3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PEBA vs Breakaway
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | PEBA (polyether block amide)FLEX | Break-away supportSUPPORT |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $60.99/kg median; $60.99–$60.99/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 | Polyether block amide: rigid polyamide and flexible polyether blocks.[1] | Break-away support compounds matched to a specific model material — Polymaker sells separate grades for PLA and for PA12[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.01 g/cm³ (GB/T 1033; eSUN manufacturer data)[1] | 1.22 (PolySupport for PLA) and 1.29 (PolySupport for PA12), ISO 1183[2][3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Not documented | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 26–80; the middle of the market is about 45[4][5][6] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | Not documented | 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 | Not documented | Available from several mainstream brands[4][7] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm diameter, 1 kg spool.[8] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[4] |
| Typical applications | Manufacturer applications include footwear, sports equipment and cushioning.[1] | Support that peels off by hand, avoiding the moisture handling and dissolution time that soluble supports demand[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 230–260 °C; 240 °C recommended.[1] | 220–230 (PolySupport for PLA)[2] |
| Bed temperature°C | 60–90 °C[1] | 25–60 (PolySupport for PLA)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Not documented | Open frame is fine[2] |
| Part cooling fan | 10–50% fan recommended; mechanical-test specimens used 50–100%.[1] | Not documented |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | PEI build plate[1] | Not documented |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 9 mm³/s maximum in eSUN spiral-vase test; mechanical specimens used 2 mm³/s. Linear recommendation 25–110 mm/s is a separate quantity.[1] | 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 | Not documented | Easy — minor profile tuning[2] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | A second extruder or a tool changer[2] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Not documented | Brass fine indefinitely[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Not documented | Non-abrasive[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Not documented | 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 | Not documented | 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] |
| Drying temperature & time | 70–75 °C for 6–8 h; re-dry after receiving or extended exposure.[1] | Not documented |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Not documented | Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[9] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | >16.5 MPa printed XY, GB/T 1040; manufacturer lower bound, not an exact measurement.[1] | Not documented |
| Elongation at break% | >520% printed XY, GB/T 1040; manufacturer lower bound.[1] | Not documented |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 7.5 MPa printed Z, GB/T 1040 (manufacturer test)[1] | Not documented |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | 90 Shore A nominal grade designation; do not compare numerically with Shore D or Rockwell.[8] | 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 | 110 °C Vicat softening (GB/T 1633, 120 °C/h, 10 N); not HDT or a continuous-use rating.[1] | Vicat 171 (PolySupport for PA12, ISO 306)[3] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| 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 | Not documented | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[12] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Not documented | Open a window / occasional ventilation[12] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Support material pairing | Not documented | 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 | Not documented | None — break-away support is removed mechanically; 3DXTech lists no water or solvent route for it.[13] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Not documented | None — there is no solvent to weld or smooth with.[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
- eSUN PEBA-90A Technical Data Sheet v1.0 (Aug 2025), checked 2026-10-17 eSUN · 2025-08 · tds
- 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
- eSUN PEBA-90A official product page: 1 kg price and product identity eSUN · 2026-10-17 · vendor
- 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
- THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor