3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PPA vs PVB

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

PPA (polyphthalamide) guidePVB guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PPA comparisonsMore PVB comparisons
PPA vs PVB — documented properties and sources
PropertyPPA (polyphthalamide)PAPVBSPECIALTY
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$45.49/kg median; $45.49–$45.49/kg across 1 dated product listings$66.65/kg median; $49.32–$79.98/kg across 3 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyphthalamide — a semi-aromatic polyamide in which aromatic diacid units replace part of the aliphatic backbone; Raise3D and Bambu Lab both label it high-temperature nylon[1][2]Polyvinyl butyral — a printable thermoplastic whose surface can be smoothed with isopropyl alcohol instead of a hot solvent[3]
Densityg/cm³1.21 (ISO 1183, Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA)[4]1.10 (Polymaker PolySmooth, ISO 1183); Prusament PVB 1.10[3][5]
Typical priceUSD/kgOne 1 kg listing on the market, at 45[6]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 80[7][8]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg45 for the only unfilled PPA filament found — Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA at 1 kg; every other PPA in retail is carbon- or glass-filled[6]49–102 across brands; Polymaker PolySmooth 49 at 750 g, Prusament PVB 80–102 at 500 g[7][8]
Market availability1–5Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide — Siraya Tech is the only brand found selling unfilled PPA filament[6]Available from several mainstream brands[7][8]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm, 1 kg[6]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[7][8]
Typical applicationsGears, bearings and tooling that must hold load above the reach of PA6 or PA12, and parts exposed to fuels and industrial chemicals[4]Display models and light guides where a layer-free surface matters more than strength[3]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented+/- 0.03 (Prusament PVB)[5]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C280–300 (Siraya Tech)[4]215 +/- 10 (Prusament PVB)[5]
Bed temperature°C70–80 (Siraya Tech)[4]75 +/- 5 (Prusament PVB)[5]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended — Siraya Tech advises an enclosure to hold temperature and limit warping on larger prints[4]Open frame is fine[3]
Part cooling fan20–60 % (Siraya Tech)[4]100 % part cooling (Prusament PVB)[5]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a PVP glue coating[4]Smooth PEI sheet or satin sheet; Prusa states a brim is not generally necessary[5]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; needs a 300 °C-class hot end and a dry spool[4]Easy — minor profile tuning; it prints close to PLA[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely — Siraya Tech states a hardened steel nozzle is not needed for the unfilled grade[4]Brass fine indefinitely[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[4]Non-abrasive[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Siraya Tech tells users to dry only when moisture symptoms appear, rather than before every print[4]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[9][10]
Hotend requirementHigh-quality metal nozzle, 0.4–1.0 mm; hardened steel not required (Siraya Tech)[4]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5High (0.8–2 %) — Siraya Tech publishes 2.59 % by ISO 62 immersion for the unfilled grade; on the equilibrium basis Bambu Lab uses, its 15 % carbon-filled PPA reaches 1.30 % against 2.35 % for the same maker's PA6-CF[4][2][11]Very high (>2 %) — 2.36 % equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySmooth), above every PLA and PETG grade here[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%2.59 by ISO 62 water immersion (Siraya Tech, unfilled) — an immersion figure, not the 25 °C / 55 % RH equilibrium basis the filled grades are quoted on, so the two are not directly comparable[4]2.36 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[3][12][5]
Drying temperature & time80–100 °C for 4–6 h (Siraya Tech)[4]Maximum 60 °C for 4-8 h depending on how wet the filament is (Prusament PVB)[5]
Symptoms when wetOozing, bubbles and a rough surface finish (Siraya Tech)[4]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthSiraya Tech publishes dry against saturated for the same grade: tensile 70 → 60 MPa, flexural 114 → 87 MPa, HDT at 1.8 MPa 73.5 → 48.5 °C, while Charpy rises 10 → 14.5 kJ/m²[4][6]Polymaker publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; at 2.36 % equilibrium uptake the material has to be kept dry to print cleanly[3][10]
Storage requirementDry box below 15 % RH (Siraya Tech)[4]Sealed with desiccant[10]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa72 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech); the product page quotes 70 dry and 60 saturated[4][6]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)[3][12][5]
Young's modulusMPa3600 (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[4]2199 ± 43 printed XY and 2010 ± 69 printed Z, ISO 527 (PolySmooth); Prusament PVB gives 1700 +/- 100 in both print directions (ISO 527-1)[3][5]
Elongation at break%10.5 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[4]5.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (PolyCast)[12]
Flexural strengthMPa115 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech); 114 dry against 87 saturated on the product page[4][6]72 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 73 +/- 3 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament PVB)[5]
Flexural modulusMPa3350 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech)[4]2233 ± 106 printed XY, ISO 178 (PolyCast); Prusament PVB gives 2200 +/- 100 horizontal and 2300 +/- 100 vertical (ISO 178)[12][5]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²10.1 Charpy (printed, ISO 179, Siraya Tech); the data sheet does not state whether the specimen was notched[4]7 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 10 +/- 1 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament PVB)[5]
Other impact dataNot documentedCharpy unnotched 55 +/- 7 printed horizontal and 59 +/- 12 printed vertical (Prusament PVB, ISO 179-1)[5]
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[12][5]
Brittleness1–5Moderate — 10.5 % elongation at break puts it between PA6 and the fibre-filled grades[4]Moderate[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedShore D 77 (Prusa Polymers method)[5]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Good — Raise3D cites high creep resistance as a reason to choose the PPA matrix over other nylons[1]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid — 3.6 GPa tensile modulus[4]Rigid[3]
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[5]
Wear resistance & frictionSiraya Tech describes the unfilled grade as low-friction and self-lubricating, aimed at gears and bearings[4][6]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C81 dry and 61 saturated (printed, ISO 75 Method B at 0.45 MPa, Siraya Tech)[4]68 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa; Prusament PVB 63 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa)[3][12][5]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C73.5 dry and 48.5 saturated (printed, ISO 75 Method A at 1.8 MPa, Siraya Tech) — unfilled PPA deflects near its Tg; the 190–227 °C figures quoted for PPA are carbon-filled grades[4][2]66 (PolySmooth) and 53 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa; Prusament PVB 58 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)[3][12][5]
Glass transition (Tg)°C80 (ASTM D3418, Siraya Tech)[4]70 (DSC) for both PolySmooth and PolyCast[3][12]
Melting point / Vicat°C231 melting point (ASTM D3418) and 230 Vicat (ISO 306), Siraya Tech[4]Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 70 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 306[3][12]
Annealing responseSiraya Tech's product page offers annealing for strength while its own data sheet says annealing is not recommended because the print can warp; on its 15 % carbon-filled PPA, annealing lifts HDT at 1.8 MPa from 82.5 to 119 °C[4][6][13]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
Chemical resistanceWithstands fuels, oils and industrial chemicals; Bambu Lab rates semi-aromatic nylon better than general nylon against weak acids, weak alkalis and most organic solvents[4][2]Not documented
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Absorbs water, properties shift — a saturated specimen loses about 15 % of its tensile strength and 25 °C of heat-deflection temperature[4][6]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Not documentedLow hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[14]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Not documentedOpen a window / occasional ventilation[14]
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[3]
Support material pairingCompatible with quick-release support materials (Siraya Tech)[4]PolyDissolve S1 is rated for PVB (Polymaker)[15]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedPolyCast is the investment-casting variant of the same chemistry — it burns out cleanly rather than being smoothed[12]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[16]Isopropyl alcohol dissolves it; Prusa describes PVB as soluble only in IPA, and it is not water-soluble.[9]
Softened or crazed byMineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not.[16]Not documented
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[16]Isopropyl alcohol: brushed or sprayed on for speed, or several hours in IPA vapour for a glass-like surface.[17][9]

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. Raise3D Industrial PPA CF Technical Data Sheet V2.0 Raise3D · 2022-04 · tds
  2. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PPA-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  3. PolySmooth Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  4. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
  5. Prusament PVB Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  6. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Prusament PVB — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
  10. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  11. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  12. PolyCast Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  13. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA-CF Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
  14. 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
  15. PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  16. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  17. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc