<h2>Fully clear Bowden tubes are not availeable.</h2>
<p>Bowden Tubes are made from PTFE or similar, very low-friction material. PTFE is a milky white in its natural state. You can not make it fully transparent and the Ultimaker Bowden tubes are about as transparent as you can get.</p>
<p>The choice of low-friction material is relevant. As long as you don't use transparent filament in them, one can see the filament through un-colored PTFE well enough to see the position.</p>
<p>Some fully opaque Bowden tubes have an even lower friction than normal PTFE, which can make printing more steady, or allow printing materials that normal PTFE might stick to.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-01-22T18:19:03.893Z
2024-01-22T18:19:03.893Z
Trish
<p>I have two 3D printers which both have filament feeder tubes that run from the extruder to the nozzle, as usual. But both feeder tubes are very opaque and it is very difficult if not impossible to see where a break is when the filament breaks inside the tube. My question is why aren't the feeder tubes made completely clear, so that one can get a good look at a break and its location. This would be helpful when hot swapping a new filament into the tube. And if there is no reason for the tubes to be opaque, could I change out the opaque tubes and replace them with common clear tubes of my own, or are these tubes special in some way?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-01-20T23:13:10.460Z
Welcome. Please reflect your question in the title. I think you mean 'Why are Bowden tubes opaque and not clear?'. Bowden tubes are made of PTFE and have very low friction.
Bob Ortiz
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-01-20T23:52:03.677Z
Ultimaker uses a different material, which is more clear. I've printed many kilometers and never had it broken in the Bowden tube. Maybe your filament is moist (brittle) or bad quality?
0scar
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-01-21T04:46:21.143Z
The problem is not that the Bowden tubes are opaque but that your filament is breaking.
agarza
<extruder>
Extruder feed tube
Eddie
# Extruder feed tube

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-01-20)

I have two 3D printers which both have filament feeder tubes that run from the extruder to the nozzle, as usual. But both feeder tubes are very opaque and it is very difficult if not impossible to see where a break is when the filament breaks inside the tube. My question is why aren't the feeder tubes made completely clear, so that one can get a good look at a break and its location. This would be helpful when hot swapping a new filament into the tube. And if there is no reason for the tubes to be opaque, could I change out the opaque tubes and replace them with common clear tubes of my own, or are these tubes special in some way?

**Tags:** extruder

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Welcome. Please reflect your question in the title. I think you mean 'Why are Bowden tubes opaque and not clear?'. Bowden tubes are made of PTFE and have very low friction.  
> **username_2**: Ultimaker uses a different material, which is more clear. I've printed many kilometers and never had it broken in the Bowden tube. Maybe your filament is moist (brittle) or bad quality?  
> **username_3**: The problem is not that the Bowden tubes are opaque but that your filament is breaking.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2024-01-22. Score: 0

## Fully clear Bowden tubes are not availeable.

Bowden Tubes are made from PTFE or similar, very low-friction material. PTFE is a milky white in its natural state. You can not make it fully transparent and the Ultimaker Bowden tubes are about as transparent as you can get.

The choice of low-friction material is relevant. As long as you don't use transparent filament in them, one can see the filament through un-colored PTFE well enough to see the position.

Some fully opaque Bowden tubes have an even lower friction than normal PTFE, which can make printing more steady, or allow printing materials that normal PTFE might stick to.


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