3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PPS-CF vs PVB
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Fibre-reinforced PPSHIGHTEMP | PVBSPECIALTY |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $139.98/kg median; $119.98–$174.17/kg across 5 dated product listings | $66.65/kg median; $49.32–$79.98/kg across 3 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Carbon-fibre reinforced PPS — Polymaker's Fiberon grade is nominally 10 wt%[1] | Polyvinyl butyral — a printable thermoplastic whose surface can be smoothed with isopropyl alcohol instead of a hot solvent[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.29 (Fiberon PPS-CF10) and 1.36 (Fiberon PPS-GF20), ISO 1183[1][3] | 1.10 (Polymaker PolySmooth, ISO 1183); Prusament PVB 1.10[2][4] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 93–174; the middle of the market is about 140[5][6][7][8] | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 80[5][9] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 93-174 across brands and formats; Polymaker Fiberon PPS-GF20 93 at 3 kg, IEMAI 3D CF-PPS 131 at 750 g, LEHVOSS Luvocom 3F PPS CF 9938 164 at 2.3 kg, Bambu Lab PPS-CF 174 at 750 g[5][6][7][8] | 49–102 across brands; Polymaker PolySmooth 49 at 750 g, Prusament PVB 80–102 at 500 g[5][9] |
| Market availability1–5 | Available from several mainstream brands[5][6][7] | Available from several mainstream brands[5][9] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm; 0.5 kg spools[5] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[5][9] |
| Typical applications | Chemical and automotive parts needing PPS chemistry with structural stiffness[1] | Display models and light guides where a layer-free surface matters more than strength[2] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | Not documented | +/- 0.03 (Prusament PVB)[4] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 215 +/- 10 (Prusament PVB)[4] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 75 +/- 5 (Prusament PVB)[4] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive) — Polymaker states its Fiberon PPS-CF10 needs no heated chamber, unlike the unfilled sulfones and PAEKs[1] | Open frame is fine[2] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | 100 % part cooling (Prusament PVB)[4] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | Smooth PEI sheet or satin sheet; Prusa states a brim is not generally necessary[4] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Expert / industrial hardware only[1] | Easy — minor profile tuning; it prints close to PLA[2] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Hardened steel required[1] | Brass fine indefinitely[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[1] | Non-abrasive[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; Polymaker specifies hardened steel or ruby nozzles for carbon-filled PPS and Prusa lists composites as a higher clogging risk[10][11] | 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[12][13] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Low (0.1–0.3 %) — 0.225 % equilibrium for Fiberon PPS-CF10 and 0.11 % for PPS-GF20[1][3] | Very high (>2 %) — 2.36 % equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySmooth), above every PLA and PETG grade here[2] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 0.225 equilibrium (Fiberon PPS-CF10); 0.11 (PPS-GF20)[1][3] | 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[2][14][4] |
| Drying temperature & time | Not documented | Maximum 60 °C for 4-8 h depending on how wet the filament is (Prusament PVB)[4] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published; equilibrium uptake is 0.225 % and Polymaker specifies a 100 °C, 10 h dry[1] | Polymaker publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; at 2.36 % equilibrium uptake the material has to be kept dry to print cleanly[2][13] |
| Storage requirement | Not documented | Sealed with desiccant[13] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 59.4 ± 1.3 (PPS-CF10) and 64.1 ± 2.1 (PPS-GF20) printed XY, ISO 527[1][3] | 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][4] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 5446.7 ± 149.0 (PPS-CF10) and 4552.0 ± 54.6 (PPS-GF20) printed XY, ISO 527[1][3] | 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][4] |
| Elongation at break% | 1.4 ± 0.1 (PPS-CF10) and 2.0 ± 0.2 (PPS-GF20) printed XY, ISO 527 — the lowest elongation in the dataset[1][3] | 5.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (PolyCast)[14] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 72 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 73 +/- 3 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament PVB)[4] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 2233 ± 106 printed XY, ISO 178 (PolyCast); Prusament PVB gives 2200 +/- 100 horizontal and 2300 +/- 100 vertical (ISO 178)[14][4] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 5.3 ± 0.2 printed XY for PPS-CF10 and 7.3 ± 0.2 for PPS-GF20, ISO 179 notched[1][3] | 7 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 10 +/- 1 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament PVB)[4] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Charpy unnotched 55 +/- 7 printed horizontal and 59 +/- 12 printed vertical (Prusament PVB, ISO 179-1)[4] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 32.0 ± 5.1 (PPS-CF10) and 22.9 ± 0.8 (PPS-GF20) printed Z, ISO 527[1][3] | 26.3 ± 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][4] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Very brittle — cracks or shatters easily; elongation at break 1.4 %[1] | Moderate[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Rockwell 105 (and R124) on extruded unfilled PPS stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a fibre-filled PPS filament[15] | Shore D 77 (Prusa Polymers method)[4] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Excellent — holds load for years. Ensinger lists high creep resistance for unfilled PPS stock and Spectrum states creep resistance is unchanged under continuous load at high temperature; the fibre raises heat deflection to 252 °C at 0.45 MPa[15][16][1] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Rigid[2] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 54 (PPS-CF10) and 36 (PPS-GF20), printed[1][3] | 98 (Prusament PVB, printed vertical against horizontal tensile yield, ISO 527-1: 49 +/- 5 against 50 +/- 5) — the most isotropic printed material in this dataset[4] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 252.5 (PPS-CF10) and 236.3 (PPS-GF20), printed, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[1][3] | 68 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa; Prusament PVB 63 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa)[2][14][4] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 133 (PPS-CF10) and 125.8 (PPS-GF20), printed, ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[1][3] | 66 (PolySmooth) and 53 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa; Prusament PVB 58 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)[2][14][4] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 97.7 (PPS-CF10) and 95.0 (PPS-GF20), DSC[1][3] | 70 (DSC) for both PolySmooth and PolyCast[2][14] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 279.7 (PPS-CF10) and 279.6 (PPS-GF20) melting, DSC; Vicat 267.5 and 272.5 (ISO 306)[1][3] | Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 70 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 306[2][14] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | 170 long-term service on extruded PPS stock, converted from 338 °F; no figure published for the carbon-filled grade[15] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Chemical resistance | Outstanding — PPS resists essentially all solvents below 200 °C[10] | Not documented |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Surface resistivity above 10¹² ohm — insulating (ANSI/ESD S11.11)[1][3] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised. None of these polymers was in the chamber study, and all are processed far above the temperatures it covered[17] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[17] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[17] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[17] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[1] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | Isopropyl 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 pairing | Not documented | PolyDissolve S1 is rated for PVB (Polymaker)[18] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Not documented | PolyCast is the investment-casting variant of the same chemistry — it burns out cleanly rather than being smoothed[14] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | None — PPS does not dissolve in any known solvent below 200 °C.[19][20] | Isopropyl alcohol dissolves it; Prusa describes PVB as soluble only in IPA, and it is not water-soluble.[12] |
| Softened or crazed by | Nothing at 23 °C; Ensinger rates it only conditionally resistant to benzene, dichloromethane, toluene and pyridine.[20] | Not documented |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — no solvent welds or smooths PPS.[19] | Isopropyl alcohol: brushed or sprayed on for speed, or several hours in IPA vapour for a glass-like surface.[21][12] |
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
- Fiberon PPS-CF10 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2025-07 · tds
- PolySmooth Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Fiberon PPS-GF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2025-07 · tds
- Prusament PVB Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab PPS-CF Black, spool (750 g) 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3D4Makers product catalogue 3D4Makers · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI 3D CF-PPS 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- PPS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusament PVB — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- PolyCast Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- TECATRON natural (PPS) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Spectrum PPS AM230 Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2022-04 · 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
- PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- PPS (Polyphenylene sulfide) — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc