Printing TPU/TPE on Prusa XL  

RE: Printing TPU/TPE on Prusa XL

I recently printed a 27hr print in tpu and it worked. Switched to a different roll for reprint and experienced under extrusion which then lead to the printer unloading. Which is better than continuing to print i. Air. 

solution was to restart and bypass tube and sensor off. Currently doing well. Surprisingly this printer prints tpu extremely well

RE: Printing TPU/TPE on Prusa XL

RE: Printing TPU/TPE on Prusa XL

I use Ninga Flex Cheetah and have no problem. It is a little stiffer than some other filaments which may be the advantage but it just works. I did try a cheep TPU given to me by a friend and had nothing but problems with it. The type and brand of filament does make a difference. 

RISPONDI: Printing TPU/TPE on Prusa XL

Posted by: @jtresslerimec

Hi, has anyone printed with flexible filament on the XL? There seems to be a lot of resistance on the filament from the PTFE tube. Do I need to bypass the first filament sensor and just run it without a PTFE tube to the extruder? The filament I am using is a 40D TPU with an average diameter of ~1.67 mm. 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

I had to disable as well the filament sensor, since it could stop printing in the middle of a print for not "sensing" the filament in the sensor right above the extruder tube. maybe the elasticity of the filament when it gets pulled is the problem, and as well the sensor not revealing it correctly.

Is that an overture TPU? If yes, I'm using the same, with the amazonbasics tpu settings.

RE: Printing TPU/TPE on Prusa XL

I've gotten Ninjaflex to feed and print, however my benchy is terrible. I've tried lowering temperature and decreasing extrusion multiplier to no avail.

Has anybody else gotten a benchy on their XL? If so what settings?

RE: Printing TPU/TPE on Prusa XL

It's a late reply, but I just did my first ever TPU print on my XL5T.  I used the stock 0.6mm nozzle and fed the TPU right thru the whole filament path.

I bought a roll of Overture High-Speed TPU that is 95A hardness on Amazon.  I bought it in transparent clear if that matters.  So far, no issues with filament sensors, etc.  Knocking on wood, just in case, though!

RE: Printing TPU/TPE on Prusa XL

So I did a Multimaterial print a while ago with some noname PETG and "SainSmart Shore 95A (Blue)" - It printed without problems. I used the standard 0.6 nozzle and did not change anything on my setup.

RE: Printing TPU/TPE on Prusa XL

I tried add:north EasyFlex. Not quite sure of the hardness (95A I think). Very rubbery, but with a little coaxing is possible to get to the printhead. Works for around half an hour or so, and then it "changes filament" because it can't pull filament through the tube, and it grinds it off. The filament in the tube has a lot of resistance, so I think the XL as is now might not be quite suitable for this filament. It prints perfectly on my MK3.9, so it's just the long reverse bowden tube that gives the problem. I guess direct (like Mole Design shows) will work very well.

I'm thinking of having my filaments above the printer, as I have for my MK3.9, for all printing. I'm not a fan of the whole long bowden-tube solution.

RE: Printing TPU/TPE on Prusa XL

Posted by: @per-s

..The filament in the tube has a lot of resistance, so I think the XL as is now might not be quite suitable for this filament...

IMHO the reason isn't the bowdensetup, but the filament sensor. I would bet of you just bypass the filament sensor you do not have the problem anymore.
Also check if your idler isn't too tight. TPU needs some "slack".

The Nextruder itself is definitely on of the best options for printing flexibles.

RE: Printing TPU/TPE on Prusa XL

I agree on the Nextruder's suitability for printing TPU. And you might be right - the sensor is absolutely a possible culprit when printing this TPU. I'll try to bypass the sensor and see how it works. Thanks.

RE: Printing TPU/TPE on Prusa XL

The Overture High-Speed TPU is a good suggestion, thank you. I did buy one and yes this ist printing like any normal filament. I did just set the "max volumetric speed" to 6 and had no problems at all. The downside is the softness, this filament is much more stiff, then my other A94 Filament.

I make more technical parts and have some TPU PETG composits. The Overtune HS has not that heigh adhesive strength to PETG, then my TUP from "Das Filament". But I think it will last for most cases. No I modified my printer for soft TPU.

RE: Printing TPU/TPE on Prusa XL

I have no place, to hang up a roll to the ceiling, so I made an modification for the XL, to be able to print even very soft TPU. Modification can be found here on printables.com

RE: Printing TPU/TPE on Prusa XL

Hi Everybody,

I have to add that I had an issue that keeps occurring. The filament jams in the extruder. By this, I mean that the gear pulls the TPU 95 down from the extruder sensor area, but then pulls it back and away from the hotend / nozzle and into the extruder gear housing. Has anyone experienced something like this?

So far, I have tried adjusting the idler tension higher and lower, and tried a higher print temperature and lower extrusion multiplier. Is there perhaps something in my physical setup that is misaligned?

Further to this, but a little tangential - The XL has a limited set of material profiles that it remembers per-extruder. It gets fussy when it feels like it's being sent gcode for the wrong material. It just so happens - you'll just have to take my word for it - that the most successful prusaslicer filament profile on the MK3S+ for my particular brand of TPU95 was a generic PETG profile! So, in the course of trying to reliably print TPU with the XL it is something I tried. Which brings me to my question: are the in-built firmware filament profiles editable? Can the user add or modify the list of default material profiles that the XL associates with what's loaded in the extruder?

Thanks to all who have read this far. Have a great day!

RE: Printing TPU/TPE on Prusa XL

I experienced some issues with TPU (varishore) at the end of prints. I will take a look at the filamentsensor fix. I also noticed in the manual that there are a couple springs in there. Has anyone tried replacing them with springs that are not as strong as the stock ones? or just one of the springs, specifically for the extruder you use for flex filaments?