3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
BVOH vs PC-ESD
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | BVOH (soluble support)SUPPORT | ESD-safe PCPC |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings | $180.00/kg median; $180.00–$180.00/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Butenediol vinyl alcohol copolymer — a vinyl alcohol copolymer that dissolves faster and in cooler water than straight PVA[1] | Polycarbonate compounded with a conductive filler for static-dissipative parts[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.24 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech); Stratasys specific gravity 1.195 (ASTM D792)[2][3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1] | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 180[4] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1] | 180 at 3DXTech's 750 g pricing — the most expensive material in this group[4] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1] | Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[4] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g spools plus Stratasys-compatible cartridges[4] |
| Typical applications | Dissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1] | Electronics fixtures and trays that need PC heat resistance and static dissipation together[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[5] | Enclosure required (passive)[6][7] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | PEI with a glue stick or a commercial adhesive[8] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Not documented | Severe — heated chamber needed[6][7] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[8][9] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker flags stringing as a common PC problem[9] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[10] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[6] |
| Extruder requirement | A second extruder or a tool changer[5] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[5] | Hardened steel required[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[5] | Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[10] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a 120 °C pre-dry[11] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Not documented | Slightly sensitive[8] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | All-metal hot end required (Simplify3D)[8] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — the vinyl alcohol backbone is what makes it soluble[10][5] | Low (0.1–0.3 %) — the PC matrix takes up 0.15–0.25 % and 3DXTech specifies a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry[12][13][11] |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[10] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[10] | 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[9][10] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant at all times[10] | Airtight containers with desiccant to prevent reabsorption[9] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 68 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech) — above the 58 of 3DXTech's unfilled ezPC; Stratasys prints 47.6-49.4 at yield in XZ (ASTM D638)[2][14][3] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 2300 (printed XY, ISO 527); Stratasys prints 1960 in XZ and 1810-1910 in ZX (ASTM D638)[2][3] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 6 at break (printed XY, ISO 527), against 14 for the unfilled grade[2][14] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 95 (printed XY, ISO 178); Stratasys prints 82.6-83.2 at break in XZ against 46.3-49.5 in ZX (ASTM D790)[2][3] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 2310 (printed XY, ISO 178)[2] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | Not documented | 32.5-37.9 at yield printed ZX (Stratasys, ASTM D638 on the Fortus 450mc and F900)[3] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Moderate[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | Rockwell 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 an ESD grade[15] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — holds load for years. Moulded unfilled PC was still running unbroken under 41 MPa tensile creep at room temperature when the test was stopped, and the conductive filler leaves the glass transition unchanged at 142 °C, so the creep mechanism is polycarbonate's[16][3] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Rigid[2] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | Not documented | 68-77 (Stratasys ZX against XZ tensile yield, ASTM D638)[3] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 143-146 printed in XY, XZ and ZX (Stratasys, ASTM D648 Method B at 66 psi); 135 moulded[3] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 140-144 printed in XY, XZ and ZX (Stratasys, ASTM D648 Method B at 264 psi); 124 moulded[3] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 143 (DSC, 3DXTech) and 142 (Stratasys, ASTM D7426)[2][3] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | 113 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament PC Blend[13] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | Not documented | 68.4 on extruded unfilled PC stock (ASTM D696; source states 3.8e-5 in/in/°F); no figure is published for a conductive-filled grade[15] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands oils, solvents and fuels; Polymaker rates it good against weak acids[9] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[1] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Not documented | Bisphenol-A polycarbonate is not offered as food-contact filament[9] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[9] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Mechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[9] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | Surface resistance 10⁷–10⁹ ohm/sq, the static-dissipative band (ASTM D257), against above 10¹³ for unfilled ezPC[2][14] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[17] | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[17] |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | Not documented | ≈4 × 10¹⁰ median — the highest ultrafine-particle rate of the nine filaments in the chamber study, above every ABS tested[17] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[17] | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[17][6] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Not documented | Conductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[2] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Sands and machines well; the toughness means it cuts rather than chips[8] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Cyanoacrylate; dichloromethane solvent-welds PC but is a laboratory reagent[8] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | No practical vapour smoothing[8] |
| Support material pairing | This is the support material[1] | Prints its own supports; 3DXTech sells a dedicated PC break-away support[8] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Water: about 1 g of BVOH per 20 g of water, several hours; warmer water is faster but must not be too hot.[18][1] | Dichloromethane, chloroform, DMF and dioxane dissolve it outright (Covestro, 6 days at 23 °C). Laboratory reagents.[19] |
| Softened or crazed by | Nothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[20] | Methanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[19] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[18] | Dichloromethane cement welds PC — 16.5 MPa lap shear at one week (IPS Weld-On 3). A controlled carcinogen.[21] |
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
- Fiberlogy BVOH Natural — product page 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXSTAT ESD-PC Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- PC-ESD — FDM Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2024-10 · tds
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- PolyLite PC Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- 3DXSTAT ESD-PC — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V2.0 — PC Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Prusament PC Blend Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
- ezPC Polycarbonate Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- TECANAT natural (PC) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
- 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
- Water soluble (BVOH/PVA) — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
- Polyvinyl alcohol — KURARAY POVAL application guide Kuraray · 2026-08 · tds
- Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds