PVA filament: dissolvable supports

What PVA is used for

Polyvinyl alcohol dissolves in warm water. In a printer with several materials it is added as a second filament and used to print supports under overhangs and in cavities. After printing, the part is soaked and the supports vanish, leaving no marks or residue.

It suits internal channels, overhangs and cavities that you cannot reach with a tool.

Why you do not usually see it

• It absorbs moisture from the air, so it has to be stored dry and printed quickly.
• It is expensive, often many times the price of PLA.
• It has proven best with PLA and bonds less well with PETG.
• Dissolving takes hours, and then you have to get rid of the sticky solution.

PVA and our range

We do not print PVA. We offer PLA (€8 per kg) and PETG (€9 per kg). We generate supports automatically from the same material as the part, and they are included in the price. After printing they are snapped off, and a rougher mark may remain on the surface after removal.

Want a clean part? Design it so that supports are not needed: overhangs under 45 degrees, splitting it in two (splitting a model) or a suitable rotation (model orientation). It helps the price too, because supports use material and time.

When it pays to limit supports

Automatic supports add time and material, which you pay for in the price. It therefore pays to check the part before uploading and see whether the supports can be reduced. An overhang that works without supports often saves a good deal of time. See also tree supports, which damage the surface less.

We remove the supports after printing, but we do not offer surface finishing such as sanding or painting.