Hi, has anyone experience printing protein structure models or other intricate models requiring internal supports? I’ve had some partial success using PVA as support for PLA silk+ and my AMS, the challenges being getting The PVA and PLA to adhere well but then also the final model being sufficiently stiff or strong to not break easily. While the curls (called alpha helices) are sturdy, protein structures also have these loops.
What material other than PLA would you recommend in combination with PVA that also looks pretty afterwards?
Thanks for any suggestions and links to other posts that might be helpful.
Not sure about replacing the PLA for something nicer looking.
But you could consider replacing the PVA with BVOH. I like to use the Fiberlogy BVOH. Similar to PVA, it needs to be bone dry and requires a bit of tweaking of the settings (keep nozzle temp below 240°C!!!), but it is a pretty good soluble support (interface) material for PLA.
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Thanks, I’ll see where I can get BVOH, sounds interesting
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I got mine from Amazon 
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Thanks, now I see it. Weirdly, Amazon wouldn’t show me when I added ‘1.75mm’ to my search, just all kind of other filaments.
BVOH is pricy!
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Slightly more than PVA. But if dry, it prints better with good PLA adhesion. I usually only use it for the interface which is why it is lasting me for ages.
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