3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
BVOH vs PSU
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | BVOH (soluble support)SUPPORT | PSUHIGHTEMP |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings | $168.00/kg median; $168.00–$168.00/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] | Polysulfone — the lowest-temperature and cheapest of the sulfone family[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.24 (ISO 1183)[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1] | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 250[3] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1] | 168-250 across formats; 250 g spool $42 (168/kg), 500 g $125 (250/kg) — 3DXTech is the only filament supplier found[3] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1] | Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[3] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1] | 1.75 mm; 250 g and 500 g spools[3] |
| Typical applications | Dissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1] | Transparent high-temperature housings, medical trays and hot-water fittings[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 120–140 (3DXTech)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[4] | Actively heated chamber required[5][6] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[7] | Expert / industrial hardware only[5][6] |
| 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 for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[5] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[4] | Non-abrasive when unfilled[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[7] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 120 °C pre-dry before every print[8] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — the vinyl alcohol backbone is what makes it soluble[7][4] | Not documented |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 0.30 in 24 h on extruded stock (ASTM D570)[9] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[7] | 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[8] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant at all times[7] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 52 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 81 at break on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[2][9] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 2100 (printed XY, ISO 527)[2] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 8 (printed XY, ISO 527) against 50 on extruded stock — nearly three times PPSU's printed 3 %[2][10][9] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 87 (printed XY, ISO 178)[2] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 2050 (printed XY, ISO 178)[2] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Izod notched 69 J/m on extruded PSU stock, converted from 1.3 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[9] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Moderate[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | Rockwell M120 on extruded PSU stock (ASTM D785)[9] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Good. Ensinger lists high creep resistance as a headline property of extruded PSU stock, which is rated to 173 °C heat deflection at 1.8 MPa[9] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Rigid[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 172 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech); 181 on extruded stock, converted from 358 °F at 66 psi[2][9] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 174 on extruded PSU stock, converted from 345 °F at 264 psi (ASTM D648)[9] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 187 (DSC, 3DXTech) and 185 on extruded stock (ASTM D3418), against 230 for PPSU[2][10][9] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | 141 long-term service on extruded PSU stock, converted from 285 °F[9] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | Not documented | 55.8 (extruded PSU stock, ASTM D696; source states 3.1e-5 in/in/°F)[9] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | UL 94 V-0 on extruded PSU stock[9] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[1] | Not documented |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | Surface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — an insulator (IEC 60093)[2] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[11] | 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[11] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[11] | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[11] |
| 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.[12][1] | Chlorinated hydrocarbons — dichloromethane, chloroform — dissolve polysulfone; ketones and esters attack it as well.[13][14] |
| Softened or crazed by | Nothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[15] | Acetone, MEK, ethyl acetate, benzene and toluene craze or stress-crack it; methanol and isopropanol only marginally.[14][13] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[12] | Dichloromethane cement welds PSU and NMP softens residual resin. Both are laboratory reagents.[13] |
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 PSU Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 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 PSU — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
- TECASON S natural (PSU) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- ThermaX PPSU Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 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
- 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