3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

BVOH vs rPLA

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

BVOH (soluble support) guideRecycled PLA (rPLA) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore BVOH comparisonsMore rPLA comparisons
BVOH vs rPLA — documented properties and sources
PropertyBVOH (soluble support)SUPPORTRecycled PLA (rPLA)PLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings$20.79/kg median; $16.05–$40.64/kg across 8 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 regranulated from post-industrial PLA manufacturing waste; post-consumer feedstock is rare[2][3][4]
Densityg/cm³Not documented1.24 (ISO 1183)[2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1]1 kg spools run 20–22[5][6][7]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1]16–41 across brands; Fiberlogy refill 16, Filamentive 750 g 41[8][9]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1]Available from several mainstream brands[3][4][7]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75, 0.85 and 1 kg spools plus spool-less refills[10][8][3]
Typical applicationsDissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1]General-purpose printing where the feedstock's recycled content matters more than an exact colour match[3][4]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.03 guaranteed by Prusa Research today; the 2021 datasheet specified ±0.05, against ±0.02 for virgin Prusament PLA[3][2][11]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented210 ± 10 (Prusament); 200 ± 15 (Filamentive)[2][4]
Bed temperature°CNot documented40–60 (Prusament); up to 60 (Filamentive)[2][4]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[12]Open frame is fine[2][13]
Part cooling fanNot documented100 %[2]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone — brim not generally needed[2]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedSticks to anything[14]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[15]Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[2][13]
Extruder requirementA second extruder or a tool changer[12]Not documented
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[12]Brass fine indefinitely[13]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[12]Non-abrasive[16][13]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[15]Very low[13]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedModerate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[17]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required[14]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %) — the vinyl alcohol backbone is what makes it soluble[15][12]Moderate — 0.3 % after both 24 h and 7 days at 28 °C / 37 % RH (Prusa Polymers method), against 0.19 % in 7 days for virgin Prusament PLA[2][11]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.3 after 24 h and 7 days at 28 °C / 37 % RH (Prusa Polymers method)[2]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[15]
Effect of moisture on strengthNot a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[15]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[15]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant at all times[15]Sealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[18][14]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPaNot documented49 printed horizontal and 55 printed vertical XZ (ISO 527-1, yield); virgin Prusament PLA gives 51 and 59 by the same method[2][11]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented2100 printed horizontal, 2300 printed vertical XZ (ISO 527-1); virgin Prusament PLA 2300 and 2400[2][11]
Elongation at break%Not documented3.1 at yield printed horizontal (ISO 527-1); virgin Prusament PLA 2.9[2][11]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented82 printed horizontal, 87 printed vertical XZ (ISO 178); virgin Prusament PLA 83 and 99[2][11]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented3100 printed horizontal (ISO 178) — the same as virgin Prusament PLA[2][11]
Other impact dataNot documentedCharpy unnotched 14.0 printed horizontal (ISO 179-1); virgin Prusament PLA 13[2][11]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented21 ± 2 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test); virgin Prusament PLA 17 ± 3 by the same test[2][11]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedBrittle — snaps with little warning[17][16]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documented80 Shore D (Prusa Polymers in-house method); virgin Prusament PLA 81[2][11]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — no recycled-PLA creep data published; virgin PLA sagged from 12 to 18.7–20.3 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[19][20]
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 (R = 0.2)[21][17]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Not documentedRigid[16]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented55 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — the same as virgin Prusament PLA[2][11]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa); virgin Prusament PLA 55[2][11]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented55 (Filamentive states heat resistance up to 55 °C)[4]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented96–99 for plain printed PLA (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[22]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedFlammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[18][23]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[17][24]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[23][17]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[1]Good — insoluble in water[18]
Food contactNot documentedFilamentive certifies its rPLA to EN 71-3 and lists it food safe; printed layer grooves still harbour bacteria[4][17]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedIndustrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[4]
RecyclabilityNot documentedThe feedstock itself; Filamentive uses 50 % post-industrial content and runs a PLA take-back scheme[4][9]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[25]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[25]
Hazardous species emittedNot documentedPrusament rPLA Corn Pigment uses organic waste pigments such as red algae, which give a noticeable scent while printing[3]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[25]None needed in a normal room[25]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[24][17]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedSuperglue for most joints; acetone works on some grades depending on additives and colour[3]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[17]
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.[26][1]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[27]
Softened or crazed byNothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[28]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[27][29]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[26]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[30][29]

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. Prusament PLA Recycled Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2021-12 · tds
  3. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. 3D-Fuel ReFuel Recycled PLA 1kg 3D-Fuel · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Proto-pasta Black Recycled PLA 1kg Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Formfutura ReForm rPLA (White) 1kg Filament2Print · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Fiberlogy rPLA Refill Anthracite 850 g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Filamentive PLA (rPLA) 750 g CREATE Education · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Kimya PLA-R 750 g Crea3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Prusament PLA Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  12. PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  13. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  14. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  17. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  19. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  20. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  21. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  22. Characterization of Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 3D Printing Polymeric Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors Materials 17(18):4668 · 2024-09 · paper
  23. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  24. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  25. 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
  26. Water soluble (BVOH/PVA) — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  27. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  28. Polyvinyl alcohol — KURARAY POVAL application guide Kuraray · 2026-08 · tds
  29. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  30. 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