3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
BVOH vs PC-GF
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | BVOH (soluble support)SUPPORT | Glass-fibre PC (PC-GF)PC |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings | $71.27/kg median; $71.27–$71.27/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 reinforced with 30 wt% short glass fibre[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.17 (measured on a 100 % infill printed part, ISO 1183-A)[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1] | 1 kg spools cluster near 71[3] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1] | 71 — BASF Ultrafuse PC GF30 at igo3d is the only priced listing found; Owens Corning sells XSTRAND GF30-PC in 500 g and 1 kg[3][2] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands — neither Polymaker's nor 3DXTech's polycarbonate range contains a glass-fibre grade, but BASF Forward AM and Owens Corning both sell one through European retail[3][2][4][5] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm at +/- 0.05 mm; 500 g and 1 kg net spools[2] |
| Typical applications | Dissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1] | Functional prototyping for mechanical engineering, electronics and automotive[2] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | Not documented | +/- 0.05 (Owens Corning XSTRAND)[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 280-330 (Owens Corning XSTRAND GF30-PC)[2] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 80-110 (Owens Corning XSTRAND GF30-PC)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[6] | Enclosure required (passive) — as for unfilled PC[7][8] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | Perforated plate, DimaFix or Magigoo PC glue (Owens Corning)[2] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[9] | Not documented |
| Extruder requirement | A second extruder or a tool changer[6] | Owens Corning specifies a nozzle above 0.4 mm and hardened steel nozzles and drive wheels[2] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[6] | Hardened steel required — Owens Corning states glass reinforcement shortens brass nozzle and drive-wheel life[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[6] | Highly abrasive — 30 wt% glass fibre[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[9] | High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; PC already absorbs water from the air and Prusa lists glass-filled composites as a higher clogging risk[10][11] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — the vinyl alcohol backbone is what makes it soluble[9][6] | Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Owens Corning measures below 0.1 % at 23 °C and 50 % RH (ISO 62)[2] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | Below 0.1 at 23 °C and 50 % RH, and below 0.1 at saturation (ISO 62)[2] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[9] | No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. Polymaker calls PC highly hygroscopic; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[12][9] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant at all times[9] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 65 at break (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[2] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 5400 (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[2] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 2.5 at break (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[2] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 113 at yield (printed, ISO 178 at 2 mm/min)[2] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 5500 (printed, ISO 178 at 2 mm/min)[2] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Brittle — snaps with little warning; 2.5 % elongation at break[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 a glass-fibre grade[13] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — holds load for years. Room-temperature tensile creep of moulded unfilled PC ran unbroken at 41 MPa until the test was stopped, and 30 wt% glass raises the tensile modulus from about 2.3 to 5.4 GPa[14][2] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Rigid[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 137 (printed, ISO 75 Method A at 1.8 MPa)[2] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 145 (DSC, ISO 11357)[2] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 270 stated as melting point (ISO 11357) — unusual for an amorphous polymer, but this is the published figure[2] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | Not documented | 26.2 in XY and 77.4 in Z (printed, ISO 11359-2) — a threefold anisotropy, and the lowest in-plane expansion of any polycarbonate here[2] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | UL 94 V-0 verified (Owens Corning)[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Good — years with some colour shift. Owens Corning lists UV resistance as a product benefit but publishes no exposure data[2] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[1] | Excellent — essentially unaffected; below 0.1 % water at saturation (ISO 62)[2] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | Electrically insulating (Owens Corning)[2] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[15] | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[15] |
| 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[15] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[15] | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[15][8] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Not documented | Owens Corning warns that the glass reinforcement is abrasive when melted and advises sufficient ventilation and avoiding extrusion fumes[2] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Support material pairing | This is the support material[1] | Not documented |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Not documented | High dimensional stability is the headline benefit; the 26.2 um/m*K in-plane CTE is a third of unfilled PC's[2] |
| 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.[16][1] | Dichloromethane and chloroform dissolve the matrix and leave the fibre; DMF and dioxane do the same (Covestro).[17] |
| Softened or crazed by | Nothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[18] | Methanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[17] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[16] | Dichloromethane cement welds the resin, but the fibre keeps the joint from flowing closed. Controlled carcinogen.[19] |
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
- XSTRAND GF30-PC Data Sheet Owens Corning · 2019-04 · tds
- BASF Ultrafuse PC GF30 Black 2.85 mm 1.000 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- PolyLite PC Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- 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