TPU 98A – Tough-Elastic, Shape-Stable, Easy to Print

Material Profile

TPU 98A is the most shape-stable and easiest to print TPU variant in the portfolio. With Shore hardness 98A, the material behaves similarly to a very tough, impact-resistant thermoplastic – but with the key property of yielding resiliently under impact instead of breaking.

This variant is particularly suited for customers who need a robust functional part with elasticity reserve but want to avoid the printing difficulties of softer TPU variants.

What Does Shore Hardness Mean?

Shore hardness describes the indentation hardness of elastic plastics. For TPU: the lower the Shore A value, the softer and more flexible the material. TPU 98A is the hardest and most shape-stable variant – significantly less deformable than 85A, but still more elastic than rigid polymers like PLA or ABS.

Important: The actual flexibility of a part depends not only on Shore hardness but also on part geometry, wall thickness, infill density, print direction, temperature and the specific manufacturer’s filament.

TPU Variant Comparison

Material	Shore hardness	Flexibility	Printability	Typical application
TPU 85A	85A	very flexible	demanding	soft seals, dampers, protective caps
TPU 90A	90A	flexible	medium	seals, mounts, vibration dampers
TPU 95A	95A	semi-flexible	good to medium	technical flexible parts, protective parts
TPU 98A	98A	slightly flexible	good	robust tough-elastic functional parts

Design Notes for TPU 98A

TPU 98A is especially suited as an impact-resistant alternative to rigid polymers like PLA or PETG – where parts should yield resiliently under impact rather than break. Wall thickness and infill density control the effective stiffness.

Datasheet

Technical datasheet (Bambu Lab TPU 98A): bambulab.com/downloads