3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PVB vs Breakaway

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

PVB guideBreak-away support guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PVB comparisonsMore Breakaway comparisons
PVB vs Breakaway — documented properties and sources
PropertyPVBSPECIALTYBreak-away supportSUPPORT
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$66.65/kg median; $49.32–$79.98/kg across 3 dated product listings$42.49/kg median; $26.00–$79.98/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyvinyl butyral — a printable thermoplastic whose surface can be smoothed with isopropyl alcohol instead of a hot solvent[1]Break-away support compounds matched to a specific model material — Polymaker sells separate grades for PLA and for PA12[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.10 (Polymaker PolySmooth, ISO 1183); Prusament PVB 1.10[1][4]1.22 (PolySupport for PLA) and 1.29 (PolySupport for PA12), ISO 1183[2][3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 80[5][6]1 kg-equivalent spools span 26–80; the middle of the market is about 45[5][7][8]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg49–102 across brands; Polymaker PolySmooth 49 at 750 g, Prusament PVB 80–102 at 500 g[5][6]26–80 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[5][7][8]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[5][6]Available from several mainstream brands[5][9]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[5][6]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[5]
Typical applicationsDisplay models and light guides where a layer-free surface matters more than strength[1]Support that peels off by hand, avoiding the moisture handling and dissolution time that soluble supports demand[2]
Diameter tolerance± mm+/- 0.03 (Prusament PVB)[4]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C215 +/- 10 (Prusament PVB)[4]220–230 (PolySupport for PLA)[2]
Bed temperature°C75 +/- 5 (Prusament PVB)[4]25–60 (PolySupport for PLA)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1]Open frame is fine[2]
Part cooling fan100 % part cooling (Prusament PVB)[4]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidSmooth PEI sheet or satin sheet; Prusa states a brim is not generally necessary[4]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented4–12 at Polymaker's 50–150 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; it prints close to PLA[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 risk1–5Moderate — 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[10][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)1–5Very high (>2 %) — 2.36 % equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySmooth), above every PLA and PETG grade here[1]Moderate — 0.64 % equilibrium water absorption (PolySupport for PLA)[2]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%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[1][12][4]0.64 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySupport for PLA)[2]
Drying temperature & timeMaximum 60 °C for 4-8 h depending on how wet the filament is (Prusament PVB)[4]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; at 2.36 % equilibrium uptake the material has to be kept dry to print cleanly[1][11]Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[11]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant[11]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa51.8 ± 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)[1][12][4]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa2199 ± 43 printed XY and 2010 ± 69 printed Z, ISO 527 (PolySmooth); Prusament PVB gives 1700 +/- 100 in both print directions (ISO 527-1)[1][4]Not documented
Elongation at break%5.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (PolyCast)[12]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa72 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 73 +/- 3 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament PVB)[4]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2233 ± 106 printed XY, ISO 178 (PolyCast); Prusament PVB gives 2200 +/- 100 horizontal and 2300 +/- 100 vertical (ISO 178)[12][4]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²7 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 10 +/- 1 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament PVB)[4]Not documented
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 55 +/- 7 printed horizontal and 59 +/- 12 printed vertical (Prusament PVB, ISO 179-1)[4]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa26.3 ± 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][4]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Moderate[1]Not documented
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellShore D 77 (Prusa Polymers method)[4]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Not documented
Z strength as % of XY%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]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C68 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa; Prusament PVB 63 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa)[1][12][4]43 (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°C66 (PolySmooth) and 53 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa; Prusament PVB 58 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)[1][12][4]53 (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]
Glass transition (Tg)°C70 (DSC) for both PolySmooth and PolyCast[1][12]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CAmorphous — no melting point; Vicat 70 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 306[1][12]Vicat 171 (PolySupport for PA12, ISO 306)[3]
Environment & Chemical
Electrical & ESD propertiesNot documentedSurface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq (ASTM D257, THERMAX HTS2 and MTS1)[13][14]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[15]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[15]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Open a window / occasional ventilation[15]Open a window / occasional ventilation[15]
Post-Processing
Vapour / chemical smoothingIsopropyl alcohol vapour smoothing is the point of the material — Polymaker markets PolySmooth for hands-free post-processing to a layer-free surface[1]Not documented
Support material pairingPolyDissolve S1 is rated for PVB (Polymaker)[16]This 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]
Dimensional accuracy & detailPolyCast is the investment-casting variant of the same chemistry — it burns out cleanly rather than being smoothed[12]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inIsopropyl alcohol dissolves it; Prusa describes PVB as soluble only in IPA, and it is not water-soluble.[10]None — break-away support is removed mechanically; 3DXTech lists no water or solvent route for it.[17]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentIsopropyl alcohol: brushed or sprayed on for speed, or several hours in IPA vapour for a glass-like surface.[18][10]None — there is no solvent to weld or smooth with.[17]

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. PolySmooth Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · 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. Prusament PVB Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  5. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. YXPOLYER Breakaway Support Filament 1 kg Black — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE breakaway support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Prusament PVB — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
  11. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  12. PolyCast Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  13. THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  14. THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  15. 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
  16. PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  17. THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc