PTFE Safety Precautions – ALL PTFE & ToughTube

The warnings below only apply to the PTFE if it is in the melt zone (aka the heater block). If it is just being used for it’s tighter tolerances in an all metal hotend setup then you do not need to worry about the PTFE off-gassing as it is not exposed to the nozzle heater.

Information on PTFE

PTFE is a polymer that has a high heat resistance and low friction which makes it a great material for bowden tubing applications. However, when used in the melt zone of your hotend you need to be aware that at temperatures up to 250C are generally considered safe. However, past this, the PTFE can emit what is referred to as off-gassing. This is not typically harmful to humans but small animals, especially birds can have their respiratory systems harmed. We recommend staying under 275C as higher than that has been tested by us but can reduce the life span of the tubing in the melt zone and cause more off-gassing. If you want to regularly print over 275C we recommend going with an all-metal hotend. According to other publications, PTFE will start off-gassing around 300C and higher.

Off Gassing

You can use the Tough Tube and other high temp brands in the melt zone but make sure you take the proper precautions. Many machines on the market come with low quality PTFE already in the melt zone and they will emit gasses as they are heated. There is nothing wrong with using our tubing or others in the melt zone as long as you take the proper precautions to minimize the off-gassing. In addition to that the material you print with may also off-gas as it is printed.

• Run your printer in a well ventilated area
• Keep it away from children and pets
  • Especially birds as their respiratory systems are VERY sensitive to harmful gasses.
• In a classroom environment stick with PLA and stay away from high temp materials (even if you aren’t using PTFE in the melt zone)
• Always run the printer ATTENDED

Tough Tube MSDS Sheet

Unlike other sellers that make high temp tubing, we have had our Tough Tube tested by a lab and made our MSDS sheet publicly available. Click here to download the MSDS sheet for our Tough Tube PTFE tubing.