<p>The behaviour of "frozen filament" will entirely depend from the specific formulation of it.</p>

<p>The term "flexible filament" encompasses a variety of different polymers as for example: thermoplastic elastomers like TPE and TPU (e.g.: ninjaflex), copolymers (e.g.: bendlay), copolyesters (e.g.: Ngen Flex), polycaprolactones (e.g.: PCL), etc...</p>

<p>Even in those broad classes of chemicals, the amount, type and quality of additives will affect the physical properties of the filament a lot.  In fact rigid.ink even produces a <a href="https://rigid.ink/products/flexible-pla-1-75-mm-0-03-mm-tolerance-filament" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>flexible PLA</em></a> that proves the point of additives radically affecting the properties of the main material.</p>

<p>In general, all materials lose elasticity at lower temperatures (a Space Shuttle came down because <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster#Richard_Feynman" rel="nofollow noreferrer">engineers failed to account for this</a>).  Polymers that do not contain water are unlikely to crystallise though, so I would expect it to become stiffer but not to fail catastrophically at 0°C.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-02T16:04:26.230Z
Well, no: the engineers were quite aware of this;  upper-level managers used their bullying power to force "agreement" on launch safety.
Carl Witthoft
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-02T22:23:13.837Z
You are correct engineers thought the entire Shuttle programme was unsafe and that they had doubts about that specific mission on top of that.  Yet it was them who designed the an assembly and gaskets that did not meet the project requirements in the first place (which is what I was referring to).  Anyway: you are taking the reference way too seriously.  Mine was just a way to highlight how the concerns of the OP are important, as a seemingly small detail like "loss of elasticity" can bring about the catastrophic failure of an entire project. :)
mac
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-02T03:08:14.157Z
2018-01-02T03:08:14.157Z
mac
<p>I was thinking about what would happen when flexible filament is frozen. Would it become brittle or still be rather tough*. A situation I think of would be a ice tray in the freezer. It is nice to have some flex to get the ice out, but PLA and other filaments wouldn't work, but will flexible filament work?</p>

<p>*when I say 'tough' I mean having similar properties when unfrozen.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-16T01:01:52.180Z
@CarlWitthoft - When dealing with substances that enter in contact with the human body "safe" and "harmful" are not mutually exclusive.  "Safe" means that the substance in question has been thoroughly tested and deemed safe, and that new samples of it are produced under strictly controlled conditions.  "Harmful" means that the substance is known to have adverse effects.  In-between lie most of the substances known to human kind, that nobody took the time to test.  Since the Precautionary Principle is a thing, these are classified automatically as "unsafe" (which is not the same than "harmful")
mac
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-16T01:04:08.500Z
@Ljk2000 - Have you found the answer to your question?
mac
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-02T10:06:59.193Z
Just wanted to mention that most filamants are not safe for use as an ice tray (non-toxic is not the same as safe for food contact, especially for long contact with liquids and not in room temperture)
Nir
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-02T11:55:42.373Z
@Nir Don't worry, I am aware of that. Just needed a example :)
Ljk2000
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-02T16:06:24.413Z
@Nir  "citation needed" as to the non-safety of PLA or other common filaments.  Not being rated as useable by commercial food manufacturers is not the same as actually being unhealthy.
Carl Witthoft
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-02T16:18:40.277Z
@CarlWitthoft using non-food-grade material is unsafe, your roll of PLA can be contaminated with unhealthy materials or it may not be, it may contain unhealthy pigments and additive or it may not - you have no way of knowing (unless you buy food-grade filament, obviously) - so it is unsafe
Nir
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-02T18:50:23.320Z
@Nir unless you've been printing under a fume hood, you have inhaled a ton of filament already.
Carl Witthoft
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-03T07:11:58.643Z
@CarlWitthoft by that logic smoking is also safe - look, you can argue all you want, by definition anything except natural color has add coloring, colors, except for those that are especially made to be non-toxic are often really nasty, if the manufacturer didn't specify they use only non toxic colors you can assume it is toxic - and even natural color is made in a facility with nasty chemicals in it, unless care is taken to avoid contamination is not safe
Nir
<filament>
Flexible filament frozen
Ljk2000
# Flexible filament frozen

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-01-01)

I was thinking about what would happen when flexible filament is frozen. Would it become brittle or still be rather tough\*. A situation I think of would be a ice tray in the freezer. It is nice to have some flex to get the ice out, but PLA and other filaments wouldn't work, but will flexible filament work?

\*when I say 'tough' I mean having similar properties when unfrozen.

**Tags:** filament
> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Just wanted to mention that most filamants are not safe for use as an ice tray (non-toxic is not the same as safe for food contact, especially for long contact with liquids and not in room temperture)  
> **username_0**: @Nir Don't worry, I am aware of that. Just needed a example :)  
> **username_3**: @Nir  "citation needed" as to the non-safety of PLA or other common filaments.  Not being rated as useable by commercial food manufacturers is not the same as actually being unhealthy.  
> **username_2**: @CarlWitthoft using non-food-grade material is unsafe, your roll of PLA can be contaminated with unhealthy materials or it may not be, it may contain unhealthy pigments and additive or it may not - you have no way of knowing (unless you buy food-grade filament, obviously) - so it is unsafe  
> **username_3**: @Nir unless you've been printing under a fume hood, you have inhaled a ton of filament already.  
> **username_2**: @CarlWitthoft by that logic smoking is also safe - look, you can argue all you want, by definition anything except natural color has add coloring, colors, except for those that are especially made to be non-toxic are often really nasty, if the manufacturer didn't specify they use only non toxic colors you can assume it is toxic - and even natural color is made in a facility with nasty chemicals in it, unless care is taken to avoid contamination is not safe  
> **username_1**: @CarlWitthoft - When dealing with substances that enter in contact with the human body "safe" and "harmful" are not mutually exclusive.  "Safe" means that the substance in question has been thoroughly tested and deemed safe, and that new samples of it are produced under strictly controlled conditions.  "Harmful" means that the substance is known to have adverse effects.  In-between lie most of the substances known to human kind, that nobody took the time to test.  Since the Precautionary Principle is a thing, these are classified automatically as "unsafe" (which is not the same than "harmful")  
> **username_1**: @Ljk2000 - Have you found the answer to your question?  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-01-02. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

The behaviour of "frozen filament" will entirely depend from the specific formulation of it.

The term "flexible filament" encompasses a variety of different polymers as for example: thermoplastic elastomers like TPE and TPU (e.g.: ninjaflex), copolymers (e.g.: bendlay), copolyesters (e.g.: Ngen Flex), polycaprolactones (e.g.: PCL), etc...

Even in those broad classes of chemicals, the amount, type and quality of additives will affect the physical properties of the filament a lot. In fact rigid.ink even produces a [*flexible PLA*](https://rigid.ink/products/flexible-pla-1-75-mm-0-03-mm-tolerance-filament) that proves the point of additives radically affecting the properties of the main material.

In general, all materials lose elasticity at lower temperatures (a Space Shuttle came down because [engineers failed to account for this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster#Richard_Feynman)). Polymers that do not contain water are unlikely to crystallise though, so I would expect it to become stiffer but not to fail catastrophically at 0°C.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Well, no: the engineers were quite aware of this;  upper-level managers used their bullying power to force "agreement" on launch safety.  
> **username_1**: You are correct engineers thought the entire Shuttle programme was unsafe and that they had doubts about that specific mission on top of that.  Yet it was them who designed the an assembly and gaskets that did not meet the project requirements in the first place (which is what I was referring to).  Anyway: you are taking the reference way too seriously.  Mine was just a way to highlight how the concerns of the OP are important, as a seemingly small detail like "loss of elasticity" can bring about the catastrophic failure of an entire project. :)  

---

