Collection: FPLA Filament

FPLA (our FlexPLA-505B) is a high-resilience flexible PLA filament. It springs back after it's squashed, bent or hit. Standard PLA is rigid and snaps when you bend it too far. TPU flexes, but it tends to soak up an impact rather than return it. FPLA sits in between: it's rated 95A hardness, the same as our TPU 95A, but it's built to return energy and bounce, not absorb it.

Yes, and we've tested it ourselves. FPLA was developed specifically as an airless basketball filament, and our printed ball bounces just like a real basketball. Depending on the model design, a printed ball can also match the weight of a real one. The balls are durable and last a long time with normal play. The one thing to avoid is extreme compression, like someone sitting on the ball, which can split the lattice.

We tried it. A TPU 95A ball is too soft: it soaks up the impact and doesn't bounce. FPLA has the same 95A hardness rating on paper, but its high resilience gives the energy back, so the ball bounces the way a basketball should. TPU 95A is still the better pick for parts that need to grip or absorb shock, like phone cases and gaskets.

Resilience is how much energy a material gives back after it's compressed. A high-resilience filament like FPLA returns most of that energy, so parts bounce and recover their shape instead of staying squashed. That's what makes it work for airless balls, energy-return lattices, shock absorbers and grips that get squeezed over and over.

For holding shape, yes. FPLA tyres stay round and bounce back from jumps and impacts better than TPU tyres. If maximum grip on a smooth surface matters more to you than rebound, TPU 95A is still the grippier option.

FPLA is 95A hardness with 35 MPa tensile strength (ASTM D412) and a density of 1.17 g/cm³, according to the FlexPLA-505B datasheet. Tensile stress is 2.8 MPa at 100% elongation and 6.2 MPa at 300% elongation, so it stretches to at least four times its original length. The lower density also means you get around 6% more filament length per 1kg spool than standard PLA.

Even though it's PLA-based, print FPLA like a TPU. Start from the Generic TPU profile in Bambu Studio or OrcaSlicer, then set the nozzle to 220 to 240°C, the bed to 40 to 60°C, and the max volumetric speed to 5 to 8 mm³/s. Use 1.5 to 2mm of retraction at 20 to 40mm/s. A standard PLA profile pushes it too fast for a flexible material.

No. It's flexible enough that it doesn't feed reliably through the AMS or AMS Lite, so print it from the external spool holder.

The raw filament has passed US FDA extractives testing, but we don't recommend FPLA prints for regular food contact. FlexPLA-505B passed TÜV Rheinland testing against the US FDA 21 CFR 175.300 limits for chloroform-soluble extractives. It measured 0.18 mg/in² or lower, against a limit of 18 mg/in² for repeated-use items. Keep in mind this is a US FDA standard, not an Australian food-contact certification, and it tested the raw filament, not a printed part. Layer lines in printed parts can also trap bacteria.

Yes on both. It handles more heat than standard PLA, so parts are less likely to soften or warp in warm conditions. You can also anneal FPLA prints to increase their strength. Annealing can cause some shrinkage, so test it on a small part before doing a finished print.