How to print a squishy in TPU

01

Check the printer before buying filament

Start with your printer’s supported materials and nozzle list. “Prints TPU” does not mean it handles every soft filament.

Bambu Lab’s guide lists different limits for each printer and feeder. Its A1 series does not support 85A TPU. Ordinary soft TPU also needs a different feeding setup from standard AMS materials.

Check the exact printer, nozzle and feeding path against the manufacturer’s current instructions. If you use a library, ask whether it prints flexible TPU. Many services only offer rigid plastic.

02

Soft plastic is not foam

TPU is flexible plastic, not the slow-rise foam inside many shop-bought squishies. It bends and springs back. Expect a different feel.

Shore hardness describes the material’s firmness. On the same scale, 85A is softer than 95A. Do not compare Shore A and Shore D numbers directly.

Softer filament can be harder to feed reliably. Shape, wall thickness and infill also affect how easily a print squeezes. A thin shell can flex more than a solid object.

Print a small test before committing to a larger keepsake. Neither a soft filament nor a cute preview guarantees a squeezable result.

03

Dry it, then use a matching profile

Damp TPU can bubble, string and print with weak layer adhesion. Follow your filament maker’s drying instructions. Different materials need different temperatures and drying times.

Keep dried filament in airtight storage with desiccant. Use the profile recommended for your exact filament and printer.

Prusa’s flexible-material guidance recommends slow printing and warns about difficult bridges and overhangs. Treat general settings as starting points, not a universal recipe.

Supports can stick strongly to TPU and damage the print during removal. Prefer a design with few overhangs. Follow your printer maker’s bed-release advice, too.

04

Keep child safety separate from print quality

A successful print is not proof of toy safety. A flexible print can still shed small pieces or have sharp defects.

Do not use an untested print as a teether or mouthing toy. Keep filament scraps and broken parts away from children. Check every print for loose details, splits and rough edges.

US small-parts rules consider pieces that break off, not only the original object. Making a keepsake larger does not establish its safety.

For infants and toddlers, choose an adult-held or display keepsake instead of a plaything. Supervision does not make an unsafe object safe.