TPE is softer and stretchier than TPU — closer to silicone or soft rubber than the firm-flexible feel of 95A TPU. Shore hardness typically falls between 70A and 85A: the material compresses easily under finger pressure and recovers fully. The printing difficulty is higher than TPU because the extra softness makes the filament more prone to buckling in the extruder path at any speed above a slow crawl.
TPE vs. TPU: Which One?
If the part needs to flex but retain its shape under moderate load — phone cases, mechanical bumpers, gaskets with some structure — TPU (Shore 95A) is easier to print and more predictable. TPE (Shore 70A–85A) is for applications where softness and compressibility are the functional requirement: padding, vibration dampening pads, soft grip surfaces, cushioning layers. TPE also stretches more before tearing — elongation at break is typically higher than TPU.
Direct Drive Is Mandatory
TPE will not print reliably on a Bowden setup. The extruder-to-nozzle distance in a Bowden system gives the filament room to buckle instead of advancing. The filament compresses in the tube, then releases as a burst — you get alternating under-extrusion and over-extrusion regardless of settings. On direct drive, the short filament path prevents buckling at low speeds.
Speed: Very Slow
10–20mm/s, not 20–30mm/s like TPU. At 25mm/s, even well-setup direct drive extruders see TPE buckling behind the drive gear. The extruder motor rotation is fast enough that the filament springs sideways rather than advancing. Print time is long; this is unavoidable. Don’t try to shortcut it.
Retraction
Disable retraction entirely, or use 0.5mm maximum. TPE’s elasticity stores energy under retraction — pulling back 1mm of TPE retracts maybe 0.3mm of actual filament at the nozzle because the rest is absorbed as stretching. When the move reverses, all that stored energy releases as a pressure burst that over-extrudes. Turn retraction off first, accept some stringing, and add it back only if stringing is severe.
Extruder Tension
Reduce extruder arm spring tension until the gear just maintains grip without deforming the filament cross-section. Standard tension that works for PLA will crush soft TPE filament, creating a flat section that the gear then can’t grip. Too little tension loses grip; too much and you get a flat spot that jams. Check the filament surface after a short extrusion test: it should show gear teeth marks (slight) but not be visibly deformed.
Temperature
Nozzle: 210–220°C for most TPE. Start at 215°C. Lower temperatures (200°C) can work with very slow speeds; higher temperatures (230°C) sometimes reduce viscosity enough to help flow but can degrade the elastomer.
Bed: 40–45°C on PEI or painter’s tape. TPE sticks well to both surfaces at these temperatures. Because it’s soft, pulling it off the bed can stretch and tear it — cool the bed to below 35°C before attempting removal, and peel slowly from one corner.
Fan Speed
0–30%. TPE doesn’t need cooling for layer bonding; the elastomeric matrix bonds adequately without it. Some fan helps dimensional accuracy by preventing soft layers from being deformed by the nozzle on the next pass. Start at 0% and add fan only if you see deformation issues.