TPU on Bambu Lab A1 Mini

Nozzle Temp

230 °C

Range: 200 – 240 °C

Bed Temp

40 °C

Range: 20 – 60 °C

Print Speed

40

mm/s · max 150

Layer Height

0.20

mm · max 0.28

Fan Speed

50 %

1st layer: 0 %

1st Layer Speed

15

mm/s

Retraction

0.4 mm

@ 30 mm/s

Nozzle Type

Brass

Standard

  Retraction Note

• Minimal retraction — TPU stretches and causes jams. Disable if possible.

Settings

Recommended

Range

Nozzle Temperature

230 °C

200 – 240 °C

Bed Temperature

40 °C

20 – 60 °C

Print Speed

30 – 60 mm/s

up to 150 mm/s on this printer

First Layer Speed

15 – 20 mm/s

slower is better for adhesion

Layer Height

0.16 – 0.24 mm

0.12 – 0.28 mm

Fan Speed (Normal)

30 – 60 %

–

Fan Speed (1st Layer)

0 %

–

Retraction Distance

0.4 mm

Direct drive

Retraction Speed

30 mm/s

–

Nozzle Type

Brass (standard)

Brass is fine; hardened optional

Dry Filament

70 °C for ≥ 5 h

print from a dry box in humid weather

Enclosure

Not required

Not required — helps in a cold or draughty room

Support Material

PVA

–

Printing Notes

TPU95A stretches 800 – 1000 % before breaking. Almost every TPU failure is a feed problem, not a temperature one — the filament buckles somewhere between the drive gear and the melt zone.

Slow is the whole trick. The data sheet allows up to 150 mm/s but 30 – 40 mm/s is where flexible filament actually behaves.

The A1 Mini is open-frame with an 80 °C bed ceiling, which limits it to low-warp materials — this profile stays inside that envelope.

Its lightweight direct-drive toolhead handles short retractions well, so there is no need for the long retracts a Bowden machine wants.

Slicer: Bambu Studio / OrcaSlicer. Dry the filament at 70 °C / ≥ 5 h before a long print — every figure above assumes dry filament.

Troubleshooting

Filament grinds or stops feeding — Print slower and reduce extruder tension. TPU buckles under pressure — it cannot be pushed the way a rigid filament can.

Blobs and zits on the surface — Retraction is too long. Cut it to 0.4 – 0.8 mm; long retracts stretch TPU inside the tube instead of pulling it back.

Gaps between perimeters — Increase flow by 2 – 3 %. Soft filament compresses in the drive gear, so it under-extrudes slightly at default flow.