3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

BVOH vs TPU 95A

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

BVOH (soluble support) guideTPU 95A guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore BVOH comparisonsMore TPU 95A comparisons
BVOH vs TPU 95A — documented properties and sources
PropertyBVOH (soluble support)SUPPORTTPU 95AFLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$165.72/kg median; $165.72–$165.72/kg across 1 dated product listings$39.99/kg median; $23.00–$106.05/kg across 15 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]Thermoplastic polyurethane, polyester or polyether based, at about 92–95 Shore A[2][3]
Densityg/cm³Not documented1.20–1.25 (ISO 1183); Prusament 1.25, Polymaker 1.20–1.24, Bambu Lab 1.22[2][3][4]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166[1]1 kg spools cluster near 35; the specialist and industrial brands run to 106[5][6][4][7][8][9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake[1]23–106 across brands; IEMAI 3D 23, LANDU 24, Siraya Tech 25, PS Imports 25, PrimaCreator 32, Bambu Lab 35–42, Polymaker 40–50, add:north 72, Recreus 90, 3DXTech 96, NinjaTek Cheetah 106[6][10][5][11][7][8][12][13][14][9]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1]Ubiquitous, every brand and retailer[5][11][6][10][7][8]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools[1]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75 and 1 kg spools[5][11]
Typical applicationsDissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly[1]Gaskets, phone cases, tyres, vibration mounts and protective covers[15]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.06 (Prusament) — the loosest tolerance Prusa publishes, because soft filament deforms in the gauge[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented210–240; Polymaker 210–230, Prusament 230 ± 10, Bambu Lab HF 220–240[2][3][4]
Bed temperature°CNot documented25–65; Prusament 65 ± 10, Bambu Lab 30–35, Polymaker 25–60[3][4][2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[16]Open frame is fine[2]
Part cooling fanNot documentedFan on[2][4]
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedPEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[17][15]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented2.4 at Polymaker's 30–50 mm/s and 2.4 at Prusa's 30 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer; Bambu Lab's high-flow grade lifts the cap to 200 mm/s (16 mm³/s)[2][3][4]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone[2]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedSticks to most surfaces[2]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Not documentedModerate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker specifies 3–6 mm retraction, well above the 1–3 mm used for rigid filaments[2]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[18]Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; the speed ceiling is the main constraint[2][3]
Extruder requirementA second extruder or a tool changer[16]Direct drive strongly preferred. BASF rates its 95A grade as running on both direct-drive and Bowden machines, but every maker caps speed at 15–50 mm/s unless the grade is specifically high-flow[19][2][3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[16]Brass fine indefinitely[20]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[16]Non-abrasive[20]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[18]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle[18]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedHigh — all-metal hotend and strong cooling needed; soft filament buckles in the cold zone if it slows[15]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[17]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %) — the vinyl alcohol backbone is what makes it soluble[18][16]Low (0.1–0.3 %) by Prusa's measurement at 0.04 % in 7 days, but Polymaker measures 0.82 % equilibrium and groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials[3][2][18]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.82 equilibrium (Polymaker); 0.02 after 24 h and 0.04 after 7 days at 22 % RH (Prusa)[2][3]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented70 °C for 8 h (Polymaker); 70 °C for 8 h or an 80–90 °C heatbed for 12 h (Bambu Lab)[2][4]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[18]
Effect of moisture on strengthNot a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[18]Polymaker groups TPU with nylon, PVA and PETG as highly hygroscopic and says these often need to stay in a dryer while printing; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[18]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant at all times[18]Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[18]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPaNot documented41.4 ± 1.3 printed (Prusament, ISO 37); NinjaTek Cheetah 39 ultimate (ASTM D638)[3][21]
Elongation at break%Not documented551 ± 24 printed (Polymaker, ISO 37); the filament itself stretches 7264 % before break (Prusa, ISO 527)[2][3]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented9.5 ± 0.2 (Prusament interlayer adhesion, ISO 527)[3]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedVery ductile — bends far before failing[2][3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documented92 ± 0.4 Shore A and 39 ± 0.7 Shore D (Prusament); 95A (Polymaker, ISO 7619-1); 91 Shore A / 40 Shore D (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 40D, ISO 7619); 95A (NinjaTek Cheetah, ASTM D2240); 94.5 A measured on a printed Bambu Lab 95A part and 96.2 A on a Qidi one (My Tech Fun)[3][2][22][21][23]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — deforms under load at room temperature; a loaded bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days[23]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Not documentedExcellent — living hinges viable[15]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Not documentedRubbery / highly elastic[2][3]
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedAbrasion resistance is a headline property; BASF measures 64 mm³ loss by ISO 4649 on its 92A grade[19]
Thermal Properties
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented144 melting (BASF 95A, ISO 11357-3); Bambu Lab 183, Polymaker's modulus at 100 % elongation 8.9 MPa[19][4]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documentedBounded by a melting point of 144–183 °C; no loaded-bar service figure is published for TPU[19][4]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedFlammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[2]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedGood — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[15]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedGood resistance to oils and common solvents (BASF)[19]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[1]Not documented
Food contactNot documentedNot food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[15]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedNot biodegradable[15]
RecyclabilityNot documentedNot accepted in household plastic collection[15]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[24]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[24]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[24]Open a window / occasional ventilation[24]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedSanding is impractical — the surface tears rather than abrades[15]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[15]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing[15]
Support material pairingThis is the support material[1]Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove; PolyDissolve S1 is rated for TPU[15]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedStringing and elephant-foot are the accuracy limits; retraction has to be long and slow[2]
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.[25][1]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[26]
Softened or crazed byNothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it.[27]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[26]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one.[25]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[26]

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. PolyFlex TPU95 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  3. Prusament TPU 95A Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2025-05 · tds
  4. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — TPU 95A HF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  5. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. LANDU TPU 3D Printer Filament 1.75 mm 95A Black 1 kg — Amazon listing Amazon.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. IEMAI 3D TPU 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Cheetah product page — print guidelines, spool sizes and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. TPU for AMS — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Siraya Tech Flex TPU 95A Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. PrimaCreator EasyPrint FLEX TPU 95A product page PrimaCreator · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. add:north TPU Pro Matte 95A product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  17. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Ultrafuse TPU 95A Technical Data Sheet (Version 2.0) BASF Forward AM · 2022-08 · tds
  20. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  21. NinjaTek technical specs comparison chart (Cheetah, NinjaFlex, Armadillo, Alloy 910, Nylon 645) NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  22. FiberFlex 40D Technical Data Sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  23. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  24. 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
  25. Water soluble (BVOH/PVA) — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  26. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  27. Polyvinyl alcohol — KURARAY POVAL application guide Kuraray · 2026-08 · tds