3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PVA vs TPU soft

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

PVA (soluble support) guideSoft TPU (below 85A) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PVA comparisonsMore TPU soft comparisons
PVA vs TPU soft — documented properties and sources
PropertyPVA (soluble support)SUPPORTSoft TPU (below 85A)FLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$65.98/kg median; $42.00–$96.00/kg across 5 dated product listings$114.04/kg median; $109.80–$122.27/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyvinyl alcohol — a water-soluble support polymer[1][2]Very soft thermoplastic elastomers below 85 Shore A. Fiberlogy's FiberFlex 30D measures 81 Shore A, the softest grade with a published datasheet found here[3]
Densityg/cm³0.6–0.9 (3DXTech AquaTek, ISO 1183) and 1.13 (Polymaker PolyDissolve S1)[1][2]1.07 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 42–96; the middle of the market is about 66[4][5][6][7]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 115[8][9][10]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg42–96 across brands; IEMAI 3D E-WATER 42, YXPOLYER 55, Reli3D 66 at 500 g, Polymaker PolyDissolve S1 67 at 750 g, 3DXTech AquaTek 96 at 750 g in 1.75 mm[4][5][6][11][7]110–122 at 1 kg-equivalent; Recreus 70A 110 and 60A 116 at 500 g, NinjaTek Edge 83A 112, NinjaTek Chinchilla 75A 122; the Recreus 3 kg spools fall to 70–73[8][10][9]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[4][5][6][11][7]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3][12][8]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[4][5]1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 0.85, 1, 2 and 3 kg spools[3][8][13][9]
Typical applicationsDissolvable support for PLA, TPU, PVB and PETG — Polymaker names those four for PolyDissolve S1[2]Highly compliant seals, soft grips and prosthetic liners[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C215–225 (Polymaker PolyDissolve S1)[2]Not documented
Bed temperature°C25–60 (Polymaker PolyDissolve S1)[2]50–70 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[2]Open frame is fine[3]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan required (Simplify3D)[14]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet or painter's tape[14]PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[15][16]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s4–12 at Polymaker's 50–150 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Sticks to most surfaces[14]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed[14]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; PVA is unusable once it has taken up moisture[17][2]Expert / industrial hardware only — below 85 Shore A the filament buckles in almost any feed path that is not a short, constrained direct drive[13][16]
Extruder requirementA second extruder or a tool changer; PVA is a support material, not a model material[2]Direct drive only, with a constrained filament path; Bowden is not viable at this hardness[13][12]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[2]Brass fine indefinitely[18]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[2]Non-abrasive[18]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup; wet PVA foams and carbonises in the nozzle[17]High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; below 85 Shore A the filament buckles and compresses, and Simplify3D warns that raised feed rates most likely end in a jam[15][16][17]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5High — all-metal hotend and strong cooling needed; Simplify3D warns PVA clogs if the nozzle is left hot while not extruding[14]Very high — softens in the cold zone readily[16]
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required, but the nozzle must not be parked hot[14]No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[15]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %) — Polymaker measures 10.21 % equilibrium water absorption, by far the highest in the dataset[2]Moderate[17]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%10.21 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolyDissolve S1)[2]Not documented
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface; with PVA this progresses to clogging[17]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[17]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker groups PVA with nylon as the most moisture-prone class and says it often has to stay in a dryer while printing; there is no published dry-versus-conditioned strength comparison because PVA is not a structural material[17]Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[17]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant at all times; PVA takes up water faster than any other filament here[17][2]Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[17]
Mechanical Properties
Elongation at break%Not documented870 at break (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 527) — the highest elongation in the dataset[3]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedVery ductile — bends far before failing[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documented81 Shore A and 30 Shore D (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 7619)[3]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — deforms under load at room temperature; PVA is not used structurally[1]Poor — no creep test at this hardness; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[19]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Poor — fails after a few cycles[1]Excellent — living hinges viable[16]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Not documentedRubbery / highly elastic[3]
Wear resistance & friction3DXTech marks tensile strength, modulus and elongation as not applicable for its PVA support grade — it is not characterised as a structural material[1]Tear strength 95 kN/m (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 34-1)[3]
Thermal Properties
Glass transition (Tg)°C60 (3DXTech AquaTek, DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented170 melting (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, DSC)[3]
Continuous service temperature°CBounded by a glass transition of 60 °C[1]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[1]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors, and dissolves in rain long before UV matters[2]Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[16]
Chemical resistanceDissolves in water; unusable in any wet or humid service environment[2][14]Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[16]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Dissolves or disintegrates — by design[2][1]Not documented
Food contactNot offered as a food-contact material[1]Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[16]
Biodegradability / compostabilityPVA is water-soluble and biodegrades in wastewater treatment, but Simplify3D notes disposal should follow local guidance[14]Not biodegradable[16]
RecyclabilityDissolved PVA goes to drain rather than to recycling[14]Not accepted in household plastic collection[16]
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq (ASTM D257, 3DXTech AquaTek PVA)[1]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[20]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[20]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[20]Open a window / occasional ventilation[20]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot sanded — it is dissolved away rather than finished[14]Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[16]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot applicable — PVA is a sacrificial support[14]Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[16]
Vapour / chemical smoothingWater is the solvent; no vapour smoothing is used[2]No practical vapour smoothing[16]
Support material pairingThis is the support material; Polymaker pairs PolyDissolve S1 with PLA, TPU, PVB and PETG[2]Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[16]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inWater — tap water works cold, warm moving water is faster; 6–12 h typical, changing the water every few hours.[21][22]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[23]
Softened or crazed byNothing else: polyvinyl alcohol resists organic solvents, so an IPA or acetone rinse leaves the support intact.[24]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[23]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — water dissolves PVA rather than welding it, and no solvent gives it a smoothed surface.[21]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[23]

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. AquaTek PVA Water Soluble Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  3. FiberFlex 30D Technical Data Sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  4. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. YXPOLYER PVA 1 kg — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. IEMAI 3D E-WATER water-soluble support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Chinchilla product page — print guidelines, spool sizes and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. NinjaFlex Edge product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Reli3D PVA Filament 1.75 mm 500 g Natural — Amazon listing Amazon.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Filaflex 82A product page (Shore hardness and elongation) Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. NinjaFlex 85A Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  14. PVA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  16. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  19. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  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 — Polymaker Wiki Polymaker · 2026-08 · doc
  22. 3DXTech AquaTek PVA product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  23. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  24. Polyvinyl alcohol — KURARAY POVAL application guide Kuraray · 2026-08 · tds