3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

BVOH vs PLA-GF

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

BVOH (soluble support) guideGlass-fibre PLA (PLA-GF) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore BVOH comparisonsMore PLA-GF comparisons
BVOH vs PLA-GF — documented properties and sources
PropertyBVOH (soluble support)SUPPORTGlass-fibre PLA (PLA-GF)PLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings$44.99/kg median; $29.99–$59.99/kg across 2 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]PLA filled with chopped glass fibre — 12 wt% (Polymaker HT-PLA-GF), 15–20 wt% (eSUN PLA-GF). Bambu Lab PLA Galaxy uses glass microspheres, not fibre, and is not equivalent[2][3][4]
Densityg/cm³Not documented1.31 (eSUN) to 1.337 (Polymaker), ISO 1183 / GB/T 1033[2][3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1]1 kg spools cluster near 30[5][6]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1]30–60 across brands; Polymaker 30, Proto-pasta 60[5][6]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5][6][3]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1]1.75 mm; 0.5 and 1 kg spools[6][7]
Typical applicationsDissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1]Stiff brackets and fixtures; the Polymaker grade is aimed at parts annealed for heat resistance[2]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented210–230 (Polymaker HT-PLA-GF)[2]
Bed temperature°CNot documented25–60 (Polymaker HT-PLA-GF)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[8]Open frame is fine[2]
Part cooling fanNot documentedFan on — eSUN specifies 100 %[3]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented28 at Polymaker's stated 350 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer; eSUN prints its specimens at 60 mm/s[2][3][9]
Shrinkage%Not documented0.05 in X-Y and Z, 0.10 diagonal (Polymaker HT-PLA-GF)[2]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[10]Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; hardened nozzle mandatory[2]
Extruder requirementA second extruder or a tool changer[8]Not documented
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[8]Hardened steel required[2]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[8]Highly abrasive — standard GF composite[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[10]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa lists higher risk of nozzle clogging for glass-filled composites[11]
Hotend requirementNot documentedHardened steel or ruby nozzle; Polymaker's own slicer preset sets a minimum nozzle hardness of 40 HRC[2]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %) — the vinyl alcohol backbone is what makes it soluble[10][8]Moderate — the PLA matrix takes up 0.40–0.51 % saturated; no glass-filled grade publishes its own figure[12][13]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented60 °C for 6 h (Polymaker HT-PLA-GF)[2]
Effect of moisture on strengthNot a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[10]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for this grade; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[10]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant at all times[10]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPaNot documented50.1 as printed and 50.2 annealed, printed XY, ISO 527 (Polymaker); eSUN quotes 59.3 by GB/T 1040[2][3]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented3794 as printed, 4207 annealed, printed XY, ISO 527 (Polymaker)[2]
Elongation at break%Not documented2.77 as printed, 2.3 annealed, printed XY, ISO 527 (Polymaker); eSUN quotes 7.99[2][3]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented86.4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Polymaker)[2]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented3685 printed XY, ISO 178 (Polymaker); eSUN quotes 4415 flexural modulus by GB/T 9341[2][3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented5.31 ± 0.46 as printed and 4.92 ± 0.50 annealed (printed XY, ISO 179, notched); Z 4.28 ± 0.18[2]
Other impact dataNot documentedIzod 10.16 kJ/m² (eSUN, GB/T 1843)[3]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented23.7 as printed, 22.5 annealed, printed Z, ISO 527 (Polymaker)[2]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedVery brittle — elongation at break 2.77 % in XY and 0.85 % in Z[2]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — no GF-grade creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[14][15][16]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Not documentedPoor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength and elongation at break falls to 2.77 % in XY and 0.85 % in Z[17][2]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Not documentedRigid[2]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented47 as printed (23.7 Z against 50.1 XY), printed[2]
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedeSUN describes high wear resistance and positions the grade for wear parts[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented75.5 as printed, 114.7 after annealing (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — the point of the material[2]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented59.7 as printed, 84 after annealing (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[2]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented59.8 (DSC)[2]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented174.9 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 148.9 as printed, 148.3 annealed[2]
Annealing responseNot documentedAnnealing lifts HDT at 0.45 MPa from 75.5 to 114.7 °C and modulus from 3794 to 4207 MPa[2]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[18]
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[19]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[19]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[19]None needed in a normal room[19]
Dust & fibre handling hazardNot documentedGlass fibre is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[20]
Post-Processing
Support material pairingThis is the support material[1]Not documented
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedNear-zero shrinkage — 0.05 % in X-Y and Z (Polymaker)[2]
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.[21][1]Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[22]
Softened or crazed byNothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[23]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[22][24]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[21]Chloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[25][24]

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. Polymaker HT-PLA-GF Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2026-08 · tds
  3. eSUN ePLA-GF Technical Data Sheet V1.0 (Nov 2023) eSUN (copy hosted on 3d.nice-cdn.com) · 2023-11 · tds
  4. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PLA Galaxy Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  5. Polymaker HT-PLA-GF — product page Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  9. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  10. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  11. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  13. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  14. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  15. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  16. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  17. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  18. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  19. 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
  20. StoneFil safety data sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · msds
  21. Water soluble (BVOH/PVA) — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  22. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  23. Polyvinyl alcohol — KURARAY POVAL application guide Kuraray · 2026-08 · tds
  24. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  25. Effect of vapour smoothing in trichloromethane on 3D printed PLA — surface, mechanical and chemical structure Pitale, Keche & Chopra, Engineering Research Express 6(4) 045579 · 2024-12 · paper