3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
BVOH vs PLA-PHA
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | BVOH (soluble support)SUPPORT | PLA/PHA blendPLA |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings | $76.40/kg median; $76.40–$76.40/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] | PLA blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate, a bacterially fermented bio-polyester[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.2 (ISO 1183)[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1] | Not documented |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1] | Not documented |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2][3] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g and 2200 g spools[2] |
| Typical applications | Dissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1] | General-purpose printing where PLA's brittleness is the limiting factor[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 195–220 (colorFabb)[2] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 50–60 (colorFabb)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[4] | Open frame is fine[2] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | 0–100 %; colorFabb states the blend runs on both heated and unheated beds[2][5] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 3.2–8 at colorFabb's 40–100 mm/s, on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[5][6] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[7] | Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[2] |
| Extruder requirement | A second extruder or a tool changer[4] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[4] | Brass fine indefinitely[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[4] | Non-abrasive[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[7] | Very low — unfilled PLA blend; Prusa lists no drybox and no hardened nozzle for PLA[8] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — the vinyl alcohol backbone is what makes it soluble[7][4] | Moderate — the PLA matrix takes up 0.40–0.51 % saturated; colorFabb publishes no figure for the blend[9][10] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[7] | 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[7] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant at all times[7] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 62–64 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[2] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 2960–3070 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb)[2] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 4 and 11 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[2] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 2500–3300 flexural modulus (ISO 178, colorFabb)[2] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 2.8–3.7 (ISO 179, notched, colorFabb)[2] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — colorFabb positions the blend as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA grades[2] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Poor — no PLA/PHA creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[11][12][13] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Below average — no S-N curve for the blend; colorFabb positions it as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA, which ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[14][2] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Rigid[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | Above 155 melting (ISO 3146-C)[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Degrades within weeks outdoors[15] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[1] | Not documented |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | colorFabb states the PHA component is 100 % biodegradable[2] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[16] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[16] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[16] | None needed in a normal room[16] |
| 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.[17][1] | Chloroform dissolves the PLA phase (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C); THF and DMF need 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[18] |
| Softened or crazed by | Nothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[19] | Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[18][20] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[17] | Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[21][20] |
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
- PLA/PHA technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
- woodFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
- PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- glowFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
- PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
- Polyvinyl alcohol — KURARAY POVAL application guide Kuraray · 2026-08 · tds
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- 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