Before You 3D Print Rubber-Like Filament

So you have an exciting idea for a rubber-like 3D printed model. Great! Before rushing off to print it, keep these modeling tips in mind:

Prepare for some cleanup. Since most rubber-like filaments must print with little or no retraction, models can come out very stringy. If possible, orient or edit your model so that it’s easy to clean up where needed.

Anticipate stretching. If you’re printing something that needs a snug fit (eg. a phone case) model it slightly smaller than needed. This way, you won’t need to worry so much about the model stretching out over time. About two to three millimeters can really make a difference, though it depends on the elasticity of the rubber-like filament you use. Feel free to experiment in this area.

Pick your filament. There are many different blends and brands of flexible filaments, all with different elasticities and price tags. Find one that’s right for you!

While 3D Printing Rubber-Like Filament

Printing with flexible filaments can be tough for most 3D printers. Generally, the more elastic the filament is, the more difficult it is to print with. To ease the pain, follow these steps:

Reduce or turn off retraction on your printer. With sturdier, plastic filaments, printers usually retract the plastic back into the nozzle while traveling so the melted plastic doesn’t ooze all over the place. With elastic, rubber filaments, retraction tends to simply bend the filament and cause jams.

Print slowly. 3D printed rubber models take much longer to print than typical hard prints since rubber-like filaments don’t do well under high speeds. Since 3D printing rubber filaments requires more traction from the extruder, slow things way down. For most, 15-20 mm/s is a good place to start.

Reduce travels outside the model. Make the print head travel within the model walls instead of taking the shortest path over open air. This allows the oozing from the rubber-like filament to stay inside the model, where it can’t be seen, rather than scar the outside. Most slicers have a setting for this. In Simplify3D, enable “Avoid crossing outline for travel movement” under Advanced settings. In Ultimaker Cura, turn on “Combing mode” under Travel settings.

Get the temperature just right. When 3D printing with rubber-like filaments, hitting the Goldilocks temperature of not-too-hot and not-too-cold is vital. Start off within the recommended temperature for your rubber-like filament. Go up or down three degrees until you reach your desired print quality. If the print looks under extruded or separates easily between layers, it’s likely too cold. If the print suffers from lots of blobs on the edges or extreme stringiness, it’s likely too hot.

Look for help. Search online to read about other people’s experiences with your particular 3D printer or rubber-like filament brand. Often you can find specific settings and tips that they found worked best.

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By Tian Ooi

How to 3D Print Rubber-Like Materials