PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) filament is a water soluble material mainly used to print support material.
It adheres well to PLA and ABS and dissolves in hot water in a number of hours, leaving behind exceptionally clean overhangs. It will extrude well through a standard extruder and tends to ooze badly. It sticks well to painters tape, and less well to PET. We recommend putting a few strips of painters tape down and printing with 2-3 layers of raft if you're using PVA as a support material.
Since PVA filament dissolves in water it may not suitable for most parts. The filament must be stored with a drying agent, since it will absorb moisture out of the air.
- Great for interior cavities and intricate parts that make removing support by hand difficult.
- Leaves no residue on the bottom surface of the part.
- Is mildly flexible at room temperature, making support material removal a bit easier.
- Can print with embedded fibers and then dissolved, making it an interesting material for 3D printed tissue scaffolds.
- Sticks well to blue painters tape.