3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA-PHA vs Breakaway

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

PLA/PHA blend guideBreak-away support guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA-PHA comparisonsMore Breakaway comparisons
PLA-PHA vs Breakaway — documented properties and sources
PropertyPLA/PHA blendPLABreak-away supportSUPPORT
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$76.40/kg median; $76.40–$76.40/kg across 1 dated product listings$42.49/kg median; $26.00–$79.98/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate, a bacterially fermented bio-polyester[1]Break-away support compounds matched to a specific model material — Polymaker sells separate grades for PLA and for PA12[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.2 (ISO 1183)[1]1.22 (PolySupport for PLA) and 1.29 (PolySupport for PA12), ISO 1183[2][3]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documented1 kg-equivalent spools span 26–80; the middle of the market is about 45[4][5][6]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented26–80 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 availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1][7]Available from several mainstream brands[4][8]
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]
Typical applicationsGeneral-purpose printing where PLA's brittleness is the limiting factor[1]Support that peels off by hand, avoiding the moisture handling and dissolution time that soluble supports demand[2]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C195–220 (colorFabb)[1]220–230 (PolySupport for PLA)[2]
Bed temperature°C50–60 (colorFabb)[1]25–60 (PolySupport for PLA)[2]
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][9]Not documented
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[9][10]4–12 at Polymaker's 50–150 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[1]Easy — minor profile tuning[2]
Extruder requirementNot documentedA second extruder or a tool changer[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[11]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)1–5Moderate — the PLA matrix takes up 0.40–0.51 % saturated; colorFabb publishes no figure for the blend[12][13]Moderate — 0.64 % equilibrium water absorption (PolySupport for PLA)[2]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.64 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySupport for PLA)[2]
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[14]Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[14]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa62–64 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[1]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa2960–3070 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb)[1]Not documented
Elongation at break%4 and 11 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2500–3300 flexural modulus (ISO 178, colorFabb)[1]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²2.8–3.7 (ISO 179, notched, colorFabb)[1]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Moderate — colorFabb positions the blend as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA grades[1]Not documented
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]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented43 (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°CNot documented53 (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°CAbove 155 melting (ISO 3146-C)[1]Vicat 171 (PolySupport for PA12, ISO 306)[3]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[19]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilitycolorFabb states the PHA component is 100 % biodegradable[1]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesNot documentedSurface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq (ASTM D257, THERMAX HTS2 and MTS1)[20][21]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[22]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[22]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[22]Open a window / occasional ventilation[22]
Post-Processing
Support material pairingNot documentedThis 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 inChloroform dissolves the PLA phase (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C); THF and DMF need 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[23]None — break-away support is removed mechanically; 3DXTech lists no water or solvent route for it.[24]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[23][25]Not documented
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[26][25]None — there is no solvent to weld or smooth with.[24]

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. PolySupport Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  3. PolySupport for PA12 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  4. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. YXPOLYER Breakaway Support Filament 1 kg Black — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE breakaway support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. woodFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  8. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. glowFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  10. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  11. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 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. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  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. THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  21. THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  22. 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
  23. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  24. THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  25. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  26. 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