3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
BVOH vs PEI 1010
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | BVOH (soluble support)SUPPORT | PEI (ULTEM 1010)HIGHTEMP |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings | $281.22/kg median; $195.00–$698.00/kg across 6 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] | Polyetherimide, ULTEM 1010 grade — the higher-temperature, food- and medical-contact PEI[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.27 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech and Prusament); 1.29 specific gravity on moulded plaques (ASTM D792, Stratasys)[2][3][4] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1] | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 195–698; the middle of the market is about 270[5][6][7][8][9] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1] | 195-698 across brands and grades; 3DXTech ThermaX PEI 1010 195 at 2 kg, IEMAI 3D 223 at 1 kg, 3D4Makers 270 at 2 kg, Prusament 292 at 500 g, Kimya 347 at 500 g, 3DXTech ESD-PEI 1010 698 at 500 g[5][6][7][8][9] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5][6][7][8] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 200 g to 2 kg spools, plus Stratasys canisters[5][8][4] |
| Typical applications | Dissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1] | Autoclavable tooling, food-contact fixtures and parts that must hold load near 200 °C[3] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 410 ± 10 (Prusament) — the hottest nozzle in the dataset[3] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 140–160 (Prusament); 130–140 (3DXTech)[3][2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[10] | Actively heated chamber required — Prusa specifies 90 °C[3] |
| Recommended chamber temperature°C | Not documented | 90 (Prusament)[3] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | PA nylon sheet or powder-coated sheet with high-temperature glue (Prusament)[3] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Not documented | Severe — heated chamber needed[3] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[11] | Expert / industrial hardware only[3][12] |
| Extruder requirement | A second extruder or a tool changer[10] | A hot end rated to 420 °C, a heated chamber and a high-temperature bed; Prusa dries the filament at 150 °C for 6–8 h before printing[3] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[10] | Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[3] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[10] | Non-abrasive when unfilled[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[11] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 150 °C pre-dry before every print[13] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — the vinyl alcohol backbone is what makes it soluble[11][10] | Not documented |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 0.4 in 24 h and 0.7 in 7 days at 24 °C and 22 % RH (Prusament)[3] |
| Drying temperature & time | Not documented | 150 °C for 6–8 h (Prusament) — the hottest drying schedule in the dataset[3] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[11] | No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published; 3DXTech mandates a 150 °C, 4 h pre-dry before every print because trapped water flashes to steam at these nozzle temperatures[13] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant at all times[11] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 79-95 printed in plane: Stratasys 79.2 (F900 T14) to 91.6 (F3300 N500) at break in XZ, ASTM D638; Prusament 95 +/- 3.5 at yield printed horizontal, ISO 527-1; 3DXTech quotes 56 (ISO 527)[4][3][2] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 2300-3040 printed in plane: Prusament 2300 +/- 100 horizontal (ISO 527-1), Stratasys 2920-3040 in XZ (ASTM D638); 3DXTech quotes 2500[4][3][2] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 4.0-4.1 at break in XZ (ASTM D638, Stratasys); Prusament gives 6.6 +/- 0.7 at yield printed horizontal (ISO 527-1); 3DXTech quotes 3[4][3][2] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 128 at 5 % strain (F900 T14) and 144 at break (F3300) printed XZ, ASTM D790; Prusament 98 +/- 6.5 horizontal and 138 +/- 5.3 vertical (ISO 178); 3DXTech quotes 110[4][3][2] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 2910-3260 printed XZ (ASTM D790, Stratasys); Prusament 2300 horizontal and 2700 vertical (ISO 178); 3DXTech quotes 2510[4][3][2] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 3.4 ± 0.9 printed horizontal and 3.6 ± 0.4 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament)[3] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Izod notched 26.6-36.3 J/m XZ against 21.7-27.2 J/m ZX; unnotched 260-406 J/m XZ against 68-116 J/m ZX (printed, ASTM D256/D4812, Stratasys). Charpy unnotched 19.7 +/- 4.3 horizontal and 39 +/- 10 vertical (Prusament, ISO 179-1)[4][3] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | Not documented | 28-37 at break (printed ZX, ASTM D638, Stratasys F900 and F3300) against 72 +/- 5 at yield printed vertical (ISO 527-1, Prusament on the Pro HT90 with a 0.6 mm nozzle and 90 °C chamber) — a fourfold spread driven by chamber temperature and bead size[4][3] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Brittle — snaps with little warning; notched Charpy only 3.4 kJ/m²[3] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | Shore D 83.5 (Prusa Polymers method); Rockwell M110 / R126 on extruded PEI stock (ASTM D785)[3][14] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — holds load for years. Printed coupons hold 215 °C heat deflection at 1.8 MPa (ASTM D648) and extruded PEI stock is rated 170 °C long-term service[4][14] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Rigid[3] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | Not documented | 36-40 (Stratasys ZX against XZ tensile at break, ASTM D638) against 76 (Prusament vertical against horizontal tensile yield, ISO 527-1)[4][3] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 207 (Prusament, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa) to 217 (printed XY 216.9 and XZ 217.1, ASTM D648 Method B at 66 psi, Stratasys); 3DXTech quotes 208[3][4][2] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 194 (Prusament, ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa) to 215 (printed XY 215.1 and XZ 214.5, ASTM D648 Method B at 264 psi, Stratasys) — the highest heat deflection in the dataset[3][4] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 209 (moulded plaque, ASTM D7426 inflection point, Stratasys); 217 (DSC, 3DXTech)[4][2] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | 170 long-term service on extruded PEI stock, converted from 338 °F; 200 short term[14] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | Not documented | 36.1 (printed XY, -50 to 60 °C, ASTM E831), falling to 29.8 over 60-205 °C; ZX gives 32.5 over -50 to 110 °C and 16.2 over 110-165 °C[4] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | UL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm, rated on the base resin[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[1] | Not documented |
| 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. None of these polymers was in the chamber study, and all are processed far above the temperatures it covered[15] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[15] | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[15] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Support material pairing | This is the support material[1] | Not documented |
| 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] | Chlorinated hydrocarbons — dichloromethane and chloroform — are solvents for polyetherimide. Laboratory reagents.[17][18] |
| Softened or crazed by | Nothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[19] | Acetone, MEK, benzene, toluene and butyl acetate craze or stress-crack it; alcohols, fuels and dilute acids do not.[18][17] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[16] | Dichloromethane is the only welding route, and it is a controlled carcinogen rather than a workshop material.[17][18] |
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
- ThermaX PEI 1010 Technical Data Sheet v4 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
- ULTEM 1010 Resin — FDM Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2026-06 · tds
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Kimya PEI-1010 Amber Yellow 1.75 mm 500 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa Prusament PEI 1010 Natural (NFC), 1.75 mm / 500 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3D4Makers product catalogue 3D4Makers · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI 3D PEI 1010 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
- THERMAX PEI 1010 — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
- TECAPEI natural (PEI) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- 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
- Radel PPSU, Veradel PESU, Acudel modified PPSU Design Guide — environmental stress cracking tables Solvay Specialty Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
- Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Polyvinyl alcohol — KURARAY POVAL application guide Kuraray · 2026-08 · tds