Smartfil TPU 93A

Smartfil TPU 93A is a filament developed by SmartMaterials for all types of FDM 3D printers. Its main advantages are the combination of flexibility and elasticity, with great wear resistance.

This Thermoplastic Polyurethane is obtained thanks to modifying the Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE), resulting in a filament with greater rigidity, compatible with most 3D FDM printers on the market, whether they have a direct extrusion or bowden system, being an advantage clear against TPE.

Smartfil TPU 93A is an ideal material for applications where flexibility, some elasticity and good adhesion between layers are needed so that the pieces withstand blows without breaking. Another advantage that it presents is the great resistance to abrasion and a smooth surface finish, which minimizes friction between elements in contact. Like FilaFlex,  this material shows good chemical resistance in contact with greases, oils and solvents.

As is common in all SmartMaterials products, this filament is specifically developed so that 3D printing is simple and does not cause unwanted problems, such as jamming in the HotEnd or getting entangled in the pinion of the extruder.

Everything discussed above, make the Smartfil TPU 93A a material commonly used in all industrial sectors to achieve resistant parts, with impact absorption power and good surface quality.

When defining what material is needed for an application with a material with some flexibility, it will be necessary to analyze the sum of two totally differentiated vectors from which the correct choice or resulting vector will result. On the one hand, the hardness of the material itself (normally compared on a Shore A scale) and, on the other hand, the type of material (TPE or TPU), with the differences regarding its intrinsic properties.

In the following table you can see the comparison between the different materials with some flexibility that exist in the market:

	TPE 70A  Filaflex	TPE 82A  Filaflex	TPE 90A  Flexfill	TPU 92A  Flexfill	TPU 93A Smartfil	TPE 96A  Flexfill	TPU 98A  Flexfill
Tensile strength (MPa)	32	45	5	49	40	5	53.7
Elongation at break	900 %	600 %	250 %	-	-	150 %	318 %
Absorción  humedad					-
Chemical resistance	Solvent Acetone Fuel	Solvent Acetone Fuel	Water Acid Alcohol Alkali	Polish Oil	Polish Oil Solvent	Water Acid Alcohol Alkali	Polish Oil
Contact food and skin	Not recommend.	Not recommend.	Certificate	Not recommend.	Not recommend.	Reliable	Not recommend.
Permeability gases					-

Table 1: Comparison of properties of the flexible filament range.