3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

BVOH vs PEKK

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

BVOH (soluble support) guidePEKK guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore BVOH comparisonsMore PEKK comparisons
BVOH vs PEKK — documented properties and sources
PropertyBVOH (soluble support)SUPPORTPEKKHIGHTEMP
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings$525.00/kg median; $332.50–$771.12/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]Polyether ketone ketone, amorphous grade — a polyaryletherketone that stays amorphous, so it does not need PEEK's crystallisation control. Stratasys sells it as Antero 800NA and Antero 840CN03; category numbers below are unfilled unless a carbon grade is named[2][3]
Densityg/cm³Not documented1.28 unfilled (ASTM D792, Antero 800NA; 1.31 annealed) and 1.33 for CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 (ISO 1183)[3][2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 550[4][5][6]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1]333-771 across grades and formats; 3DXTech CarbonX PEKK-A+CF15 333 at 2 kg, 3D4Makers unfilled PEKK-A 485 at 2 kg, IEMAI 3D 500 at 1 kg, Kimya PEKK Carbon 771 at 500 g[4][5][6][7][8]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[4][5][6]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 200 g to 2 kg spools, plus Stratasys canisters[4][5][3]
Typical applicationsDissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1]Aerospace interior and structural parts; 3DXTech labels its carbon-filled PEKK-A grade AERO and Stratasys certifies Antero 800NA for outgassing and FST[2][3]
Printing Parameters
Bed temperature°CNot documented140 (3DXTech CarbonX PEKK-A CF15)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[9]Actively heated chamber required[10][11]
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]Hardened steel required — the category spans unfilled PEKK, where brass is acceptable, and the carbon-filled aerospace grades that make up most of the market[2][3]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[9]Highly abrasive — most PEKK filament sold is carbon-filled; unfilled Antero 800NA and ThermaX PEKK-A are non-abrasive[2][3]
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 documented86.7-90.0 at yield and 73.0 at break (printed XZ, ASTM D638, Antero 800NA on the F900 and Fortus 450mc); 88.8 at break annealed; 126 at break for CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 (printed XY, ISO 527)[3][2]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented2640-3870 (printed XZ, ASTM D638, Antero 800NA; upper figure annealed); 9125 for CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 (printed XY, ISO 527)[3][2]
Elongation at break%Not documented6.1 at break (printed XZ, ASTM D638, Antero 800NA); 2.3 in ZX; 3.15 for CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 (ISO 527)[3][2]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented136 at 5 % strain (printed XZ, ASTM D790, Antero 800NA); 178 for CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3][2]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented3200 (printed XZ, ASTM D790, Antero 800NA); 8817 for CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3][2]
Other impact dataNot documentedIzod notched 41.1 J/m XZ and 33.3 J/m ZX; unnotched 1730 J/m XZ against 203 J/m ZX (printed, ASTM D256/D4812, Antero 800NA)[3]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented50.1-59.4 at yield (printed ZX, ASTM D638, Antero 800NA); 56.0 for the ESD grade Antero 840CN03[3][14]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedModerate unfilled — 6.1 % elongation at break in plane; brittle in the carbon-filled grades at 3.15 %[3][2]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedExcellent — holds load for years. Antero 800NA still holds 82 % of its room-temperature ZX tensile strength at 104 °C and 63 % at 132 °C (printed, ASTM D638)[3]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Not documentedRigid[2]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented56-82 (Antero 800NA and 840CN03 printed on the F900 and Fortus 450mc, ZX against XZ tensile yield and break, ASTM D638)[3][14]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented158 (printed XY and ZX, ASTM D648 Method B at 66 psi, Antero 800NA); 285 for CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa)[3][2]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented156-157 (printed, ASTM D648 Method B at 264 psi, Antero 800NA); moulded 147[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented156 (ASTM D7426, Antero 800NA); 165 for CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 (DSC)[3][2]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented300 melt point (ASTM D7426 peak heat, Antero 800NA); 305 for CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 (DSC)[3][2]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented36.1 in XY and 50.2 in ZX (printed, 40-140 °C, ASTM E831, Antero 800NA); 47.4 and 51.2 for the ESD grade Antero 840CN03[3][14]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedGood — years with some colour shift. 1000 h of QUV cycling to ASTM G154 left Antero 800NA's yield strength unchanged at 57 MPa and raised stress at break 3.6 %[3]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[1]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesNot documentedUnfilled PEKK is an insulator at above 1.4e14 ohm-cm (ASTM D257); CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 sits above 10^7 ohm/sq, and the Antero 840CN03 ESD grade is specified at 10^4-10^9 ohm-cm[3][2][14]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low 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 requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[15]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[15]
Dust & fibre handling hazardNot documentedCarbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[2]
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.[16][1]Concentrated sulphuric acid, as for PEEK; no common organic solvent touches a polyaryletherketone.[17][18]
Softened or crazed byNothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[19]Concentrated sulphuric acid and liquid Freon are the entries Ensinger marks not resistant; acetone, MEK and toluene do nothing.[17]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[16]None — no solvent softens a polyaryletherketone.[17]

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. CarbonX Carbon Fiber PEKK-A CF15 Technical Data Sheet v1 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  3. Antero 800NA — FDM Material Data Sheet (PEKK-based) Stratasys · 2025-08 · tds
  4. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. 3D4Makers product catalogue 3D4Makers · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Kimya PEKK-A Natural 1.75 mm 500 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Kimya PEKK Carbon Grey 1.75 mm 500 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. IEMAI 3D PEKK 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 PEKK-A — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Antero 840CN03 — FDM Material Data Sheet (PEKK, ESD) Stratasys · 2024-08 · tds
  15. 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
  16. Water soluble (BVOH/PVA) — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  18. The Effects of Sulfonated Poly(ether ether ketone) Ion Exchange Preparation Conditions on Membrane Properties Yee, Zhang & Ladewig, Membranes 3(3) 182–195 · 2013-07 · paper
  19. Polyvinyl alcohol — KURARAY POVAL application guide Kuraray · 2026-08 · tds