Troubleshooting
How do I use PVA/BVOH dissolvable supports?
By SSS
Published . Updated .
- Nozzle215–225 °C(419–437 °F)
- Bed25–60 °C(77–140 °F)
- Speed50–150 mm/s
- Dry80 °C · 12 h(176 °F)
- Density1.13 g/cm³
Speed, Drying. Source: Polymaker TDS
Ranked filaments
| Rank | Filament | Material | Nozzle | Bed | Datasheet | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polymaker · PVA PolyDissolve S1 | PVA | 215–225 °C419–437 °F | 25–60 °C77–140 °F | Datasheet | |
PolyDissolve S1 technical data sheet, read 23 October 2026, lists a nozzle of 215–225 °C (419–437 °F), a bed of 25–60 °C (77–140 °F), and drying at 80 °C (176 °F) for 12 h. The sheet calls it a water-dissolvable support. It does not list minutes in water or a water temperature. | ||||||
| 2 | Bambu Lab · PVA | PVA | 180–210 °C356–410 °F | 50–60 °C122–140 °F | Datasheet | |
Bambu PVA technical data sheet, read 23 October 2026, lists a nozzle of 220–250 °C (428–482 °F), a bed of 35–45 °C (95–113 °F), blast-oven drying at 80 °C (176 °F) for 8–12 h, and solubility in water. No dissolve time is printed. This catalog's row still shows the Open Filament Database nozzle of 180–210 °C (356–410 °F) and bed of 50–60 °C (122–140 °F), with a drying maximum of 80 °C (176 °F) and no hours. | ||||||
| 3 | FormFutura · BVOH | BVOH | 200–230 °C392–446 °F | 65–75 °C149–167 °F | Datasheet | |
Formfutura BVOH technical data sheet, read 23 October 2026, lists a print temperature of 200–230 °C (392–446 °F) and says BVOH dissolves in water at a faster rate than PVA. No minutes and no water temperature are on the sheet. The Open Filament Database bed is 65–75 °C (149–167 °F), dataset imported 13 October 2026. The sheet's bed cell did not extract as a range. | ||||||
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Dissolvable support is a second material that the sheet says will leave in water. Supports is the general support page, including breakaway. MMU is the multi-material path the score-4 comment warns about. Drying is the moisture page. PVA's own hours are below, and they are not a universal drying band.
Sheets, including the Bambu mismatch
PolyDissolve S1, datasheet checked 23 October 2026, is a water-dissolvable support for Polymaker's PLA, TPU, PVB, and nylon. Nozzle 215–225 °C (419–437 °F), bed 25–60 °C (77–140 °F), print speed 50–150 mm/s, drying at 80 °C (176 °F) for 12 h. The compatibility table marks Polymaker ABS and PC as do-not-support. No soak time is listed.
Bambu PVA, datasheet checked 23 October 2026, says it is a water-dissolvable support and lists solubility as soluble in water. Nozzle on that sheet is 220–250 °C (428–482 °F). Bed is 35–45 °C (95–113 °F). Blast-oven drying is 80 °C (176 °F) for 8–12 h. The X1 heatbed method on the same sheet is 90–100 °C (194–212 °F) for 12 h. Print and storage humidity is under 20% RH. The catalog row still shows the Open Filament Database nozzle of 180–210 °C (356–410 °F) and bed of 50–60 °C (122–140 °F), and a drying maximum of 80 °C (176 °F) with the hours blank. Those are two records of the same product name. The datasheet checked for this page is the 220–250 °C (428–482 °F) one. No dissolve time is on it.
Formfutura BVOH, datasheet checked 23 October 2026, calls BVOH a water-soluble support and says it dissolves in water at a faster rate than PVA. No rate, no minutes, and no water temperature are printed. Print temperature on the sheet is 200–230 °C (392–446 °F). The bed in this catalog is the Open Filament Database range, 65–75 °C (149–167 °F), dataset imported 13 October 2026. Fiberlogy BVOH lists 190–220 °C (374–428 °F) and a bed of 50–70 °C (122–158 °F) from the Open Filament Database and stores no drying figure and no dissolve time, so it is not in the table.
What the community says
a Reddit thread in r/FixMyPrint: dries PVA after it has been sitting and uses it in the AMS when it is dry, with breakaway for simpler prints.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Water solubility is quoted from the sheets. The missing clock and the missing water temperature stay missing.
- The Bambu catalog nozzle and the Bambu sheet nozzle are both stated, so the filament page and this note do not pretend to be the same cell.
Cons
- No price is stored on these rows. That word is not a figure here.
- The highest-scored comments are about a print that looks like it is burning. They are not a dissolve procedure.
Printer considerations
- The score-3 comment says PVA that has been sitting must be dried, and that dry PVA can print in the AMS. It is not a substitute for the 8–12 h on the Bambu sheet.
- The score-4 comment cautions that dissolvable support on an MMU can contaminate the other material. It does not finish the sentence.
- That title is not the Bambu sheet. The sheet's blast oven is 80 °C (176 °F) for 8–12 h, and its X1 heatbed method is 90–100 °C (194–212 °F) for 12 h.
Sources & notes
Published . Updated .
- Polymaker PolyDissolve S1 technical data sheet datasheet
- Bambu Lab PVA technical data sheet datasheet
- Formfutura BVOH technical data sheet datasheet
- a Reddit thread in r/FixMyPrint reddit
- a Reddit thread in r/BambuLab reddit
- a Reddit thread in r/prusa3d reddit
- a Reddit thread in r/3Dprinting reddit
- a Reddit thread in r/BambuLab reddit
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Questions
How long do I leave it in the water, and how hot is the water?
Not from these sheets. PolyDissolve S1 says water-dissolvable and good solubility, with no time. Bambu's sheet says soluble in water, with no time. Formfutura's BVOH sheet says a faster rate than PVA, with no rate. Supports already notes that the Bambu page used there did not add a dissolve time. This page still does not add one.
The catalog says Bambu PVA prints at 180–210 °C (356–410 °F). Which number do I use?
The filament page still shows the Open Filament Database nozzle, 180–210 °C (356–410 °F), and a bed of 50–60 °C (122–140 °F). The technical data datasheet checked 23 October 2026 lists 220–250 °C (428–482 °F) and a bed of 35–45 °C (95–113 °F). Use the sheet you are holding for that spool, and do not average the two ranges. Drying on the sheet is 80 °C (176 °F) for 8–12 h in a blast oven.