3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PPS vs PVB

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

PPS guidePVB guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PPS comparisonsMore PVB comparisons
PPS vs PVB — documented properties and sources
PropertyPPSHIGHTEMPPVBSPECIALTY
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$116.97/kg median; $84.00–$200.00/kg across 3 dated product listings$66.65/kg median; $49.32–$79.98/kg across 3 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyphenylene sulfide — a semi-crystalline high-temperature polymer[1][2]Polyvinyl butyral — a printable thermoplastic whose surface can be smoothed with isopropyl alcohol instead of a hot solvent[3]
Densityg/cm³1.28 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech) and 1.33 (ISO 1183, Spectrum PPS AM230)[1][4]1.10 (Polymaker PolySmooth, ISO 1183); Prusament PVB 1.10[3][5]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 84–200; the middle of the market is about 117[6][7][8]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 80[9][10]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg84-200 across brands and diameters; IEMAI 3D 84 at 1 kg, Spectrum PPS AM230 117 at 750 g, 3DXTech ThermaX PPS 140 at 2.85 mm and 200 at 1.75 mm[6][7][8]49–102 across brands; Polymaker PolySmooth 49 at 750 g, Prusament PVB 80–102 at 500 g[9][10]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[6][7]Available from several mainstream brands[9][10]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 500 g and 750 g spools[6][7]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[9][10]
Typical applicationsChemical-plant and under-bonnet parts needing solvent resistance above 200 °C[2]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°C335-345 (3DXTech printed-specimen conditions); 300-330 (Spectrum)[1][4]215 +/- 10 (Prusament PVB)[5]
Bed temperature°C110-130 (3DXTech); 100-120 (Spectrum)[1][4]75 +/- 5 (Prusament PVB)[5]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Actively heated chamber required[11][12]Open frame is fine[3]
Recommended chamber temperature°C60-80 actively heated (Spectrum PPS AM230)[4]Not documented
Part cooling fanNot documented100 % part cooling (Prusament PVB)[5]
Bed surface & adhesion aidAdhesive required — Spectrum specifies Magigoo Pro HT[4]Smooth PEI sheet or satin sheet; Prusa states a brim is not generally necessary[5]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Expert / industrial hardware only[11][12]Easy — minor profile tuning; it prints close to PLA[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[11]Brass fine indefinitely[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[1]Non-abrasive[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 110 °C pre-dry before every print[13]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[14][15]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Polymaker states minimal water absorption at 0.05 %[2]Very high (>2 %) — 2.36 % equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySmooth), above every PLA and PETG grade here[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.01 in 24 h on extruded stock (ASTM D570) — effectively non-absorbing[16]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][17][5]
Drying temperature & timeAt least 3 h at 90 °C in hot dry air if the filament has taken up moisture (Spectrum)[4]Maximum 60 °C for 4-8 h depending on how wet the filament is (Prusament PVB)[5]
Effect of moisture on strengthLittle to measure — equilibrium uptake is 0.05 %; 3DXTech still specifies a 110 °C, 4 h pre-dry before printing[2][13]Polymaker publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; at 2.36 % equilibrium uptake the material has to be kept dry to print cleanly[3][15]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant[15]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa50 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 65 at break injection-moulded (ISO 527, Spectrum); 94 at yield on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[1][4][16]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][17][5]
Young's modulusMPa2650 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 3650 injection-moulded (ISO 527, Spectrum); 5769 on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[1][4][16]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%18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech) against 2.0 injection-moulded (Spectrum) and 2.5 on extruded stock — the suppliers disagree by nearly an order of magnitude[1][4][16]5.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (PolyCast)[17]
Flexural strengthMPa52 (printed XY, ISO 178, 3DXTech); 141 on extruded stock (ASTM D790)[1][16]72 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 73 +/- 3 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament PVB)[5]
Flexural modulusMPa2540 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]2233 ± 106 printed XY, ISO 178 (PolyCast); Prusament PVB gives 2200 +/- 100 horizontal and 2300 +/- 100 vertical (ISO 178)[17][5]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²1.3 notched injection-moulded (ISO 179-1eA, Spectrum); unnotched 18[4]7 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 10 +/- 1 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament PVB)[5]
Other impact dataIzod notched 33 J/m on extruded PPS stock, converted from 0.62 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[16]Charpy 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[17][5]
Brittleness1–5Moderate[1]Moderate[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellRockwell 105 (and R124) on extruded PPS stock (ASTM D785)[16]Shore D 77 (Prusa Polymers method)[5]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Excellent — holds load for years. Ensinger lists high creep resistance as a headline property of extruded PPS stock, and Spectrum states that rigidity, strength and creep resistance are unchanged under continuous load at high temperature[16][4]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]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]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C90 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech); 129 injection-moulded (ISO 75, Spectrum); 204 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi)[1][4][16]68 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa; Prusament PVB 63 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa)[3][17][5]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C107 injection-moulded (ISO 75 at 1.81 MPa, Spectrum); 104 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[4][16]66 (PolySmooth) and 53 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa; Prusament PVB 58 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)[3][17][5]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented70 (DSC) for both PolySmooth and PolyCast[3][17]
Melting point / Vicat°C283 melting (ISO 11357, 3DXTech) and 280 on extruded stock; Vicat softening 236 at 50 N injection-moulded (ISO 306, Spectrum)[1][4][16]Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 70 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 306[3][17]
Continuous service temperature°C170 long-term service on extruded PPS stock, converted from 338 °F[16]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K59.4 (extruded PPS stock, 22-60 °C, ASTM D696; source states 3.3e-5 in/in/°F)[16]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm, rated on the base resin[1]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
Chemical resistanceOutstanding — PPS resists essentially all solvents below 200 °C[2]Not documented
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Excellent — essentially unaffected; extruded stock takes up 0.01 % water in 24 h[16]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — 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[18]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[18]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[18]Open a window / occasional ventilation[18]
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 pairingNot documentedPolyDissolve S1 is rated for PVB (Polymaker)[19]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedPolyCast is the investment-casting variant of the same chemistry — it burns out cleanly rather than being smoothed[17]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inNone — PPS does not dissolve in any known solvent below 200 °C.[20][21]Isopropyl alcohol dissolves it; Prusa describes PVB as soluble only in IPA, and it is not water-soluble.[14]
Softened or crazed byNothing at 23 °C; Ensinger rates it only conditionally resistant to benzene, dichloromethane, toluene and pyridine.[21]Not documented
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — no solvent welds or smooths PPS.[20]Isopropyl alcohol: brushed or sprayed on for speed, or several hours in IPA vapour for a glass-like surface.[22][14]

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. ThermaX PPS Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. PPS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  3. PolySmooth Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  4. Spectrum PPS AM230 Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2022-04 · tds
  5. Prusament PVB Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  6. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Spectrum PPS AM230 Natural, 1.75 mm / 750 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. IEMAI 3D PPS 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
  12. Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  13. THERMAX PPS — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Prusament PVB — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
  15. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. TECATRON natural (PPS) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  17. PolyCast Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  18. 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
  19. PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  20. PPS (Polyphenylene sulfide) — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  22. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc