Super Soft TPU by FOAMING! - colorFabb varioShore TPU

[@CNCKitchen]

We've got *NEW MERCH* ! Check out our Teespring shop for cool T-Shirts and Hoodies: teespring.com/stores/cnckitchen Also, don't forget to share this video on Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, and other platforms! ❤

[@cobeer1768]

While I liked the subscribe in this video, I think you missed out on a perfect "smash that like button". Lol

[@Fincher123]

Ich habe eine Idee zum Drucken!!!! Und zwar ein Volume Spacer den man in eine Federgabel einsetzt. Ich würd gerne jeweils 3stk von von jeder Temperatur bei dir Kaufen um dich auch etwas zu unterstützen, selbst wenn ich keinen 3D Drucker besitze oder gerade deswegen =) die Zylinder sollten 30mm im Durchmesser und eine höhe auch von 30mm haben. Infill so wie in den Video gezeigt/ verwendet. Ach und in der mitt eventuell ein 5mm Loch hindurch Bitte Antworte mir auf den Kommentar wenn Du Interesse hast, dann schreib ich Dir eine Mail nochmal =)

[@lukehill6395]

you should try the lay-fomm 40 filament! it seems very similar to this, and i'm curious as to which one would be better.

[@kpax0]

Hi! Maybe you can test and review Facilan C8 and HT? Quite interesting materials out there :D I am glad that I found your channel, a lot of interesting stuff.

[@lltv8142]

Perhaps also very interesting for thermal insulation in a print.

[@AwestrikeFearofGods]

Good idea. Just beware that decomposition/burning polyurethane creates highly toxic gasses.

[@henrymach]

Could be a nice idea. Just don't forget that it's still a thermoplastic and doesn't have the same thermal characteristics as regular PU foam

[@lltv8142]

@@henrymach I am also wondering what the thermal properties are. Of course for lower temperatures (below 100c). Then you could incapsulate the soft foam part into harder parts depending on the print temperatures.

[@CNCKitchen]

Very good point. The closed porosity should give you great thermal insulation properties.

[@zebarzebra]

@@CNCKitchen Doesn't Regular TPU not already have a pretty good insulation property?

[@tom_zanna]

Perfect pronunciation of "al dente". Thumbs up!

[@CNCKitchen]

Mille grazie! 😃

[@marsgizmo]

excellent insights, as always, excellent video Stefan! 👌😎

[@nathanhaag8097]

I like your short vids!

[@micahhenry3846]

Same!

[@antonrickert9427]

Hey i'm subbed to both of you!

[@micahhenry3846]

@@antonrickert9427 they are both amazing, right?

[@mamatamohanty07]

You are marsgizmo i am big fan

[@JohnJones-oy3md]

0:12 - Mitutoyo tools. This guy is not fooling around.

[@CNCKitchen]

Sometimes it's good to know certain people 😅 I only want to generate the best results for you.

[@sterby1]

@@CNCKitchen I use a Mitutooyo dial caliper that is almost as old as me, my dad got it around '85. Still as accurate as day 1

[@John_Ridley]

I have a Mitutoyo too. FYI it reads exactly the same as my Harbor Freight calipers 100% of the time.

[@Mrcaffinebean]

This guys got calipers that cost more than my printer. I like it!

[@CNCKitchen]

Worth every penny and I'll probably be able to hand them down to my kids at some point.

[@aerball]

I bought some of this about a month ago and havent gotten to use it because I wasnt ready to do a bunch of testing. Thanks for doing all the work for us and recording the whole process!!! Hahaha

[@tanvach]

I’ve been using Varioshore TPU for a bunch of projects. It’s an amazing material, love the soft touch feel. Stringing / oozing is definitely a pain compared to other flexible filaments.

[@mm-hl7gh]

hey, do you change the temps during the print ? and if yes, i assume the temps can only be changed layer-wise and not for specific areas, i guess ?

[@ic3dragons223]

@@mm-hl7gh the only way to achieve that is to use dual extruding printer with varying Temps in hot ends.

[@Mrcaffinebean]

Pretty amazing how the filament companies keep coming up with more and more interesting stuff. Great video!

[@eclipsonairplanes]

Good job Stefan as usual ;). This material is the best that we have found to build the big tundra wheels for our next rc bush plane project, not only because it is light but also because its softness provides a great shock absorption which is ideal to absorb the energy of hard landing.

[@TodayInSpace]

Just about to start printing with colorFabb varioshore TPU! Thank you for the GREAT breakdown. Saving me a bunch of time and more time to focus on the part we're making! Thanks as always Stefan!

[@aman11283]

I love the benchy thrown into the bowl of water floating sideways haha

[@bennylloyd-willner9667]

Perfect Storm in a water glass 😁

[@bonovoxel7527]

This guy made the hardware stores sell a whole lot more concrete slabs than ever. I bought mine before even the printer!

[@headbanger1428]

I really appreciate the extensive and careful testing.

[@Scott_C]

Make a paper airplane or a glider with the "lightest" version of the foaming TPU.

[@giin97]

From the way he describes it, sounds like it's getting close to being 3D printer Styrofoam.

[@TiBiAstro]

I DON'T EVEN OWN A 3D PRINTER, WHY HAVE I WATCHED ALL YOUR VIDEOS?!?!?!

[@tobylofmark1084]

You will own one soon

[@tobylofmark1084]

It is a sign

[@TiBiAstro]

@@tobylofmark1084 I wish. Tiny apartment, single-dad... Some day, but not quite soon.

[@ericlotze7724]

mood, also m o n e e e e (especially of all the filament i'd use)

[@ericlotze7724]

Also just this channel's d a t a (so many nice graphs, and materials science tests)

[@clausnymann5527]

That is BRILLIANT! I was looking for some way of doing a 3D print with one end harder (for mounting) and the other softer (for application.) Now I can simply print each end at different temperatures.

[@nicholascarella4858]

I bought this filament because of this video. This video was so helpful. Thank you!

[@Daarispieter]

Another great video, Stefan! As a mechanical engineer from a research institute I just love your scientific approach!

[@Scott_C]

Can you "post expand" the fillament? Eg: use a heat gun or soldering iron or oven to expand the TPU only in spot locations after the object has been printed?

[@arcadecarpet631]

That could be interesting for gaskets

[@timothysmith2130]

I doubt it because the plastic melts at a lower temp than the foaming, so to prevent the structure of the part from being ruined you would need to enclose it but then there'd be nowhere for the gasses caused by foaming to go.

[@CNCKitchen]

I thought about that as well. I'll see if I can find an interesting application for that.

[@brezovprut4431]

Yeah, so there is potential risk that high temp. conditions will impact initial part hardness properties over time ?

[@RubixB0y]

I think perhaps a CNC laser might be appropriate :)

[@PurchenZuPoden]

Warmest belated congratulations on the birth of your child! I wish you guys the best!

[@CNCKitchen]

Thank you so much!!

[@Bubu567]

Higher temps will not increase bubble formation, but it does reduce surface tension, allowing more air to escape and off gas. Therefore, if you print too hot, it becomes less foamy.

[@ScytheNoire]

As soon as I heard it's closed-cell, it made me think of the perfect application: custom storage insert for breakables.

[@some_random_wallaby]

Smart. This is what I consider innovation.

[@alberto.zanardo]

Mate this type of videos are so useful! I'm grateful that this kind of content is available for free. Keep it up!

[@sanches2]

This investigation... was awesome! Thank you

[@fvolejnik]

This could be a good choice material for printable replacement headphone pads.

[@classicsound90]

The black foam looks very nice to me!

[@echosolace]

Weren't you the guy to help me bump the ability of my X1? And now I'm still learning from you? Fuck yes.

[@rcmaniac25]

See's Maker Muse's video on the CR-30. See's this... and the portion on "does it act like a sponge" and my first thought is "why do I want to print a pool noodle?" Glad that of all the channels that looked into Varishore and LW-PLA, it was this one. Better then "hey, it's pretty cool. Look at this model!" and to have actual methods and data behind the tests.

[@CNCKitchen]

Awesome idea!

[@eugenew2]

I wonder how this TPU would adhere to a harder material like PLA. I'm thinking about variable shock absorption between hard layers.

[@johnd2895]

I've had reasonably good success making two-part designs with a PLA base, a filament change to TPU, and finishing with the TPU. I've also used PETG - in that case, I had to change filament at a point in the model where I could maximize the contact between PETG layer and TPU layers above it. While changing the filament, the temperature has to be lowered quickly for the TPU or else it is very stringy. Some custom gcode similar to that used in temperature towers was sufficient but I still had to wait before inserting the TPU so that the printer didn't resume printing until the nozzle temperature was lower. Not an ideal way to go, but the parts worked OK.

[@licensetodrive9930]

That's crazy how it foams up with different temperatures! I've been experimenting with printing TPU in vase mode with some great results, most useful print was some transparent TPU grips for a mini desk vice, printed on-end. I figured if you make the object 0.8mm thick then it can be printed entirely in vase mode.

[@princefpv1]

FINALY SOMEONE WITH SKILLS

[@DeltaOps3]

only CNC kitchen would actually have friends at Mitutoyo! They make great stuff and I am surprised at their generosity.

[@jeffwitz8556]

Hello Stefan, It is very interesting. TPU material is hyperelastic material which is non-compressible when it is in this bulk form. This property is obviously lost when add air bubbles inside. It could be very interesting to use tour universal tensile machine to investigate this ! If one thinks in term of small strains (and not finite strains) it means that it is not only the shore value (and thus the apparent modulus) but also the value of the "Poisson coefficient" even if this is improper in finite strains. So the applications could vary as incompressibility is often and advantage or a drawback. I think it could be nice to investigate ! I hope I will find some time to investigate tensile test on this ! Best regards,

[@CNCKitchen]

Thanks for the comment! I'll keep that in mind. There is still a bigger TPU test outstanding.

[@shinmai]

Super interesting! I've been able to print original NinjaFlex, which is 85A, on my CR-6 SE, but need to obviously go incredibly slow (15-20 mm/s), and need to completely disable retractions. Intrigued to give varioShore a try based on this, as it could theoretically give even softer results but be easier to print. Thanks for taking the time to do proper testing and publishing the numbers, incredibly helpful.

[@ricklee4220]

Bet this is great for making compliment mechanisms by turning the temperature up in certain areas to bend

[@AmaroqStarwind]

*compliant

[@NickBaijens]

As somebody who has stuck to PLA because Ender 3, this is really exciting stuff

[@jakubmastalir3557]

This is pretty good concept

[@greenveg42]

Excellent as always!

[@Lidocain777]

Interesting material. :) Well, whether you got a direct extruder (please, dont' mix up with "direct drive" !) or a bowden extruder, I guess it should print if the filament path is constrained all the way. Something "special" about this filament is the relationship between extrusion temperature, extrusion multiplier, and final surface look. Number of print profiles can be pretty daunting. This material is so special you shall have very specific demands to use it. If something has to float, it's the way to go, though.

[@florianhochenwarter287]

Dude i print Filaflex A60 Tpu with a standard predator and it works real good

[@NitrousBanshee]

I love to see innovation.

[@ChronOJohn2]

Hi, have you tried to print it on top of normal PLA? Does it fuse togeher?

[@CNCKitchen]

I had the first layers of this material crumble apart after I didn't purge the nozzle properly. So that's why I think that TPU and PLA don't combine very well.

[@bennylloyd-willner9667]

I've seen some videos regarding this and it doesn't look too promising. I don't know if I'm allowed to share URL:s but search YT for "Robotic Flex Gripper Mixed TPU and ABS 3d printed" to see some tests combining harder plastic and TPU. There are some successful tests (soda can holder for instance). I hope Stefan can do his thorough tests on the subject, maybe print some "grabbing, interlocking layers" when changing from one material to the other will help? I haven't got a 3D printer yet but hoping for a Prusa i3 Mk3 with the MultiMaterial addon soon. I am curious if you can print PLA/ABS with the TPU in T-slots (like the grooves on milling machine tables) so the TPU doesn't have to adhere to the harder material but still can't fall out even if you turn the object upside down? My thought is to get a non-slip surface on serving trays and such by letting the TPU sit just slightly higher than the surface. I'm sure this, or other "interlocking layers" version, is tested somewhere, but I haven't found it yet. BTW: Great videos Stefan! You are one of my fave sources to learn 3D-printing! Stay Safe, Healthy, and Happy folks!

[@blubb7711]

Shore hardness is fine, but how about the friction coefficient? There are still no usefull filaments for printing tires.

[@Petroskoi3000]

Do you have any experiences using resin 3D printers and flexible resins to print tyres? I have seen some good looking samples, but have not yet printed any. Still looking for good info on flexible resins. I have had good experiences on using clear resin for small clear parts ie. headlight lenses etc.

[@blubb7711]

@@Petroskoi3000 i heard that resin flexibles shoul be better, but i dont have a resin printer

[@Petroskoi3000]

@@blubb7711 Thank you for quick reply. I have read the same, but I have found the flexible resins hard to get and expensive. It does not help to live in one of northest and maybe the worst shithole countrys in europe. Maybe I have to buy 1kg of flex resin for christmas and try it. I found some with 55A shore hardness, but I can't find any info about the surface friction. Edit: I have to add that I do love the details my new DLP 3D priter makes. FDM can not compete with it. It could easily print text to the tyre wall etc. I have made some nice rims, but have to wait for summer, or at least the pandemic to ease up to go to the track and test how will they last. The resin prints seem to be some what more fragile than the PETG and PLA I usually use to print with.

[@a__duck]

@@blubb7711 Easy solution is to print a mold and then cast your tires. You can even add locking features to the hub and cast with the hub in place for stronger adhesion.

[@CNCKitchen]

Good point. Would be interesting for the Open RC project.

[@3DThird]

As a fan of Colorfabb, unfortunately, I had to abandon them since they have restricted their shipping to DHL which means that a single roll of filament + shipping costs me around $70. Switched to Esun recently since I simply can't go with ColorFabb anymore. On-topic, awesome breakdown Stefan!

[@ThomasHuter]

Its so good and informative i love it thank you

[@ajbent1]

Since the hardness varies so much in 10 degree increments, it would be neat to see what the effect would be if you did 1-2 degree increments between 210 and 230 C.

[@Kalvinjj]

I wonder how fine you can control the temperature in reality, of course software might show you even 0.1ºc if configured for such, but I'm sure during the print time it's varying about 2~4ºc up and down constantly.

[@TheOrgonaut]

Yess finally too print a personal "flashlight"

[@Ebonyqwe]

Great video Stefan. I like the look of the colorfab temperature gradiented test print you show. Where can I find that?

[@earlowens998]

I printed a handle that I wanted to be soft using TPU at 220 C. There was some softness, but the handle was about 6 cm thick.

[@mikerhinos]

Very interesting !... Could you do a strength test at different temperatures too ? I'm curious about layer adhesion with all these bubbles...

[@brezovprut4431]

Would you make review of colorfabb brand new LW-ASA, and compare to LW-PLA? I m curious, if RC models printed with LW-ASA will become more impact resistant. What are benefits of each ?

[@CNCKitchen]

Just have seen that yesterday. Looks pretty compelling!

[@ripmax333]

LW-ASA is more brittle in an Impact, there is a video on youtube were a guy compared to 3d prints in LW-PLA and LW-ASA. The LW-ASA shattered as it was glass, the big benefit is UV resistant and temp resistant.

[@bluephreakr]

Mitutoyo is probably disappointed you didn't use a firm surface to begin testing with. But since your cutting mat was used for everything it's acceptable.

[@CNCKitchen]

Damn, good point. Though I'm 99% sure that it doesn't matter for shore A at least.

[@beauslim]

I've been fooling around with loose infill patterns to make ordinary PLA quite "spongey". Just varying the different degree offsets on Cura's "zig zag" to something like 0,60,120,30,90,150 leaves you with a mesh that doesn't overlap with itself very much. It also makes the material blob and then string at crossover points, which seems to make it even more pliable. It looks like lace.

[@alexhutchins6161]

Im suprised how far 3d printing has come.

[@jemdejager]

I'm going to print me some coaster for my glasses with this filament

[@Rippthrough]

I'm wondering if you're onto something with the bubbles deflating with the hotter temps - but I would say it's probably on the external surfaces of the filament, because I run production parts with ~1-1.2mm widths and they get softer right up to about 245c - so maybe the extra volume vs surface area plays a part there - maybe try it on a larger nozzle and see if you fair the same. And yes, definately a closed cell foam, I've used it for outdoor/wet applications for 12 months or so, no problems.

[@coeniecorbitt8375]

Awesome! First use case? Built in hinges in a single print without swapping filament? Second? Sturdy box with soft outside or inside?

[@w34356]

Cool stuff. Thanks for video!

[@modbros5345]

Have you thought about using the plaster used in metal casting to remelt printed parts?

[@ttpechon2535]

Red Storm Rising is an amazing book.

[@3v1Bunny]

where is the sub model ? just asking :D nice video this was really informative. again!

[@The3Doomer]

So...where do I find your naughtyfication bell?

[@creepyloner1979]

abrasion resistance and strength are going to be the two big downsides of this vs regular tpu of the same softness, and would have been good to compare.

[@oswaldocastaneda8340]

You have a critical point at 220 ºC with the hardness test (you might could use percolation threshold to evaluate that mechanical behavior)

[@castleboat]

would you say this could work for prosthetic props instead of needing silicone?

[@pnwRC.]

Cool video! I appreciated the side by side comparison.

[@Runoratsu]

Cool! Ordered two spools… 😅

[@seepuyi]

Stefan, another amazing review. How do you print multiple models at different temperatures? I understand how to change temperatures at height/layer. Do you pause at height/layer, manually adjust the nozzle temp, then resume? Or is this a custom script? I apologize if this has been asked and answered already.

[@xeraoh]

Fantastic video! Stefan makes super videos all the time but this video had to be made by colorfabb year ago... most of the filament manufacturers just push out a new product without giving enough information sometimes they forget to provide proper data on how to use the product.

[@questeusher]

you need to do a mechanical test for this, i need to know how much it stretches and what layer adhesion is like

[@BRUXXUS]

It's a shame Mitutoyo only let you borrow those hardness testers. :P Although, I can understand why- guessing just one of those probably cost more than most of your printers. haha

[@h.w.6563]

He has an e3d toolchanger with 4 extruders that costs about 2500€ ... just how expensive are those tools?!

[@imnota]

I was curious about their prices and there's some for 400€ so less expensive than expected but tbh there's also some over 800, and I have no idea what the difference is. Edit one of the ones used in the video is 487€ and the other is 838

[@h.w.6563]

@@imnota hm, that can actually get you a decent 3D printer.

[@CNCKitchen]

If I ask kindly and you guys have interesting project ideas, I'm quite sure they'll lent me those a second time.

[@BRUXXUS]

@@CNCKitchen While I'm not sure these, or any other tools are really made for it, I'd be SUPER interested in creep testing on various materials. It's one property that has actually caused me problems with functional prints.

[@jonorneeofficial]

Super helpful. Thank you! Were you varying flow rate at all? What flow rate were you using with 220 degree nozzle?

[@ericlotze7724]

Would there be anyway to have a FDM setup with "Mechanical Foaming" (ie air/gas bubbles from the extruder itself, not a blowing/foaming agent?

[@ericlotze7724]

Wondering as blowing agents make recycled filament more complicated (especially if you want to make such a filament), but the mass savings for things like ROV Aircraft Wings seems nearly invaluable.

[@ericlotze7724]

Imagine a rc plane printed with this, and foaming rigid plastic in one peice on a toolchanger...

[@brandonfranklin4533]

How well does it burn? Thinking lost foam aluminum casting 🤔

[@knifeyonline]

hello back, shtefan. I feel welcomed.

[@anthonyrich1592]

A silly question, perhaps, but would the ~60 Shore D of your cutting mat have affected the measured results of the test pieces? Shouldn't they have been tested on a hard surface?

[@henryoak2001]

Great video still one of the few on varioshore. Can you further explain what you mean by increasing speed of print , does that mean at a set extrusion rate and temp you can print faster than you would with ordinary tpu?

[@conorstewart2214]

It would have been very interesting to see the shore hardness of the infill samples but printed with the TPU at its maximum foaming. It would have let us see how low the varioshore TPU can go.

[@Dominick13777]

Do you think this product could be incorporated with prosthetic creation? Looks promising.

[@henryoak2001]

Hi what nozzle size do you recommend with this compound? Very informative thank you

[@willstahl816]

How bouncy can this material get? I'd love to see energy return measurements.

[@Tomaskom]

Rectilinear infill is not a very good choice for TPU when aiming for softer parts or variability. Might squish somewhat from the sides, but the pattern will prevent more squish from the top, also having a lot of influence on the Shore test depending if you aim above an infill line or into the gap. Gyroid is probably best for this due to its good isotropy ;)

[@nathanking2484]

Agreed, gyroid works beautifully

[@mildmannered1086]

I guess infill with thinner line width could be good so that you have have more number of lines to evenly distribute without big gaps

[@EdFrench_uk]

Genius stuff, thanks

[@user-qy9rg3nt2l]

I would love additive foam pattern making for lost foam casting. Not sure TPU would work.

[@tuesss]

What about disposal? Can you treat it like normal TPU, or do the additives make it non-recyclable and non-degradable? As always, missing such key points but SHOUTING! a lot...

[@kain0m]

Any 3d printed part is landfill. Basically none of the filaments we use are either recyclable or degradable. The "bio-degradeable" filaments are useless as well, because they don't degrade unless exposed to specific enzymes with high temperatures. Useless.

[@iainburgess8577]

Um. Tpu doesn't do well W annealing? I wonder if that high temp foaming could be used in annealing processes as a forming agent...

[@basicmods]

Would you be able to update the variable density PLA testing with Shore D values for that filament as well?

[@CNCKitchen]

I see what I can do!

[@saschaschneider6355]

That indeed looks promising, especially the buoyancy. Guess I'll get me a roll of that stuff and then let's see what kind of stuff I can come up with that I could use for e.g. kayaking. I also wonder if you could use it for applications where you'd normally use rubber, like a holder that slightly grips on to things like e.g. guitar picks. Pretty interesting, indeed! Thanks to checking it out in your usual, very thorough way

[@timifaehrtfahrrad]

Would be interesting to test it on a CHT Nozzle and see if the cutting allows even more softness

[@bobbobbington1132]

Hey Stefan, thanks for your videos! I've learned a ton from you. Question: Do you have a calibration process that you go through when setting up a printer or new filament? For example, how do you make sure that a .4mm width, .2mm high line actually comes out of the printer at those dimensions?

[@MS-ix4hw]

Hello Stefan, i have just seen your video about the varioshore TPU from colorfabb. do you think this could be the right filament to print grips for sim racing steering wheels?

[@sh1nryel754]

But if you squeeze the print underwater, will it absorb water? Even if the bubbles are separate they must be able to absorb water because the bubbles open up to release the air when the print is pressed.

[@dsoindustrial2479]

We use it for custom gaskets all the time.

[@stephenshenenigan3572]

on my printer the filament wraps around the extruder gears and stops extruding. how low should the speed be?

[@TheLeontheking]

What nozzle diameter did you use? I just printed with .8mm at 230C, however the result was not very soft. Maybe it's not related to the nozzle size, and I just had too thick walls and too much infill for the small part I printed though.

[@kungfuzing966]

Would the fully expanded TPU be soft enough to be used as a bicycle seat? I would like to try it, but have not found a supplier in my country, which makes buying a roll very expensive.

[@Whisky.]

I would really like to see if its possible to print shoes with this filanent that is atleast a lil comfontable

[@TheSamuraj85]

Hello Stefan. First, thank you for this test/tutorial. Is very useful! :) I want to please you if can you explain me how did you change Extruder multiplier in the same print on Prusa MK3?

[@williamhuang8309]

Well... (normal) TPU prints fine on bowdens as long as the settings are correct. Addition: I have an idea for a new material test. What about torque load? Maybe load the parts and apply torque until they break.