3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA-PHA vs PVB

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

PLA/PHA blend guidePVB guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA-PHA comparisonsMore PVB comparisons
PLA-PHA vs PVB — documented properties and sources
PropertyPLA/PHA blendPLAPVBSPECIALTY
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$76.40/kg median; $76.40–$76.40/kg across 1 dated product listings$66.65/kg median; $49.32–$79.98/kg across 3 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate, a bacterially fermented bio-polyester[1]Polyvinyl butyral — a printable thermoplastic whose surface can be smoothed with isopropyl alcohol instead of a hot solvent[2]
Densityg/cm³1.2 (ISO 1183)[1]1.10 (Polymaker PolySmooth, ISO 1183); Prusament PVB 1.10[2][3]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documented1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 80[4][5]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented49–102 across brands; Polymaker PolySmooth 49 at 750 g, Prusament PVB 80–102 at 500 g[4][5]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1][6]Available from several mainstream brands[4][5]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g and 2200 g spools[1]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[4][5]
Typical applicationsGeneral-purpose printing where PLA's brittleness is the limiting factor[1]Display models and light guides where a layer-free surface matters more than strength[2]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented+/- 0.03 (Prusament PVB)[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C195–220 (colorFabb)[1]215 +/- 10 (Prusament PVB)[3]
Bed temperature°C50–60 (colorFabb)[1]75 +/- 5 (Prusament PVB)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1]Open frame is fine[2]
Part cooling fan0–100 %; colorFabb states the blend runs on both heated and unheated beds[1][7]100 % part cooling (Prusament PVB)[3]
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedSmooth PEI sheet or satin sheet; Prusa states a brim is not generally necessary[3]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s3.2–8 at colorFabb's 40–100 mm/s, on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[7][8]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[1]Easy — minor profile tuning; it prints close to PLA[2]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[1]Brass fine indefinitely[2]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[1]Non-abrasive[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very low — unfilled PLA blend; Prusa lists no drybox and no hardened nozzle for PLA[9]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa calls PVB very prone to absorbing moisture and requires a 60 °C, 4 h dry before every print[10][11]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — the PLA matrix takes up 0.40–0.51 % saturated; colorFabb publishes no figure for the blend[12][13]Very high (>2 %) — 2.36 % equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySmooth), above every PLA and PETG grade here[2]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented2.36 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySmooth); 2.09 for PolyCast; Prusament PVB takes up 0.18 in 24 h and 0.35 in 7 days at 24 °C and 22 % RH[2][14][3]
Drying temperature & timeNot documentedMaximum 60 °C for 4-8 h depending on how wet the filament is (Prusament PVB)[3]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for this grade; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[11]Polymaker publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; at 2.36 % equilibrium uptake the material has to be kept dry to print cleanly[2][11]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant[11]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa62–64 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[1]51.8 ± 0.7 printed XY, ISO 527 (PolySmooth); 53.2 ± 1.1 for PolyCast; Prusament PVB gives 50 +/- 5 at yield printed horizontal (ISO 527-1) and 57 +/- 1 on the filament (ISO 527)[2][14][3]
Young's modulusMPa2960–3070 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb)[1]2199 ± 43 printed XY and 2010 ± 69 printed Z, ISO 527 (PolySmooth); Prusament PVB gives 1700 +/- 100 in both print directions (ISO 527-1)[2][3]
Elongation at break%4 and 11 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[1]5.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (PolyCast)[14]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented72 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 73 +/- 3 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament PVB)[3]
Flexural modulusMPa2500–3300 flexural modulus (ISO 178, colorFabb)[1]2233 ± 106 printed XY, ISO 178 (PolyCast); Prusament PVB gives 2200 +/- 100 horizontal and 2300 +/- 100 vertical (ISO 178)[14][3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²2.8–3.7 (ISO 179, notched, colorFabb)[1]7 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 10 +/- 1 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament PVB)[3]
Other impact dataNot documentedCharpy unnotched 55 +/- 7 printed horizontal and 59 +/- 12 printed vertical (Prusament PVB, ISO 179-1)[3]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented26.3 ± 2.1 printed Z, ISO 527 (PolyCast); Prusament PVB gives 49 +/- 5 at yield printed vertical (ISO 527-1) and 9 +/- 1 on Prusa's interlayer adhesion test[14][3]
Brittleness1–5Moderate — colorFabb positions the blend as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA grades[1]Moderate[2]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedShore D 77 (Prusa Polymers method)[3]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — no PLA/PHA creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[15][16][17]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Below average — no S-N curve for the blend; colorFabb positions it as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA, which ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[18][1]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[2]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented98 (Prusament PVB, printed vertical against horizontal tensile yield, ISO 527-1: 49 +/- 5 against 50 +/- 5) — the most isotropic printed material in this dataset[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented68 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa; Prusament PVB 63 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa)[2][14][3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented66 (PolySmooth) and 53 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa; Prusament PVB 58 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)[2][14][3]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented70 (DSC) for both PolySmooth and PolyCast[2][14]
Melting point / Vicat°CAbove 155 melting (ISO 3146-C)[1]Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 70 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 306[2][14]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[19]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilitycolorFabb states the PHA component is 100 % biodegradable[1]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[20]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[20]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[20]Open a window / occasional ventilation[20]
Post-Processing
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedIsopropyl alcohol vapour smoothing is the point of the material — Polymaker markets PolySmooth for hands-free post-processing to a layer-free surface[2]
Support material pairingNot documentedPolyDissolve S1 is rated for PVB (Polymaker)[21]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedPolyCast is the investment-casting variant of the same chemistry — it burns out cleanly rather than being smoothed[14]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform dissolves the PLA phase (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C); THF and DMF need 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[22]Isopropyl alcohol dissolves it; Prusa describes PVB as soluble only in IPA, and it is not water-soluble.[10]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[22][23]Not documented
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[24][23]Isopropyl alcohol: brushed or sprayed on for speed, or several hours in IPA vapour for a glass-like surface.[23][10]

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. PLA/PHA technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  2. PolySmooth Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  3. Prusament PVB Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  4. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. woodFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  7. glowFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  8. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  9. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  10. Prusament PVB — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
  11. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  13. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  14. PolyCast Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  15. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  16. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  17. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  18. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  19. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  20. 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
  21. PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  22. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  23. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Effect of vapour smoothing in trichloromethane on 3D printed PLA — surface, mechanical and chemical structure Pitale, Keche & Chopra, Engineering Research Express 6(4) 045579 · 2024-12 · paper