3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

BVOH vs PEI 9085

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

BVOH (soluble support) guidePEI (ULTEM 9085) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore BVOH comparisonsMore PEI 9085 comparisons
BVOH vs PEI 9085 — documented properties and sources
PropertyBVOH (soluble support)SUPPORTPEI (ULTEM 9085)HIGHTEMP
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings$309.80/kg median; $220.00–$392.00/kg across 6 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]Polyetherimide, ULTEM 9085 grade — the flame-retardant PEI used for aircraft interiors[2]
Densityg/cm³Not documented1.34 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech) against 1.27 specific gravity on moulded plaques (ASTM D792, Stratasys) — the two suppliers disagree[2][3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 298[4][5][6][7]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1]220-392 across brands and formats; 3DXTech ThermaX PEI 9085 220 at 2 kg, 3D4Makers 270 at 2 kg, Fiberlogy 298 at 500 g, Kimya 321 at 500 g, IEMAI 3D 385 at 1 kg, 3DXTech CarbonX PEI 9085+CF 392[4][5][6][7][8]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[4][5][6][7]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 250 g to 2 kg spools, plus Stratasys canisters[4][7][3]
Typical applicationsDissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1]Aircraft interior parts and rail rolling stock, where the flame, smoke and toxicity rating is the requirement[2]
Printing Parameters
Bed temperature°CNot documented130–140 (3DXTech)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[9]Actively heated chamber required[10][11]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedSevere — heated chamber needed[10]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[12]Expert / industrial hardware only[10][11]
Extruder requirementA second extruder or a tool changer[9]Not documented
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[9]Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[10]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[9]Non-abrasive when unfilled[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[12]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 120 °C pre-dry before every print[13]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %) — the vinyl alcohol backbone is what makes it soluble[12][9]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthNot a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[12]No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published; 3DXTech mandates a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry before every print because trapped water flashes to steam at these nozzle temperatures[13]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant at all times[12]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPaNot documented63-77 at break (printed XZ, ASTM D638, Stratasys F900/F3300/Fortus 450mc, three tips and two colours); 54 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech)[3][2]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented2040-2540 (printed XZ, ASTM D638, Stratasys); 2050 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech)[3][2]
Elongation at break%Not documented5.4-9.1 at break (printed XZ, ASTM D638, Stratasys); 1.9-4.3 in ZX; 3DXTech quotes 3 (ISO 527)[3][2]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented104-116 at break (printed XZ, ASTM D790 Procedure A, Stratasys); 72-98 in ZX; 3DXTech quotes 90 (ISO 178)[3][2]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented2400-2550 (printed XZ, ASTM D790, Stratasys F900 T16 and T16A) against 2120-2130 in ZX; 3DXTech quotes 2170 (ISO 178)[3][2]
Other impact dataNot documentedIzod notched 88.5-140 J/m XZ against 37-80 J/m ZX; unnotched 647-2260 J/m XZ against 169-633 J/m ZX (printed, ASTM D256/D4812, Stratasys, across three printers and three tips)[3]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented39-63 at break (printed ZX, ASTM D638, Stratasys); the low end is the F900 T16 baseline, the high end the F3300 N500 hot end[3]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedBrittle — snaps with little warning[2]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedRockwell M110 / R126 on extruded PEI stock (ASTM D785)[14]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedExcellent — holds load for years. Printed ZX coupons keep 87 % of room-temperature tensile strength at 104 °C and 70 % at 132 °C (ASTM D638); extruded PEI stock is rated 170 °C long-term service[3][14]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Not documentedRigid[2]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented56-86 (Stratasys ZX against XZ tensile at break, ASTM D638, across F900/F3300/Fortus 450mc and T16/T20/T40A tips); 58 on the F900 T16 baseline[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented158 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech) to 178 (printed XY 178.2 and ZX 178.4, ASTM D648 Method B at 66 psi, Stratasys); moulded 176.9[2][3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented170-173 (printed XY 170.2 and ZX 172.6, ASTM D648 Method B at 264 psi); moulded 172.9[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented177 (moulded plaque, ASTM D7426 inflection point, Stratasys); 186 (DSC, 3DXTech)[3][2][15]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented170 long-term service on extruded PEI stock, converted from 338 °F; 200 short term[14]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented44.9 (printed XY, -50 to 80 °C, ASTM E831), falling to 31.4 over 80-160 °C; ZX gives 44.5 over -50 to 60 °C. Black pigment raises it to 51.9[3]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedUL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm on the base resin. Printed parts are tested to 14 CFR 25.853, BSS 7238 and 7239 and AITM 2.0007B and 3.0005 covering 60 s and 12 s vertical burn, 15 s horizontal burn, smoke density, toxic gas emission and OSU heat release[2][3]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedGood — years with some colour shift. 1000 h of QUV cycling to ASTM G154 left printed ZX coupons at 55.5 MPa yield against 56.0 unexposed, with elongation and modulus unchanged[3]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[1]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[16]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[16]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[16]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[16]
Post-Processing
Support material pairingThis is the support material[1]Not documented
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.[17][1]Chlorinated hydrocarbons — dichloromethane and chloroform — are solvents for polyetherimide. Laboratory reagents.[18][19]
Softened or crazed byNothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[20]Acetone, MEK, benzene, toluene and butyl acetate craze or stress-crack it; alcohols, fuels and dilute acids do not.[19][18]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[17]Dichloromethane is the only welding route, and it is a controlled carcinogen rather than a workshop material.[18][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

  1. Fiberlogy BVOH Natural — product page 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. ThermaX PEI 9085 Technical Data Sheet v4 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  3. ULTEM 9085 Resin — FDM Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2026-04 · tds
  4. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Kimya PEI-9085 Natural 2.85 mm 500 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Fiberlogy PEI 9085 Natural, 1.75 mm / 500 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. 3D4Makers product catalogue 3D4Makers · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. IEMAI 3D PEI 9085 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  10. Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
  11. Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. THERMAX PEI 9085 — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  14. TECAPEI natural (PEI) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  15. ThermaX PEI 1010 Technical Data Sheet v4 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  16. 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
  17. Water soluble (BVOH/PVA) — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Radel PPSU, Veradel PESU, Acudel modified PPSU Design Guide — environmental stress cracking tables Solvay Specialty Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
  19. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  20. Polyvinyl alcohol — KURARAY POVAL application guide Kuraray · 2026-08 · tds