3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PVB vs TPU 98A
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | PVBSPECIALTY | TPU 98A / hard TPUFLEX |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $66.65/kg median; $49.32–$79.98/kg across 3 dated product listings | $94.99/kg median; $34.99–$149.99/kg across 3 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polyvinyl butyral — a printable thermoplastic whose surface can be smoothed with isopropyl alcohol instead of a hot solvent[1] | Hard thermoplastic polyurethane at 98 Shore A to about 60 Shore D — the rigid end of the TPU range[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.10 (Polymaker PolySmooth, ISO 1183); Prusament PVB 1.10[1][4] | 1.23 (Fillamentum Flexfill 98A); 1.2 (Extrudr FLEX HARD, ISO 2781)[2][3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 80[5][6] | 1 kg spools cluster near 150[7] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 49–102 across brands; Polymaker PolySmooth 49 at 750 g, Prusament PVB 80–102 at 500 g[5][6] | 95–150 across brands; Proto-pasta Clear Rigid TPU 95, Push Plastic TPU 100A 150[8][7] |
| Market availability1–5 | Available from several mainstream brands[5][6] | Available from several mainstream brands[7][8][3] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[5][6] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75 and 1 kg spools[8][7] |
| Typical applications | Display models and light guides where a layer-free surface matters more than strength[1] | Drive belts, wheels, snap-fits and bumpers that need to flex but hold shape under load[2] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | +/- 0.03 (Prusament PVB)[4] | Not documented |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 215 +/- 10 (Prusament PVB)[4] | 230–260 (Extrudr FLEX HARD)[3] |
| Bed temperature°C | 75 +/- 5 (Prusament PVB)[4] | 50–90 (Extrudr FLEX HARD)[3] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[1] | Open frame is fine[3] |
| Part cooling fan | 100 % part cooling (Prusament PVB)[4] | 0–30 % (Extrudr FLEX HARD)[3] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Smooth PEI sheet or satin sheet; Prusa states a brim is not generally necessary[4] | PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[9][10] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 4.6 (Extrudr FLEX HARD, stated max volumetric speed on a 0.4 mm nozzle)[3] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Not documented | None[3] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Easy — minor profile tuning; it prints close to PLA[1] | Easy — minor profile tuning; at this hardness the filament pushes like a rigid material[3] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | Bowden viable at this hardness — Extrudr rates FLEX HARD to 100 mm/s where its soft grades cap lower[3] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[1] | Brass fine indefinitely[3] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[1] | Non-abrasive[3] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | 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[11][12] | Low[12] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[10] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[9] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — 2.36 % equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySmooth), above every PLA and PETG grade here[1] | Moderate — the TPU family absorbs readily; Extrudr specifies a 12 h dry at 60 °C for FLEX HARD[3][12] |
| 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][13][4] | Not documented |
| Drying temperature & time | Maximum 60 °C for 4-8 h depending on how wet the filament is (Prusament PVB)[4] | 60 °C for 12 h (Extrudr FLEX HARD)[3] |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[12] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; at 2.36 % equilibrium uptake the material has to be kept dry to print cleanly[1][12] | Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[12] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant[12] | Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[12] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 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)[1][13][4] | 53.7 at break (Fillamentum Flexfill 98A, DIN 53504)[2] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 2199 ± 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)[13] | 318 at break (Fillamentum Flexfill 98A, DIN 53504); Extrudr FLEX HARD 490 (ISO 527-2)[2][3] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 72 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 73 +/- 3 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament PVB)[4] | Not documented |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 2233 ± 106 printed XY, ISO 178 (PolyCast); Prusament PVB gives 2200 +/- 100 horizontal and 2300 +/- 100 vertical (ISO 178)[13][4] | Not documented |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 7 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 10 +/- 1 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament PVB)[4] | Not documented |
| Other impact data | Charpy unnotched 55 +/- 7 printed horizontal and 59 +/- 12 printed vertical (Prusament PVB, ISO 179-1)[4] | Not documented |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 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[13][4] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Moderate[1] | Very ductile — bends far before failing[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Shore D 77 (Prusa Polymers method)[4] | 98 Shore A and 60 Shore D (Fillamentum, ISO 7619-1); Extrudr FLEX HARD 58 Shore D (ISO 868)[2][3] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Poor — no 98A creep test; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[14] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — living hinges viable[10] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Semi-flexible[2][3] |
| 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 |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | Abrasion 23 mm³ (Fillamentum, ISO 4649 method A) and 26 mm³ (Extrudr FLEX HARD, ISO 4649-A) — the best abrasion figures in the group[2][3] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 68 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa; Prusament PVB 63 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa)[1][13][4] | Not documented |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 66 (PolySmooth) and 53 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa; Prusament PVB 58 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)[1][13][4] | Not documented |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 70 (DSC) for both PolySmooth and PolyCast[1][13] | Not documented |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 70 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 306[1][13] | 190–210 melting (Extrudr FLEX HARD, ISO 3146-C); Vicat A 140 (ISO 306)[3] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[10] |
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[10] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[10] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[10] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Not accepted in household plastic collection[10] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[15] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[15] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[15] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[15] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[10] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[10] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Isopropyl alcohol vapour smoothing is the point of the material — Polymaker markets PolySmooth for hands-free post-processing to a layer-free surface[1] | No practical vapour smoothing[10] |
| Support material pairing | PolyDissolve S1 is rated for PVB (Polymaker)[16] | Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[10] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | PolyCast is the investment-casting variant of the same chemistry — it burns out cleanly rather than being smoothed[13] | Tear strength 170 kN/m (Fillamentum, ISO 34-1) and 175 kN/m (Extrudr FLEX HARD, ISO 34-1B)[2][3] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Isopropyl alcohol dissolves it; Prusa describes PVB as soluble only in IPA, and it is not water-soluble.[11] | DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[17] |
| Softened or crazed by | Not documented | Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[17] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Isopropyl alcohol: brushed or sprayed on for speed, or several hours in IPA vapour for a glass-like surface.[18][11] | None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[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
- PolySmooth Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Flexfill TPU 98A Technical Data Sheet Fillamentum · 2019-08 · tds
- Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
- Prusament PVB Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 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
- BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
- 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
- Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc