3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
BVOH vs PPS
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | BVOH (soluble support)SUPPORT | PPSHIGHTEMP |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings | $116.97/kg median; $84.00–$200.00/kg across 3 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] | Polyphenylene sulfide — a semi-crystalline high-temperature polymer[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.28 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech) and 1.33 (ISO 1183, Spectrum PPS AM230)[2][4] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1] | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 84–200; the middle of the market is about 117[5][6][7] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1] | 84-200 across brands and diameters; IEMAI 3D 84 at 1 kg, Spectrum PPS AM230 117 at 750 g, 3DXTech ThermaX PPS 140 at 2.85 mm and 200 at 1.75 mm[5][6][7] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5][6] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 500 g and 750 g spools[5][6] |
| Typical applications | Dissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1] | Chemical-plant and under-bonnet parts needing solvent resistance above 200 °C[3] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 335-345 (3DXTech printed-specimen conditions); 300-330 (Spectrum)[2][4] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 110-130 (3DXTech); 100-120 (Spectrum)[2][4] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[8] | Actively heated chamber required[9][10] |
| Recommended chamber temperature°C | Not documented | 60-80 actively heated (Spectrum PPS AM230)[4] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | Adhesive required — Spectrum specifies Magigoo Pro HT[4] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[11] | Expert / industrial hardware only[9][10] |
| Extruder requirement | A second extruder or a tool changer[8] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[8] | Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[9] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[8] | Non-abrasive when unfilled[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[11] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 110 °C pre-dry before every print[12] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — the vinyl alcohol backbone is what makes it soluble[11][8] | Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Polymaker states minimal water absorption at 0.05 %[3] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 0.01 in 24 h on extruded stock (ASTM D570) — effectively non-absorbing[13] |
| Drying temperature & time | Not documented | At least 3 h at 90 °C in hot dry air if the filament has taken up moisture (Spectrum)[4] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[11] | Little to measure — equilibrium uptake is 0.05 %; 3DXTech still specifies a 110 °C, 4 h pre-dry before printing[3][12] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant at all times[11] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 50 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 65 at break injection-moulded (ISO 527, Spectrum); 94 at yield on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[2][4][13] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 2650 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 3650 injection-moulded (ISO 527, Spectrum); 5769 on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[2][4][13] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech) against 2.0 injection-moulded (Spectrum) and 2.5 on extruded stock — the suppliers disagree by nearly an order of magnitude[2][4][13] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 52 (printed XY, ISO 178, 3DXTech); 141 on extruded stock (ASTM D790)[2][13] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 2540 (printed XY, ISO 178)[2] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 1.3 notched injection-moulded (ISO 179-1eA, Spectrum); unnotched 18[4] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Izod notched 33 J/m on extruded PPS stock, converted from 0.62 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[13] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Moderate[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | Rockwell 105 (and R124) on extruded PPS stock (ASTM D785)[13] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — holds load for years. Ensinger lists high creep resistance as a headline property of extruded PPS stock, and Spectrum states that rigidity, strength and creep resistance are unchanged under continuous load at high temperature[13][4] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Rigid[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 90 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech); 129 injection-moulded (ISO 75, Spectrum); 204 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi)[2][4][13] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 107 injection-moulded (ISO 75 at 1.81 MPa, Spectrum); 104 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[4][13] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 283 melting (ISO 11357, 3DXTech) and 280 on extruded stock; Vicat softening 236 at 50 N injection-moulded (ISO 306, Spectrum)[2][4][13] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | 170 long-term service on extruded PPS stock, converted from 338 °F[13] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | Not documented | 59.4 (extruded PPS stock, 22-60 °C, ASTM D696; source states 3.3e-5 in/in/°F)[13] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | UL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm, rated on the base resin[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Outstanding — PPS resists essentially all solvents below 200 °C[3] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[1] | Excellent — essentially unaffected; extruded stock takes up 0.01 % water in 24 h[13] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[14] | 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[14] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[14] | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[14] |
| 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.[15][1] | None — PPS does not dissolve in any known solvent below 200 °C.[16][17] |
| Softened or crazed by | Nothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[18] | Nothing at 23 °C; Ensinger rates it only conditionally resistant to benzene, dichloromethane, toluene and pyridine.[17] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[15] | None — no solvent welds or smooths PPS.[16] |
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
- ThermaX PPS Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- PPS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Spectrum PPS AM230 Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2022-04 · tds
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Spectrum PPS AM230 Natural, 1.75 mm / 750 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI 3D PPS 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
- Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- THERMAX PPS — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
- TECATRON natural (PPS) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- 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
- PPS (Polyphenylene sulfide) — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Polyvinyl alcohol — KURARAY POVAL application guide Kuraray · 2026-08 · tds