3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PA11 vs PVA
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | PA11 (Nylon 11)PA | PVA (soluble support)SUPPORT |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $194.98/kg median; $194.98–$194.98/kg across 1 dated product listings | $65.98/kg median; $42.00–$96.00/kg across 5 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polyamide 11, polymerised from castor-oil-derived aminoundecanoic acid — a bio-based nylon[1][2] | Polyvinyl alcohol — a water-soluble support polymer[3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.02 (ISO 1183)[1] | 0.6–0.9 (3DXTech AquaTek, ISO 1183) and 1.13 (Polymaker PolyDissolve S1)[3][4] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Not documented | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 42–96; the middle of the market is about 66[5][6][7][8] |
| 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[5][6][7][9][8] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2] | Stocked by most mainstream brands[5][6][7][9][8] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm; 1 kg spools[2] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[5][6] |
| Typical applications | Tough, chemically resistant functional parts; Prusa targets it at impact-loaded and vibration-loaded components[2] | Dissolvable support for PLA, TPU, PVB and PETG — Polymaker names those four for PolyDissolve S1[4] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | ±0.02 (Prusament)[1] | Not documented |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 275 ± 10 (Prusament)[1] | 215–225 (Polymaker PolyDissolve S1)[4] |
| Bed temperature°C | 100 ± 10 (Prusament)[1] | 25–60 (Polymaker PolyDissolve S1)[4] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive) — Prusament specifies a 55 ± 5 °C chamber[1] | Open frame is fine[4] |
| Recommended chamber temperature°C | 55 ± 5 (Prusament)[1] | Not documented |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | Part cooling fan required (Simplify3D)[10] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | PA nylon sheet (Prusament)[1] | PEI sheet or painter's tape[10] |
| 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[4] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Sticks to most surfaces[10] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — retraction tuning needed[10] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1][11] | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; PVA is unusable once it has taken up moisture[12][4] |
| Extruder requirement | Prusa printed its test specimens with a high-flow CHT nozzle[1] | A second extruder or a tool changer; PVA is a support material, not a model material[4] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades[11] | Brass fine indefinitely[4] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive when unfilled[11] | Non-abrasive[4] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[12] | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup; wet PVA foams and carbonises in the nozzle[12] |
| 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[10] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | No special hot-end required, but the nozzle must not be parked hot[10] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | High (0.8–2 %) — Prusa measures 0.46 % after 7 days at 22 % RH, but PA11 sits between PA12 and PA6 in the family[1][12] | Very high (>2 %) — Polymaker measures 10.21 % equilibrium water absorption, by far the highest in the dataset[4] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 0.26 after 24 h and 0.46 after 7 days (Prusa Polymers method)[1] | 10.21 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolyDissolve S1)[4] |
| Symptoms when wet | Popping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[13] | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface; with PVA this progresses to clogging[12] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Prusa publishes no dry-versus-conditioned columns; the CoPA reference shows the PA-family response — stiffness and strength fall sharply, impact and elongation rise[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[12] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[12] | Sealed with desiccant at all times; PVA takes up water faster than any other filament here[12][4] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 38.3 ± 0.8 printed horizontal and 39.5 ± 0.5 printed vertical at yield, ISO 527-1[1] | Not documented |
| Young's modulusMPa | 1200 printed, both orientations, ISO 527-1[1] | Not documented |
| Elongation at break% | 5.6 ± 0.1 at yield, printed, ISO 527-1[1] | Not documented |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 1100 printed horizontal and 1000 printed vertical, ISO 178[1] | Not documented |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 12.9 ± 2.1 printed horizontal and 11.7 ± 1.2 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched[1] | Not documented |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 32 ± 1 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test) — the highest interlayer figure Prusa publishes for any of its filaments[1] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1] | Not documented |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | 70 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method)[1] | Not documented |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Poor — deforms under load at room temperature; PVA is not used structurally[3] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Excellent — living hinges viable[11] | Poor — fails after a few cycles[3] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Semi-flexible[1] | Not documented |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 84 — Prusa publishes a tensile anisotropy coefficient of 0.84, the ratio of Z to XY tensile strength[1] | Not documented |
| 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[3] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 58.7 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1] | Not documented |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 49.9 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1] | Not documented |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 60 (3DXTech AquaTek, DSC)[3] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | Bounded by a glass transition of 60 °C[3] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[3] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Degrades within weeks outdoors, and dissolves in rain long before UV matters[4] |
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Dissolves in water; unusable in any wet or humid service environment[4][10] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Absorbs water, properties shift[13] | Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[4][3] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Not offered as a food-contact material[3] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Bio-based — the monomer comes from castor oil[2] | PVA is water-soluble and biodegrades in wastewater treatment, but Simplify3D notes disposal should follow local guidance[10] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Dissolved PVA goes to drain rather than to recycling[10] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | Surface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq (ASTM D257, 3DXTech AquaTek PVA)[3] |
| 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; total VOC reached nearly 200 µg/min, the highest of the nine filaments tested[15] | Not documented |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | ≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[15] | Not documented |
| Hazardous species emitted | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[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[10] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Not applicable — PVA is a sacrificial support[10] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | Water is the solvent; no vapour smoothing is used[4] |
| Support material pairing | Not documented | This is the support material; Polymaker pairs PolyDissolve S1 with PLA, TPU, PVB and PETG[4] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[16][17] | Water — tap water works cold, warm moving water is faster; 6–12 h typical, changing the water every few hours.[18][19] |
| Softened or crazed by | Mineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not (BASF, PA6/66).[16] | Nothing else: polyvinyl alcohol resists organic solvents, so an IPA or acetone rinse leaves the support intact.[20] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[16] | None — water dissolves PVA rather than welding it, and no solvent gives it a smoothed surface.[18] |
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
- Prusament PA11 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2026-07 · tds
- Prusament PA11 — material page Prusa Polymers · 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
- PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · 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
- Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
- Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 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