Specialty
PVA: full cost overview
PVA dissolves in water, making it the cleanest support material for multi-material printers (IDEX, tool-changers, AMS-class). Doubles or triples filament cost on jobs with overhangs, but eliminates support-removal time and surface scarring. Only use on a dual-material setup.
Specs
- Typical price
- ~$55.00/kg
- Print temperature
- 180–210 °C
- Bed temperature
- 45–60 °C
- Enclosed chamber
- Optional
- Food-safe
- No
- Difficulty
- ★★★☆☆
When to use
- • Multi-material support on IDEX printers
- • AMS / tool-changer multi-tool prints
- • Complex internal cavities that can't be reached
- • Show-pieces where support marks ruin the finish
When NOT to use
- • Single-extruder printers
- • Humid environments (PVA absorbs moisture)
- • Cost-sensitive jobs (PVA is expensive)
- • Visible structural prints
Sample calculation
For a 50 g part on a Bambu Lab A1, 6 h print time and 8% failure rate. Currency follows your selection at the top.
- Filament$2.75
- Energy$0.14
- Amortization$0.15
- Failures (8%)$0.24
- Unit Cost$3.28
- Final Consumer Price (3× / 6% / 2%)$14.28