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If you\u2019re devoted to printing\u00a0flexible filaments<\/a>, you\u2019ve probably heard of\u00a0NinjaTek, a filament manufacturer that specializes in making high-quality flexible filaments. NinjaTek is a brand of Fenner Drives, a company with over 50 years of experience in manufacturing.<\/p>\n NinjaTek focuses on materials that are capable of being used in an industrial setting or have a special, real-world application. Their filament can get pretty expensive as it\u2019s professional-grade, but they do have benefits.<\/p>\n NinjaTek\u2019s high-performance filaments are all made of\u00a0thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)<\/a>, a\u00a0rubber-like material<\/a>\u00a0that\u2019s highly resistant to abrasion, impact, and chemicals. Most TPU filaments are noticeably flexible, but they don\u2019t have to be. They can range from very flexible to stiff and sturdy.<\/p>\n Manufacturers of flexible filament often use Shore hardness to classify the flexibility of their products. Shore hardness is a measure of the hardness of a flexible material, and the scale is both alphabetical (A through D) and numerical (0-100). The lower the letter in the alphabet and the lower the number, the softer and more flexible the material is; the higher the letter and number, the harder and more inflexible the material.<\/p>\n NinjaTek offers four of their own filaments, each with a different purpose and goal. Perhaps their most popular one is NinjaFlex, which is their most flexible filament. Armadillo is their strongest and most rigid filament. Cheetah filament is a mix of flexible and strong (semi-flex), made to be easy to use and print. Lastly, Eel is especially unique, being both flexible and\u00a0electrically conductive<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the following sections, we\u2019ll discuss each of NinjaTek\u2019s filaments, highlighting their special properties, possible applications, and more. But first, we\u2019ll give you some tips for printing with these special filaments.<\/p>\n How you print varies from filament to filament, and this is no different with NinjaTek\u2019s offerings. Even still, the NinjaTek filaments have a few printing characteristics in common. Unlike most flexible filaments, it\u2019s not an absolute necessity to have a\u00a0direct drive extruder<\/a>\u00a0to print NinjaTek. They\u2019re all capable of working with a Bowden drive extruder, but you may need to use lower speeds or adjust other settings.<\/p>\n Additionally, NinjaTek filaments don\u2019t require a high bed temperature, with every filament needing less than a 50 \u00b0C bed. You may want to use an adhesive like\u00a0glue<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0painter\u2019s tape<\/a>\u00a0on the build plate, and after the\u00a0first layer<\/a>\u00a0has been printed, you should activate the\u00a0part cooling fan<\/a>, per NinjaTek\u2019s recommendations.<\/p>\n Other than that, printing is a breeze. NinjaTek provides more than enough printing suggestions to guide you through the process. We\u2019ll include those as we discuss each of their filaments.<\/p>\n NinjaFlex<\/span>\u00a0filament is one of NinjaTek\u2019s most popular filaments. With an 85A Shore hardness, it\u2019s a flexible and fairly durable filament.<\/p>\n NinjaFlex can stretch up to 660% of its initial length before breaking, a property called elongation. In comparison, ABS\u2019 elongation is measured at 6%.\u00a0 NinjaFlex also has 20% better abrasion-resistance than ABS and 68% more abrasion-resistance than regular\u00a0PLA filament<\/a>.<\/p>\n NinjaFlex\u2019s flexible characteristics give it many possible applications for both personal and industrial projects. While NinjaTek states that it can be used to make rubber seals,\u00a0one customer\u2019s review<\/a>\u00a0contradicts this statement, noting that bad print settings can lead to ineffective seals that don\u2019t function as they should. A more fitting application for this filament is vibration dampers, which can be used for feet on a 3D printer.<\/p>\n Many customers<\/a>\u00a0have found that NinjaFlex can be difficult to print due to\u00a0slicer settings<\/a>, and changes to temperature affect printing significantly.\u00a0Other reviews<\/a>\u00a0have reported that finding the right settings is\u00a0an experimental process<\/a>\u00a0that can be frustrating due to the sensitivity of the filament.<\/p>\n NinjaTek\u2019s Armadillo filament<\/span>\u00a0is their rock, literally. This filament is extremely stiff and strong. With a 75D Shore hardness, this filament is on the less flexible but harder side of the spectrum. For reference, 80D is similar to a construction work hard hat. According to NinjaTek, Armadillo is 86 times tougher than ABS and 90% more resistant to abrasion than most nylon filaments.<\/p>\n Temperature-wise, Armadillo is printable with settings in between those of PLA and ABS. Armadillo\u2019s relatively low printing temperature is surprising for a filament of its strength. It\u2019s not necessary to heat the print bed, and the filament\u2019s low printing temperatures make it accessible to printers with a weak hot end.<\/p>\n Armadillo\u2019s strength makes it well suited for printing high-use, high-wear parts. You could use this filament to print\u00a0drone parts<\/a>\u00a0(like landing gears), fasteners for assemblies, and protective covers. You could also use Armadillo to make linear bearings, hinges, or combs.<\/p>\n While Armadillo can be strong, printing doesn\u2019t seem to be its strong suit. Many people have experienced\u00a0stringing\u00a0and issues with details on parts. One review by\u00a0The Drone Files<\/a>\u00a0pointed out how Armadillo is extremely strong, but details don\u2019t come out too well when printed.\u00a0Other reviews<\/a>\u00a0also note how the filament is strong, but it can also be\u00a0dimensionally inaccurate<\/a>.<\/p>\n In\u00a0our review of the filament<\/a>, we experienced some stringing issues as well but found the printing process relatively smooth for a TPU.<\/p>\n Cheetah<\/span>\u00a0was developed to be more user-friendly and\u00a0to be printed at higher speeds, hence its name. You can print Cheetah at 60-80 mm\/s, which is\u00a0faster than you can print most PLA and ABS filaments<\/a>, and significantly higher than TPU printing speeds, which are usually around 30 mm\/s.<\/p>\n With a Shore hardness level of 95A, Cheetah is somewhat flexible but also stiffer in comparison to Ninjaflex. Capable of 580% elongation, this filament can withstand a lot of wear and tear. It\u2019s also 40% more abrasion resistant than ABS and 76% more than PLA. On the ease-of-use front, Cheetah feeds into your extruder with less friction than usual, which helps to prevent nozzle jams as well as\u00a0under-extrusion<\/a>.<\/p>\n NinjaTek Cheetah\u2019s ease of use and semi-flexible properties make it a great filament to print durable parts for fun projects. This could be snap-to-fit parts (like backpack fasteners) or other small, multi-part assemblies. You could also use Cheetah to print strong\u00a0hinges<\/a>\u00a0with only a little \u201cgive\u201d to them, or as suggested by\u00a0Afinia 3D<\/a>,\u00a0RC car tires<\/a>.<\/p>\n Reviews of NinjaTek\u2019s Cheetah filament confirm the filament\u2019s ease of use and overall durability. In\u00a0one review<\/a>, 3D Now found that the filament is easy to print, very user-friendly, and doesn\u2019t jam the nozzle. Other users have expressed their appreciation of the filament, noting that\u00a0it could be used for cell phone cases<\/a>.<\/p>\n NinjaTek\u2019s Eel filament<\/span>\u00a0is another unique NinjaTek filament that\u2019s not only flexible but also\u00a0electrically conductive<\/a>. The filament could come in handy for small electronics projects, such as a sensor or a set of LEDs.<\/p>\n Eel can stretch up to 355% of its initial length before breaking. With a 90A Shore hardness, it\u2019s about as hard as a skateboard wheel. Given its properties, the filament could also be used for anti-static grippers to safely handle electronic equipment.<\/p>\n Though NinjaTek Eel filament is advantageous for electronic projects, users have noted that it\u2019s tricky during printing.\u00a0Some have experienced failed prints<\/a>\u00a0despite adhering to the recommended print settings. Others have stated how the filament wraps around drive gears on the extruder, which is common for flexible filaments. In a\u00a0review by 3DP Iceland<\/a>, there was a lot of stringing during printing.<\/p>\n Many of these issues, however, can be fixed with a little trial and error. Stringing can be reduced with slicer settings, and there are\u00a0plenty of tips<\/a>\u00a0from users about the wrapping issue. Check out our\u00a0troubleshooting guide<\/a>\u00a0for a wide range of fixes for common 3D printing problems.<\/p>\nShore Hardness<\/h3>\n
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NinjaTek\u2019s Assortment<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Printing Tips<\/h3>\n
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NinjaFlex<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Armadillo<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Cheetah<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n
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Eel<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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