Filament
PVA
Water-soluble support for multi-material printing: it prints alongside the part and then dissolves in water, with no solvents and no tools. UltiMaker publishes a specific gravity of 1.23 g/cm³ to ASTM D1505 for its PVA, a 58.4 °C glass transition and a 175.4 °C melting point. It is the most moisture-sensitive filament on this list.
Safety and handling
It is one of the least problematic materials in emissions terms, and its solvent is water rather than a chemical. Even so: water with dissolved PVA carries filament and additive residue; pour it down the drain only if your plumbing allows, and never if you have combined PVA with resins or solvents. Always store the spool in an airtight bag with silica gel; damp PVA is not dangerous, but it is money wasted. UltiMaker recommends not leaving it loaded in the machine between prints.
Technical profile
- Nozzle temperature
- —
- Bed temperature
- —
- Heated bed
- —
- Enclosure
- Not needed
- Density
- 1.23 g/cm³
- Absorbs moisture
- Yes
- Drying
- —
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Typical price per kilo in Mexico
Price not verified
Strengths
- Dissolves in plain water: no solvents, no special ventilation, no prying supports off by hand
- Enables internal geometry that is impossible to print any other way
- Good adhesion to PLA, PETG and nylon-based filaments
- UltiMaker describes it as biodegradable in natural fresh water with no hazardous by-products
- Clean finish in cavities and overhangs where ordinary supports would leave marks
Weaknesses
- Extremely hygroscopic: Prusa insists on returning it to its zip bag with desiccant right after use
- It degrades within months if exposed to humidity, then jams on load and unload
- Low volumetric flow (4 mm³/s versus 15 mm³/s for PLA), which lengthens prints substantially
- Expensive per kilo compared with ordinary supports
- UltiMaker advises against using it as support for ABS, CPE+, PC and PP
Common uses
- Soluble support on multi-material and dual-extruder printers
- Internal channels, threads and closed cavities
- Moving assemblies printed in one go
- Moulds that are later dissolved away
Related problems
Documented printing defects that show up with this material.
Work out your cost
How much material a part uses and what it costs to print, with the formula in plain sight.
- Quiz: which 3D printer suits me?
- Filament calculator: grams, metres and pesos
- Resin calculator: millilitres, grams and cost
- 3D print cost calculator in Mexican pesos
- 3D printer power consumption calculator
- 3D printing material comparator
- Nozzle and layer height reference
- Diagnostic tree: find your failure by symptom
- STL vs 3MF: which to use and how to convert
- 3D printer comparator
- 3D printing glossary search
Sources
- [1]Water-soluble materials (PVA/BVOH) | Prusa Knowledge BasePrusa Research · Manufacturer · accessed July 27, 2026
- [2]Ultimaker PVA — Technical data sheet v5.00UltiMaker · Manufacturer · accessed July 27, 2026