• - Infill speeds: 10-30 mm/ sec (600-1800 mm/ min)

Tips:

• - For best performance, use Polymide Tape (Kapton™ Tape).
• - To prevent layer drooping, apply forced air cooling on object as it builds.
• - To prevent feed jams, utilize slow print speeds and turn off retraction.
• - Avoid excessive pressure in the pinch feeder.

Polymaker PolyFlex TPU Filament, 1.75mm, 750g Spool, Black.

Temperature:

• - Extruder: 220°C – 235°C
• - Print bed: Room temperature

Print Speed:

• - Top and bottom layers: 30-90 mm/ sec (1800-5400 mm/ min)
• - Infill speeds: 30-90 mm/ sec (1800-5400 mm/ min)

Tips:

• - Heated bed not required.
• - PolyFlex works well with common build plate surfaces such as the blue tape, Kapton tape, glass, etc. However for the best user experience, Polymaker recommends you use their materials with BuildTak™.

3D Solutech Flexible PLA Filament, 1.75mm, 1.0kg Spool, Black.

Temperature:

• - Extruder: 200°C – 220°C
• - Print bed: Room temperature - 60°C

Print Speed:

• - Top and bottom layers: 20-40 mm/ sec (1200-2400 mm/ min)
• - Infill speeds: 20-40 mm/ sec (1200-2400 mm/ min)

Tips:

• - Heated bed not required.
• - 3D Solutech Flexible PLA works well with common build plate surfaces such as the blue tape, Kapton tape, glass, etc.

CCTREE TPU Filament, 1.75mm, 1.0kg Spool, Yellow.

Temperature:

• - Extruder: 230°C – 240°C
• - Print bed: Room temperature – 40°C

Print Speed:

• - Top and bottom layers: 10-20 mm/ sec (600-1200 mm/ min)
• - Infill speeds: 15-35 mm/ sec (900-2100 mm/ min)

Tips:

• - Glue and/ or blue painters tape is suggested if not using a heated bed.