3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

BVOH vs PC-ABS

Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.

BVOH (soluble support) guidePC/ABS blend guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore BVOH comparisonsMore PC-ABS comparisons
BVOH vs PC-ABS — documented properties and sources
PropertyBVOH (soluble support)SUPPORTPC/ABS blendPC
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings$45.99/kg median; $34.99–$84.00/kg across 5 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryButenediol vinyl alcohol copolymer — a vinyl alcohol copolymer that dissolves faster and in cooler water than straight PVA[1]Polycarbonate/ABS alloy — PC stiffness and heat resistance with ABS processability[2][3]
Densityg/cm³Not documented1.10 (Polymaker) and 1.24 (3DXTech FR grade), ISO 1183; Stratasys specific gravity 1.10 (ASTM D792)[2][3][4]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1]1 kg spools cluster near 50[5][6]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1]35–84 across brands; Reli3D 35, SUNLU 46, Polymaker 50, 3DXMAX 84[5][6][7][8]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1]Available from several mainstream brands[5][6]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 1 kg spools[5][6]
Typical applicationsDissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1]Automotive interior and electronics housings that need PC heat resistance without PC's warping[2]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented250–270 (Polymaker)[2]
Bed temperature°CNot documented90–105 (Polymaker)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[9]Enclosure required (passive) — Polymaker specifies a 90–100 °C chamber[2]
Recommended chamber temperature°CNot documented90–100 (Polymaker)[2]
Part cooling fanNot documentedOff (Polymaker)[2]
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedPEI with a glue stick or a commercial adhesive[10]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented20 at Polymaker's 250 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2][11]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedHigh — enclosure needed for reliable large parts[2][12]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedNeeds a specific surface plus adhesive[10][13]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Not documentedModerate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker flags stringing as a common PC problem[13]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[14]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[2][12]
Extruder requirementA second extruder or a tool changer[9]Not documented
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[9]Brass fine indefinitely[12]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[9]Non-abrasive[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[14]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a 120 °C pre-dry of 4 h or more[15]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedSlightly sensitive[10]
Hotend requirementNot documentedAll-metal hot end required (Simplify3D)[10]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %) — the vinyl alcohol backbone is what makes it soluble[14][9]Low (0.1–0.3 %) — the PC matrix takes up 0.15–0.25 % and 3DXTech specifies a 120 °C, 4 h or more pre-dry[16][17][15]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented75 °C for 6 h (Polymaker)[2]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[14]
Effect of moisture on strengthNot a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[14]No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. Polymaker calls PC highly hygroscopic and requires a 70–80 °C dry for 6–8 h; run wet, the loss shows as surface defects and poor layer adhesion[13][14]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant at all times[14]Airtight containers with desiccant to prevent reabsorption[13]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPaNot documented39.9 ± 1.0 printed XY, ISO 527 (Polymaker); 3DXTech quotes 60 at break for its FR PC/ABS[2][3]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented1835 ± 65 printed XY, ISO 527 (Polymaker); 3DXTech quotes 2250[2][3]
Elongation at break%Not documented4.2 ± 0.3 printed XY, ISO 527 (Polymaker); 3DXTech quotes 10 at break[2][3]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented66.3 ± 0.9 printed XY, ISO 178 (Polymaker); 3DXTech quotes 85[2][3]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented2081 ± 106 printed XY, ISO 178 (Polymaker); 3DXTech quotes 2300[2][3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented25.8 ± 1.3 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Polymaker) — above both unfilled PC and ABS[2]
Other impact dataNot documentedNotched Charpy still 13 ± 2 kJ/m² at −30 °C printed XY (Polymaker, ISO 179-1/1eA), against 1.5 in Z. Stratasys prints Izod notched at 241 J/m XZ against 34.0 J/m ZX, and unnotched 655 against 101 J/m (ASTM D256, F900 T16).[2][4]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented25.9-30.2 at break printed ZX (Stratasys, ASTM D638 on the F900 and Fortus 450mc); 22.9 +/- 1.2 printed Z, ISO 527 (Polymaker)[2][4]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedTough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[2]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedRockwell 70 (118) — the source does not name the scales and Shore D 79 on extruded unfilled PC stock (ASTM D785, D2240); no figure is published for a PC/ABS filament[18]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedGood. Room-temperature tensile creep of moulded PC/ABS was still running unbroken at 30 MPa when the experiment was stopped for time; specimens failed within the test window at 39-47 MPa (ASTM D638)[19]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Not documentedRigid[2]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented75-86 (Stratasys ZX against XZ tensile at break, ASTM D638) against 57 (Polymaker, printed Z against XY tensile)[2][4]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented112 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, Polymaker); Stratasys prints 117.9 in XY and 126.1 in XZ (ASTM D648 Method B at 66 psi), against 125.0 moulded[2][4]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented106 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa, Polymaker); Stratasys prints 107.5 in XY and 112.0 in XZ (ASTM D648 Method B at 264 psi), against 102.9 moulded[2][4]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented109 (Polymaker) and 137 (3DXTech FR grade), DSC; Stratasys measures 105.3 (ASTM D7426 inflection point)[2][3][4]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documentedAmorphous — no melting point; Vicat 135 (Polymaker, ISO 306)[2]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented113 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament PC Blend[17]
Annealing responseNot documented90 °C for 2 h (Polymaker)[2]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented59.9 over -50 to 35 °C and 73.0 over -50 to 95 °C (printed XY, ASTM E831)[4]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[13]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedWithstands oils, solvents and fuels; Polymaker rates it good against weak acids[13]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[1]Not documented
Food contactNot documentedBisphenol-A polycarbonate is not offered as food-contact filament[13]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedNot biodegradable[13]
RecyclabilityNot documentedMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[13]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[20]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[20]
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/minNot documented≈4 × 10¹⁰ median — the highest ultrafine-particle rate of the nine filaments in the chamber study, above every ABS tested[20]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[20]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[20][12]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedSands and machines well; the toughness means it cuts rather than chips[10]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate; dichloromethane solvent-welds PC but is a laboratory reagent[10]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedAcetone attacks the ABS phase, so surface smoothing is partial rather than full[2]
Support material pairingThis is the support material[1]Prints its own supports; 3DXTech sells a dedicated PC break-away support[10]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inWater: about 1 g of BVOH per 20 g of water, several hours; warmer water is faster but must not be too hot.[21][1]Dichloromethane and chloroform dissolve the PC phase; acetone, MEK and THF dissolve the ABS phase.[22][23]
Softened or crazed byNothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[24]Petrol, esters, ether and 1 % alkali stress-crack the PC phase; aromatics and esters soften the ABS phase.[22][23]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[21]Acetone attacks only the ABS phase, so smoothing is partial; a dichloromethane cement welds the whole section.[2][25]

Material entries describe families or representative grades, not an interchangeable specification for every spool. Test methods, orientations and conditions may differ. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.

Sources for this comparison

  1. Fiberlogy BVOH Natural — product page 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. Polymaker PC-ABS Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  3. Firewire Flame Retardant PC/ABS Technical Data Sheet Rev 3.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  4. PC-ABS — FDM Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2023-08 · tds
  5. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Reli3D PC-ABS Filament, Black, 1000 g spool Reli3D (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. SUNLU PC-ABS 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  10. Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  11. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  12. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. 3DXTech 3DXMAX ABS product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V2.0 — PC Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  17. Prusament PC Blend Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  18. TECANAT natural (PC) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  19. Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
  20. Emissions of Ultrafine Particles and Volatile Organic Compounds from Commercially Available Desktop Three-Dimensional Printers with Multiple Filaments (Azimi et al.) Environmental Science & Technology 50(3) 1260-1268 · 2016-01 · paper
  21. Water soluble (BVOH/PVA) — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  22. Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
  23. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  24. Polyvinyl alcohol — KURARAY POVAL application guide Kuraray · 2026-08 · tds
  25. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds