3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PVB vs TPU-CF
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | PVBSPECIALTY | Carbon-fibre TPUFLEX |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $66.65/kg median; $49.32–$79.98/kg across 3 dated product listings | $107.05/kg median; $107.05–$107.05/kg across 1 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] | Carbon-fibre reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane at the hard end of the range[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.10 (Polymaker PolySmooth, ISO 1183); Prusament PVB 1.10[1][3] | 1.22 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 2781)[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 80[4][5] | 107 for the only retail listing found (Extrudr 0.5 kg coil, incl. VAT)[6] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 49–102 across brands; Polymaker PolySmooth 49 at 750 g, Prusament PVB 80–102 at 500 g[4][5] | One listing only: EUR 49.56 incl. VAT per 0.5 kg coil, direct from Extrudr; no reseller or second brand found[6] |
| Market availability1–5 | Available from several mainstream brands[4][5] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands — Extrudr's FLEX HARD CF is the only carbon-filled flexible with a published datasheet found here[2] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[4][5] | 1.75 mm; 0.5 and 2 kg coils[6] |
| Typical applications | Display models and light guides where a layer-free surface matters more than strength[1] | Stiffened flexible parts — damping mounts and semi-rigid brackets[2] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | +/- 0.03 (Prusament PVB)[3] | Not documented |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 215 +/- 10 (Prusament PVB)[3] | 230–260 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[2] |
| Bed temperature°C | 75 +/- 5 (Prusament PVB)[3] | 50–90 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[1] | Open frame is fine[2] |
| Part cooling fan | 100 % part cooling (Prusament PVB)[3] | Not documented |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Smooth PEI sheet or satin sheet; Prusa states a brim is not generally necessary[3] | PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[7][8] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 1.6–8 at the 20–100 mm/s Extrudr specifies on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Easy — minor profile tuning; it prints close to PLA[1] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle needed[2] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[1] | Hardened steel required — Extrudr marks FLEX HARD CF as needing a hardened nozzle where its unfilled FLEX grades do not[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[1] | Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[2] |
| 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[9][10] | High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; a flexible base plus chopped carbon fibre, which Prusa lists as a higher nozzle-clogging risk, and Extrudr requires a hardened nozzle[11][2][7] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[7] |
| 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[10] |
| 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][3] | Not documented |
| Drying temperature & time | Maximum 60 °C for 4-8 h depending on how wet the filament is (Prusament PVB)[3] | 60 °C for 6 h (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[2] |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[10] |
| 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][10] | Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[10] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant[10] | Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[10] |
| 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][12][3] | Not documented |
| 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][3] | 35 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 527-2/5A/500)[2] |
| Elongation at break% | 5.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (PolyCast)[12] | 380 ultimate elongation (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 527-2/5A/500), against 490 for the unfilled FLEX HARD[2] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 72 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 73 +/- 3 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament PVB)[3] | Not documented |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 2233 ± 106 printed XY, ISO 178 (PolyCast); Prusament PVB gives 2200 +/- 100 horizontal and 2300 +/- 100 vertical (ISO 178)[12][3] | Not documented |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 7 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 10 +/- 1 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament PVB)[3] | Not documented |
| Other impact data | Charpy unnotched 55 +/- 7 printed horizontal and 59 +/- 12 printed vertical (Prusament PVB, ISO 179-1)[3] | 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[12][3] | 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)[3] | 70 Shore D (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 868), against 58 Shore D for the unfilled FLEX HARD[2] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Below average — no CF-grade creep test; the grade is 70 Shore D where a 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[2][13] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Good — 380 % ultimate elongation and a damping application set (Extrudr cites longboard wheels), below the unfilled grades[2] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Semi-flexible[2] |
| 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[3] | Not documented |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | Abrasion 26 mm³ (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 4649-A) — the same as the unfilled FLEX HARD[2] |
| 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][12][3] | 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][12][3] | Not documented |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 70 (DSC) for both PolySmooth and PolyCast[1][12] | -24 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[2] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 70 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 306[1][12] | Vicat A 140 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 306)[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[8] |
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[8] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[8] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[8] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Not accepted in household plastic collection[8] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[14] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[14] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[14] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[14] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Not documented | Carbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[2] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[8] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[8] |
| 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[8] |
| Support material pairing | PolyDissolve S1 is rated for PVB (Polymaker)[15] | Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[8] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | PolyCast is the investment-casting variant of the same chemistry — it burns out cleanly rather than being smoothed[12] | Tear strength 165 kN/m (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 34-1B)[2] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Isopropyl alcohol dissolves it; Prusa describes PVB as soluble only in IPA, and it is not water-soluble.[9] | DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve the TPU matrix and leave the fibre; ketones are partial solvents. Laboratory reagents.[16] |
| 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.[16] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Isopropyl alcohol: brushed or sprayed on for speed, or several hours in IPA vapour for a glass-like surface.[17][9] | None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[16] |
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
- 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
- Extrudr TPU FLEX Hard CF — product page (1.75 mm, 0.5 and 2 kg coils, price) Extrudr (FD3D GmbH) · 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
- Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 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