3D Printing InfoWhere it is used
Dissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly
Sources
- Fiberlogy BVOH Natural — product page · 2026-08 · vendor
Support materials · Material guide
BVOH (soluble support)
A vinyl alcohol copolymer that dissolves faster and in cooler water than straight PVA, and bonds to a wider range of model materials — at roughly 2.5× the price.
Open in interactive comparisonUnderstand the material
At a glance
Before you print
- Setup difficulty
- Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile
- Nozzle wear
- Non-abrasive
Read the full material overview
A vinyl alcohol copolymer that dissolves faster and in cooler water than straight PVA, and bonds to a wider range of model materials — at roughly 2.5× the price.
Applications
BVOH is used as sacrificial support for intricate overhangs, internal structures and moving mechanisms where removing rigid support by hand would be difficult or damage the model. Water dissolves the support while the finished model remains, letting the designer support regions beyond a straight tool path. Fiberlogy lists PLA, ABS, ASA and PET-G compatibility for its BVOH product.
The advantage is removal by dissolution rather than by applying force to delicate surfaces. It still needs water access and an escape route for the dissolved material; a genuinely sealed cavity cannot be cleared this way. The filament is highly moisture-sensitive, so dry storage and feeding are part of reliable use. Compatibility and removal conditions belong to the particular BVOH grade and model material, not to every product with those polymer names.
Water-removable support for complex geometry ↗
FFF/FDM sacrificial support · Fiberlogy BVOH and its listed model-material pairings · Manufacturer-listed applications
Fiberlogy lists intricate structures and moving mechanisms as uses for its BVOH, with stated adhesion to PLA, ABS, ASA and PET-G.
Sources
- Fiberlogy BVOH Natural — product page · 2026-08 · vendor
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying · 2026-08 · doc
- PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 · 2024-11 · tds
- Water soluble (BVOH/PVA) — Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
Find printable models
Check the model’s material and process notes before choosing a filament.
Plan your printer setup
All print settings ↓Printing quick reference
Representative catalog values. Check the exact grade and its linked conditions before using a setting.
Nozzle temperature (°C)
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Full value & sources
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—Bed temperature (°C)
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Full value & sources
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—Enclosure
Open frame is fine
Drying
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Full value & sources
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—Go deeper when you need to
22 documented fieldsProperties & source data
Open a topic to explore the complete data. Each value keeps its original conditions, units and dated sources.
Material & market6 fields
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Base polymer / chemistry | Butenediol vinyl alcohol copolymer — a vinyl alcohol copolymer that dissolves faster and in cooler water than straight PVA | 1 source
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| Typical price (USD/kg) | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 166 | 1 source
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| Price range across brands (USD/kg) | 166 at Fiberlogy's 500 g pricing on 3DJake | 1 source
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| Market availability (1–5) | Niche, a handful of specialist brands | 1 source
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| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 kg spools | 1 source
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| Typical applications | Dissolvable support where PVA dissolves too slowly, and for materials PVA bonds to poorly | 1 source
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Print settings3 fields
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Enclosure / chamber requirement (1–5) | Open frame is fine | 1 source
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| Overall printing difficulty (1–5) | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile | 1 source
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| Extruder requirement | A second extruder or a tool changer | 1 source
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Nozzle wear & reliability3 fields
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Nozzle hardness required (1–4) | Brass fine indefinitely | 1 source
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| Abrasiveness (1–5) | Non-abrasive | 1 source
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| Nozzle clog risk (1–5) | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup | 1 source
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Moisture & drying3 fields
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity) (1–5) | Very high (>2 %) — the vinyl alcohol backbone is what makes it soluble | 2 sources
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| Effect of moisture on strength | Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published | 1 source
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| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant at all times | 1 source
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Weather & chemical resistance1 field
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Water / humidity resistance in service (1–5) | Dissolves or disintegrates — by design | 1 source
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Health & safety2 fields
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Fume toxicity (1–5) | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study | |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement (1–5) | Open a window / occasional ventilation |
Finishing & post-processing1 field
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Support material pairing | This is the support material | 1 source
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Solvents & solubility3 fields
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Soluble in | Water: about 1 g of BVOH per 20 g of water, several hours; warmer water is faster but must not be too hot. | 2 sources
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| Softened or crazed by | Nothing else — a vinyl alcohol copolymer resists organic solvents, so IPA or acetone will not touch it. | 1 source
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| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — water is a removal solvent, not a welding one. | 1 source
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How to read these values
Values describe representative grades, not every spool. Manufacturer datasheets and independent tests retain their source labels and dates. Printed orientation, test method, conditioning and formulation can change results. Unknown values are —. A listed use is not a certification. Shore A, Shore D and Rockwell hardness are separate scales.
Find a specific filament
1 listingProduct listings and datasheets
Historical USD/kg snapshots. Read each listing’s sale/from qualifiers, spool mass, source date, shipping and tax notes. Product figures are separate from the material summary.
Browse 1 product from 1 brand
FiberlogyBVOH Natural165.72 USD/kg
$82.86 / 500 g spool = $165.72/kg, 3djake.com, Aug 2026
Open product listing ↗- Fiberlogy BVOH Natural — product page · 2026-08 · vendor
- Technical Data Sheet — Fiberlogy BVOH · 2026-08 · tds
| Density (g/cm³) | 1.14 (ISO 1183) |
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|---|---|---|
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm, 0.5 kg |
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| Diameter tolerance (± mm) | 0.02 |
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| Nozzle temperature (°C) | 190–220 |
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| Bed temperature (°C) | 50–70 |
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| Tensile strength (XY) (MPa) | 45 at break (ISO 527) |
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| Elongation at break (%) | 9 at break (ISO 527) |
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| Flexural strength (MPa) | 71 (ISO 178) |
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| Flexural modulus (MPa) | 2900 (ISO 178) |
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| Glass transition (Tg) (°C) | 68 (DSC) |
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| Melting point / Vicat (°C) | 175 melting point (DSC); Vicat 92 (ISO 306) |
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