3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PA aramid vs PVA
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Aramid-fibre nylonPA | PVA (soluble support)SUPPORT |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | Not documented | $65.98/kg median; $42.00–$96.00/kg across 5 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Aramid-fibre reinforced polyamide[1] | Polyvinyl alcohol — a water-soluble support polymer[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 0.6–0.9 (3DXTech AquaTek, ISO 1183) and 1.13 (Polymaker PolyDissolve S1)[2][3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Not documented | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 42–96; the middle of the market is about 66[4][5][6][7] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | Not documented | 42–96 across brands; IEMAI 3D E-WATER 42, YXPOLYER 55, Reli3D 66 at 500 g, Polymaker PolyDissolve S1 67 at 750 g, 3DXTech AquaTek 96 at 750 g in 1.75 mm[4][5][6][8][7] |
| Market availability1–5 | Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide — no aramid-filled nylon filament was found in any catalogue searched; the aramid filaments that do exist in the retail market use an ASA matrix[5][4] | Stocked by most mainstream brands[4][5][6][8][7] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | Not documented | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[4][5] |
| Typical applications | Not documented | Dissolvable support for PLA, TPU, PVB and PETG — Polymaker names those four for PolyDissolve S1[3] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 215–225 (Polymaker PolyDissolve S1)[3] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 25–60 (Polymaker PolyDissolve S1)[3] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive) — as for every nylon[1] | Open frame is fine[3] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | Part cooling fan required (Simplify3D)[9] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | PEI sheet or painter's tape[9] |
| 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[3] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Sticks to most surfaces[9] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — retraction tuning needed[9] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; PVA is unusable once it has taken up moisture[10][3] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | A second extruder or a tool changer; PVA is a support material, not a model material[3] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Hardened steel required — no aramid-filled nylon datasheet was obtainable; Polymaker measures about 9 h of brass nozzle life on its fibre-filled nylons[11] | Brass fine indefinitely[3] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Highly abrasive — fibre-reinforced nylon composite[11] | Non-abrasive[3] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; nylon already needs a drybox and Prusa names kevlar among the fibres that raise nozzle-clogging risk[12] | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup; wet PVA foams and carbonises in the nozzle[10] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Not documented | High — all-metal hotend and strong cooling needed; Simplify3D warns PVA clogs if the nozzle is left hot while not extruding[9] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | No special hot-end required, but the nozzle must not be parked hot[9] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — the polyamide matrix governs uptake[10] | Very high (>2 %) — Polymaker measures 10.21 % equilibrium water absorption, by far the highest in the dataset[3] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 10.21 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolyDissolve S1)[3] |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface; with PVA this progresses to clogging[10] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker's printed dry-versus-wet blocks for its CoPA nylon show what conditioning does to the family: tensile 78.0 → 34.3 MPa and modulus 2703 → 724 MPa, with notched Charpy rising 6.9 → 27.7 kJ/m². Fibre reinforcement reduces but does not remove the effect[13][14] | Polymaker groups PVA with nylon as the most moisture-prone class and says it often has to stay in a dryer while printing; there is no published dry-versus-conditioned strength comparison because PVA is not a structural material[10] |
| Storage requirement | Not documented | Sealed with desiccant at all times; PVA takes up water faster than any other filament here[10][3] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Poor — deforms under load at room temperature; PVA is not used structurally[2] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Poor — fails after a few cycles[2] |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | 3DXTech marks tensile strength, modulus and elongation as not applicable for its PVA support grade — it is not characterised as a structural material[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 60 (3DXTech AquaTek, DSC)[2] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | Bounded by a glass transition of 60 °C[2] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Degrades within weeks outdoors, and dissolves in rain long before UV matters[3] |
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Dissolves in water; unusable in any wet or humid service environment[3][9] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Not documented | Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[3][2] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Not offered as a food-contact material[2] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | PVA is water-soluble and biodegrades in wastewater treatment, but Simplify3D notes disposal should follow local guidance[9] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Dissolved PVA goes to drain rather than to recycling[9] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | Surface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq (ASTM D257, 3DXTech AquaTek PVA)[2] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[15] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[15] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[15] | Not documented |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | ≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[15] | Not documented |
| Hazardous species emitted | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[15] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[15] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[15] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Not sanded — it is dissolved away rather than finished[9] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Not applicable — PVA is a sacrificial support[9] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | Water is the solvent; no vapour smoothing is used[3] |
| Support material pairing | Not documented | This is the support material; Polymaker pairs PolyDissolve S1 with PLA, TPU, PVB and PETG[3] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[16] | Water — tap water works cold, warm moving water is faster; 6–12 h typical, changing the water every few hours.[17][18] |
| Softened or crazed by | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[16] | Nothing else: polyvinyl alcohol resists organic solvents, so an IPA or acetone rinse leaves the support intact.[19] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[16] | None — water dissolves PVA rather than welding it, and no solvent gives it a smoothed surface.[17] |
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
- PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- AquaTek PVA Water Soluble Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- YXPOLYER PVA 1 kg — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI 3D E-WATER water-soluble support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- Reli3D PVA Filament 1.75 mm 500 g Natural — Amazon listing Amazon.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- PVA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
- Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
- PolyDissolve S1 — Polymaker Wiki Polymaker · 2026-08 · doc
- 3DXTech AquaTek PVA product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polyvinyl alcohol — KURARAY POVAL application guide Kuraray · 2026-08 · tds