3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
BVOH vs PPSU
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | BVOH (soluble support)SUPPORT | PPSUHIGHTEMP |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings | $337.40/kg median; $223.00–$732.56/kg across 4 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] | Polyphenylsulfone — an amorphous high-temperature sulfone polymer[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.28 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech; ASTM D792, Stratasys PPSF)[2][3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1] | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 223–733; the middle of the market is about 425[4][5][6][7] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1] | 223-733 across brands; IEMAI 3D 223 at 1 kg, 3DXTech ThermaX PPSU 250 at 500 g, 3D4Makers 425 at 750 g, Kimya PPSU-S 733 at 500 g[4][5][6][7] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[4][5][6] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 200 g to 750 g spools[4][5][6] |
| Typical applications | Dissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1] | Steam-sterilisable medical and dental tooling, and aircraft interior parts[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 130–150 (3DXTech)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[8] | Actively heated chamber required[9][10] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Not documented | Severe — heated chamber needed[9] |
| 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 120 °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] | Not documented |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 0.37 in 24 h and 1.1 at saturation on extruded stock (ASTM D570)[13] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[11] | 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[12] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant at all times[11] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 55 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech) and 55 (printed on side long edge, ASTM D638, Stratasys PPSF); 79 at yield on extruded stock[2][3][13] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 2100 (printed, ASTM D638, Stratasys PPSF) and 2310 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 2344 on extruded stock[2][3][13] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 3 (printed, ISO 527 and ASTM D638) against 60 on extruded stock — printing costs PPSU almost all of its ductility[2][3][13] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 110 (printed, ISO 178 and ASTM D790, 3DXTech and Stratasys PPSF agree); 91 on extruded stock[2][3][13] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 2200 (printed, ASTM D790, Stratasys PPSF) and 2215 (printed XY, ISO 178, 3DXTech)[2][3] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Izod notched 58.7 J/m and unnotched 165.5 J/m (printed, ASTM D256 Method A, Stratasys PPSF); 160 J/m notched on extruded stock[3][13] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Brittle — snaps with little warning[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | Rockwell M86 on printed PPSF (ASTM D785, Stratasys); M96 on extruded PPSU stock (and an unlabelled 123)[3][13] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Good. Printed PPSF holds 189 °C heat deflection at 1.8 MPa (ASTM D648) and extruded stock is rated 149 °C long-term service, but Ensinger does not claim the creep resistance it claims for PSU and PPS[3][13] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Rigid[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 190 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech)[2] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 189 (printed, ASTM D648 at 264 psi, Stratasys PPSF); 207 on extruded stock, converted from 405 °F[3][13] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 230 (DSC) — the highest glass transition in the dataset[2] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | 149 long-term service on extruded PPSU stock, converted from 300 °F[13] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | Not documented | 55.0 (printed PPSF, ASTM D696; source states 5.5e-5 mm/mm/°C) and 55.8 on extruded stock (ASTM D696, from 3.1e-5 in/in/°F)[3][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 | Withstands repeated steam autoclaving, the usual reason to choose PPSU over PSU; Stratasys also lists PPSF as passing 24 h stress-crack exposure to antifreeze, petrol, motor oil, power-steering, transmission and washer fluid at 23 °C and 100 °C[2][3] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[1] | Not documented |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | Volume resistivity 5e13 to 1.5e14 ohm-cm and dielectric strength 80-290 V/mil on printed PPSF (ASTM D257, D149)[3] |
| 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] | Dichloromethane dissolves it at 23 °C at every stress level; acetone solvates and softens unstressed PPSU (Solvay ESCR).[16] |
| Softened or crazed by | Nothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[17] | MEK ruptures stressed parts and toluene crazes them above 13.8 MPa; glass-filled grades survive where unfilled craze.[16] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[15] | Dichloromethane cements PPSU and NMP softens residual resin; both are laboratory reagents, not workshop stock.[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 PPSU Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- PPSF (polyphenylsulfone) — FDM Data Sheet Stratasys · 2018-06 · tds
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Kimya PPSU-S Natural 1.75 mm 500 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3D4Makers product catalogue 3D4Makers · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI 3D PPSU 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 PPSU — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
- TECASON P black (PPSU) — 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
- Radel PPSU, Veradel PESU, Acudel modified PPSU Design Guide — environmental stress cracking tables Solvay Specialty Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
- Polyvinyl alcohol — KURARAY POVAL application guide Kuraray · 2026-08 · tds