TissueDB/Guides/TPU filament printing guide

3D printing guides · PLA filament printing guide · ABS filament printing guide

This guide helps you prepare a simulator component that its source already specifies in TPU filament using fused filament fabrication (FFF), also called FDM. TPU means thermoplastic polyurethane. Record its product and grade: the material name alone does not define the required printer, hardness or finished behaviour. Use the simulator's build instructions to decide which component is being made and what it must do.

Start with the original model, a documented TPU requirement and an agreed way to inspect the finished component. A rigid framework, a flexible framework and a mould each have different functions. Keep their requirements separate.

You will need:

• The source model filename and version, its licence information, quantity, units or reference dimension, and any restrictions on changing its scale or geometry.
• The specified TPU product, grade or hardness when given, filament diameter, and the supplier's printing, drying and safety instructions.
• A compatible printer, feed system, nozzle and build surface, together with a supported material profile. A profile is the saved group of settings used to prepare the print.
• The dimensions, mating surfaces and functional features the simulator requires, plus a person responsible for accepting any changes.

Check: Each required item is recorded for the selected component. If something is missing: mark it as unresolved and continue with source qualification or a provider's preparation review. Do not turn an unspecified TPU grade into an assumed default.

This guide covers filament extrusion. A TPU part made by powder-based selective laser sintering (SLS), such as the Massive Hemoptysis Simulator (New), needs its own manufacturing route.^[1]

The model file supplies geometry. The slicer combines that geometry with a printer and material profile to produce machine instructions. Finishing then removes temporary support and unwanted material; inspection checks the component against its intended role. Save the source model separately from the prepared project and machine output so that a later change can be traced.

Flexible filament adds three practical questions: can the machine feed this product reliably, can the part be released and finished without damage, and will the resulting structure meet the component's requirements? TPU can be difficult to feed, bridge and separate from supports. Its finished flexibility also depends on the printed structure.^[2]

Print yourself: proceed when the printer manufacturer's instructions support the actual filament and configuration, and you can inspect the result.

Use a service or colleague: send the model identity, component role, required TPU product or properties, dimensions, quantity and acceptance checks. Ask the provider to identify the process, material, orientation, support-removal method and any proposed changes before production. Record any specification that remains unresolved. Return to the simulator's assembly instructions after inspection.

A quotation or an accepted file upload confirms neither the material match nor the finished component's suitability.

The developer's 3D Larynx Surgery Trainer project supplies Larynx_Cartilage.stl (framework STL) for the framework and separate files for the soft-tissue mould, head-and-neck manikin and skin-drape mould. Its current instructions mention TPU as an option for a semi-flexible, pierceable model or mould.^[3] The current file listing has one framework filename and no separately labelled TPU version. Keep the selected file and material decision together in the build record.

The linked framework file was retrieved successfully on 12 November 2026: Larynx_Cartilage.stl, 724,584 bytes. The project record has no licence value, and its current README and file listing do not state an asset licence. Preserve the source link while the intended use and licence are clarified; a working download is not a reuse licence.

Tan and colleagues subsequently reported printing a TPU larynx with an UltiMaker S3 and preparing the work in Cura 5.0.0. The moulds used to cast silicone were printed separately with a Formlabs Form 3. This is a later adaptation, with different manufacturing routes for its components.^[4]

Check: Distinguish the Injection Laryngoplasty Simulator (Lee), the current developer instructions and the later adaptation. The inspected instructions do not establish a complete TPU recipe with a named product, hardness and all preparation settings. If reproducing this example: resolve those items and the licence before treating it as a source-complete build. Do not transfer the ABS baseline's settings or the Form 3 mould workflow into the TPU framework profile.

Open the original model in the slicer and confirm its name, orientation, displayed dimensions and relationship to adjoining parts. An STL describes a unitless triangulated surface; it does not establish the intended physical scale.^[5] Check a source dimension before accepting the import scale and record the required material separately.

Check: Required openings, thin features and mating surfaces are present. If dimensions or scale are uncertain: stop preparation at that point. Resolve the source requirement before resizing, repairing or thickening the model; record any authorised modification as a new version.

Review the printer instructions, the actual filament's safety data sheet and the workspace's arrangements for emissions, heated parts, moving equipment and finishing. Put the required controls in place before printing.^[6]

Identify the spool and follow that product's drying and storage instructions. Record whether the filament was dried and how it was kept before use. A new package or dry-storage box does not by itself establish a dry filament.^[7]

Check: The material identity and its preparation are known, the feed path is ready, and the controls required for the work are available. If not: correct the condition or use a provider equipped for the specified material. Use the manufacturer's maintenance procedure before clearing a feed obstruction.

Select the actual printer, nozzle, filament and profile. Confirm that the specified filament is compatible with the complete feed path, including any automatic spool system. Use the manufacturer's loading procedure and build-surface preparation. Flexible filament can buckle when feed resistance is excessive; surface preparation can also be needed for controlled release.^[8]

Match the TPU product, feed system and printer profile to the actual equipment.

Diagram description: A printer, an enlarged nozzle and a filament spool appear together. The drawing supplies no hardware or material settings.

Check: The profile matches the installed configuration and the actual product. If the combination is unsupported: keep the job as an experimental preparation, with a defined trial and inspection plan, or select a provider with an established configuration. Record the profile version and every changed setting.

Orient the part to preserve the required surfaces, openings and direction of loading. Plan how supports will be reached and removed without stretching or tearing the component. Keep walls, top and bottom layers and infill tied to the component's requirements: changing these changes its structure and can change its flexibility.^[2]

Use the source orientation and keep the required dimensions.

Diagram description: The same block turns while its patterned base remains identifiable. The turn does not resize the block.

Check support contacts and removal against the flexible component's requirements.

Diagram description: Temporary crossed struts sit below a solid overhang. Their use and removal depend on the component requirements.

Slice the model. Inspect the layer preview at the first layer, thin features, overhangs, internal openings and support contacts. Look for missing features, unintended solid regions, unsupported spans and inaccessible supports.

Inspect the prepared layers and thin features before you print.

Diagram description: One slice is separated from a stack to show its position. Inspect the actual prepared layers in your software.

Check: The preview is consistent with the required geometry and finishing plan. If it is not: revise preparation within the authorised requirements and inspect again. Keep source-specific support or infill suggestions attached to the component and source that supplied them. A manufacturer's material profile does not decide the simulator's tissue response.

Save the prepared project, then export machine instructions for the selected printer. Confirm the loaded filament and configuration before starting. Observe the beginning of the print according to the equipment's operating procedure.

Keep the inspected job tied to the TPU product and printer configuration.

Diagram description: A path-filled file is associated with one schematic filament printer. It represents a job prepared for a particular configuration.

Check: Filament feeds consistently, the initial lines form the intended base, and the part stays in position. If feeding fails or the part moves: use the printer's safe pause or stop procedure. Check the cause before restarting; do not attempt to straighten filament inside a running machine.

After printing, follow the product and build-surface release instructions. Remove temporary material with controlled cuts or the specified support process, while protecting thin features and mating surfaces. Use the site's tool and eye-protection arrangements. Inspect progressively rather than stretching the part to tear supports away.

Check: The part is released, required openings are clear, and finishing has not damaged critical features. If support removal would damage the part: stop and revise the preparation for another print. Do not treat solvent or heat treatment from a different material's workflow as a TPU finishing instruction.

Compare the finished part with the agreed requirements before assembly:

• Confirm identity, quantity, dimensions and fit with adjoining components.
• Inspect thin walls, openings and support-contact areas for missing material, tears, separated layers or other damage.
• Check the specified flexibility or functional response using the simulator's documented method. If no method or acceptance criterion exists, record that as unresolved rather than assigning a pass.
• Record the file version, actual material, printer and nozzle, profile, orientation, supports, preparation changes, finishing and inspection result. Keep useful photographs and record the decision about each unsuccessful part.

Check: A reviewer can distinguish what was required, what was made and what was observed. If a required check fails: keep the part out of the accepted build, investigate the affected requirement and record the next change. Once accepted, continue with the simulator's assembly instructions.

These checks document a manufacturing result. Training realism, skill transfer and clinical outcomes require separate evidence for the simulator and its use.

Return to the 3D printing guides or the Lee simulator build. The PLA filament printing guide and ABS filament printing guide provide separate material routes.