Is FDM TPU One of the Strongest 3D Printer Filaments?

by Ben Davis |

3D Printing

Stratasys just released one of the strongest 3D printer filaments that I have had the opportunity to interact with. FDM TPU 92A has the ability to drastically stretch and compress while keeping its shape and has impressive tear resistance. The elastomer is designed to meet the needs of manufacturers requiring high part elongation, superior toughness, and full design freedom.

According to the data sheet on the new material, it answers the demand for 3D printed rubber-like parts that are designed for resilience and toughness. Download the Data Sheet

Taking a look at technical specifications are useful but seeing the material behave in real life scenarios really help me understand what the data actually means. Our team did a few quick failure tests on our new FDM TPU 92A elastomer material. These tests are obviously not meant to be scientific but we wanted to get an idea of the material’s tensile strength, tear strength, to see how far it can stretch before failure, and to see if it really is one of the strongest 3D printer filaments.

Test 1: The Strength to Pull a Car

Our first test was to see if the chainlink could pull a Honda Civic placed in neutral over a parking lot. We weren’t surprised when the elastomer was successful.

Test 2: Lifting Weight

We wanted to see if the chainlink was strong enough to lift 45lb water bottles off of the ground. Although this test was not scientific and the friction from the forks on the forklift and the hooks on the straps did help lift the weight, it was still impressive to see how far the chain could stretch without breaking. In the future, we will make adjustments to the test that will reduce the friction and put all the force on the test part.

Testing Our New stratasys FDM TPU 92A Elastomer — Left: How we did the test. Right: How the test will be done in the future.

Test 3: Driving over Printed Air Intake Hose with Toyota Tundra

The gross vehicle weight of the truck used in this short video was 6,900 lbs. Obviously, that wasn’t the weight that the test piece faced. It is still impressive to see the 0.008″ thick hose go right back into its original shape was truly impressive.

Takeaways

The new FDM TPU 92A elastomer material is incredibly durable and resilient. The same piece of material pulled the car and all the 5-gallon water bottles. After seeing the material demonstrate its resilience, I have total faith that the material would hold up to whatever job it needed to do. It is definitely one of the Strongest 3D printer filaments I have seen.