3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
BVOH vs Breakaway
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | BVOH (soluble support)SUPPORT | Break-away supportSUPPORT |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings | $42.49/kg median; $26.00–$79.98/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] | Break-away support compounds matched to a specific model material — Polymaker sells separate grades for PLA and for PA12[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.22 (PolySupport for PLA) and 1.29 (PolySupport for PA12), ISO 1183[2][3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1] | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 26–80; the middle of the market is about 45[4][5][6] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1] | 26–80 across brands and grades; IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE 26, Polymaker PolySupport for PLA 40 at 750 g, YXPOLYER 45, PolySupport for PA12 80 at 500 g[4][5][6] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1] | Available from several mainstream brands[4][7] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[4] |
| Typical applications | Dissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1] | Support that peels off by hand, avoiding the moisture handling and dissolution time that soluble supports demand[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 220–230 (PolySupport for PLA)[2] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 25–60 (PolySupport for PLA)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[8] | Open frame is fine[2] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 4–12 at Polymaker's 50–150 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[9] | Easy — minor profile tuning[2] |
| Extruder requirement | A second extruder or a tool changer[8] | A second extruder or a tool changer[2] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[8] | Brass fine indefinitely[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[8] | Non-abrasive[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[9] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Polymaker specifies a 55 °C dry for the PLA grade and warns brass nozzle life falls to about 9 h on the PA12 grade[2][3] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — the vinyl alcohol backbone is what makes it soluble[9][8] | Moderate — 0.64 % equilibrium water absorption (PolySupport for PLA)[2] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 0.64 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySupport for PLA)[2] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[9] | Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[9] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant at all times[9] | Not documented |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 43 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, PolySupport for PA12). Polymaker's sheet prints a higher figure at the higher load, which is physically inverted; treat both HDT numbers as approximate[3] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, PolySupport for PA12) — printed above the 0.45 MPa figure on Polymaker's own sheet, which cannot be right; treat both as approximate[3] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | Vicat 171 (PolySupport for PA12, ISO 306)[3] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[1] | Not documented |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | Surface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq (ASTM D257, THERMAX HTS2 and MTS1)[10][11] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[12] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[12] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[12] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[12] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Support material pairing | This is the support material[1] | This is the support material. Polymaker publishes an adhesion matrix per model material, from very good to unusable, because break-away supports only work against the polymer they were matched to[2][3] |
| 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.[13][1] | None — break-away support is removed mechanically; 3DXTech lists no water or solvent route for it.[14] |
| Softened or crazed by | Nothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[15] | Not documented |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[13] | None — there is no solvent to weld or smooth with.[14] |
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
- PolySupport Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- PolySupport for PA12 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- YXPOLYER Breakaway Support Filament 1 kg Black — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE breakaway support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 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
- THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polyvinyl alcohol — KURARAY POVAL application guide Kuraray · 2026-08 · tds