3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

HIPS vs PA12-GF

Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.

HIPS guideGlass-fibre PA12 (PA12-GF) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore HIPS comparisonsMore PA12-GF comparisons
HIPS vs PA12-GF — documented properties and sources
PropertyHIPSABSGlass-fibre PA12 (PA12-GF)PA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$29.99/kg median; $27.99–$32.00/kg across 3 dated product listings$130.67/kg median; $46.00–$140.18/kg across 3 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryHigh-impact polystyrene — polystyrene toughened with a butadiene rubber phase[1][2]PA12 reinforced with chopped glass fibre — 3DXTech's grade is nominally 30 wt%[3]
Densityg/cm³1.04 (ISO 1183)[1]1.23 (ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 31[4][5]1 kg-equivalent spools span 46–140; the middle of the market is about 88[4][6][7]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg28–32 across brands; YXPOLYER 28, Push Plastic 30, 3DXTech 32[5][4][8]46–140 across brands; IEMAI 3D 46, 3DXTech 131 at 750 g and 130 at 2 kg, PrimaCreator NylonPower Glass Fiber 140 at 500 g[4][6][7]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[4][5]Available from several mainstream brands[4][6]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[5][4]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75 and 2 kg spools[4][7]
Typical applicationsBreak-away and d-limonene-soluble support for ABS and ASA, and a light model material in its own right[2]Stiff, humidity-stable structural parts — the glass gives the modulus, the PA12 matrix limits the moisture drift[3][9]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C230–245 (Simplify3D)[10]Not documented
Bed temperature°C100–115 (Simplify3D)[10]Not documented
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[11]Enclosure required (passive)[12]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan not required[10]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidGlue stick, glass plate, Kapton tape or PET sheets[10]PEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[13][12]
Warping tendency1–5Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield[11]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[10]Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[13]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — HIPS oozes less than ABS[10][14]Moderate — retraction tuning needed[12]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[11]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[12]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[11]Hardened steel required — no nozzle-life figure is published for a PA12-GF30 grade; Polymaker measures about 9 h of brass nozzle life on its comparable fibre-filled nylons[15]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[11]Highly abrasive — standard GF composite[15]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — no special hot-end required, no drybox and no hardened nozzle, and 3DXTech states drying is not needed[10][16][2]High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[17]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[10]Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[13]
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[10]May require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[13]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Low (0.1–0.3 %) — Simplify3D lists water resistance as a headline property[10]High (0.8–2 %) — the PA12 matrix takes up far less than PA6, on the evidence of Polymaker's 1.5 % for PA12-CF10 against 3.33 % for PA6-GF25[18][19]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[17]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; absorbed water flashes to steam in the hotend and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[17]Polymaker's PA12 grades change little between wet and dry, unlike PA6; the CoPA dry-to-wet blocks show the PA6-type response[9][20]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; less critical than for the polyamides[17]Sealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[17]
Hydrolysis at melt temperatureNot documentedPolymaker specifies an 80–100 °C dry and storage below 20 % RH; no molecular-weight loss figure is published, and the wet data it does publish is conditioning rather than melt hydrolysis[15][20]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa40 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]82 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[3]
Young's modulusMPa1350 (printed XY, ISO 527) — the lowest modulus of the styrenics here[1]7800 (printed XY, ISO 527)[3]
Elongation at break%18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]4.5 at break (printed XY, ISO 527) — nearly double the 2.4 % of Polymaker's PA6-GF25[3][19]
Flexural strengthMPa70 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]94 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Flexural modulusMPa1600 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]7550 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Moderate[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedRockwell M88 / R117 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a glass-fibre PA12 filament[21]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no printed-HIPS creep test found; Tg of 100 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][10]Good. Ensinger lists high creep resistance for extruded PA66-GF30 stock, and the PA12 matrix absorbs far less water than PA6, so a PA12-GF part holds load better in a humid environment[21][12]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Moderate[1]Good. Ensinger lists high fatigue strength as a headline property of extruded PA66-GF30 stock[21]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[3]
Thermal Properties
Glass transition (Tg)°C100 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CAmorphous — no melting point[1]Not documented
Continuous service temperature°CBounded by a glass transition of 100 °C; no loaded-bar service figure is published for HIPS[1]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented48.6 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D696; source states 2.7e-5 in/in/°F) — no figure is published for a glass-fibre PA12 filament[21]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[1]Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[15]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — polystyrene yellows and chalks under UV[22]Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows under UV[12]
Chemical resistanceDissolves completely in d-limonene — the basis of its use as a soluble support[2]Withstands oils, fuels and alkalis[12]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedGood — minor absorption relative to PA6-based composites[9]
Food contactNot food safe[22]Not food-contact certified as filament[12]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[22]Not biodegradable[12]
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[22]Not accepted in household plastic collection[12]
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — insulating (ASTM D257)[1]Surface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — insulating (ASTM D257)[3]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[23]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[23]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the range measured across ABS and the one HIPS filament tested[23]Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[23]
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈4 × 10⁹ median for the HIPS filament tested, an order of magnitude below ABS but forty times PLA[23]≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[23]
Hazardous species emittedStyrene was the only dominant VOC identified for the HIPS filament tested[23]Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[23]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration[23]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[23]
Dust & fibre handling hazardNot documentedGlass fibre is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[3]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands and paints readily, like ABS[22]Sands poorly — gums rather than powders[13]
Gluing & solvent weldingSolvent-welds with d-limonene, and with acetone via its polystyrene backbone[10][2]Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[13]
Vapour / chemical smoothingd-limonene attacks the surface; acetone smoothing is far less effective than on ABS[2][10]No practical vapour smoothing[13]
Support material pairingUsed as the support material itself — dissolves in d-limonene, or breaks away from ABS and ASA[2]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble ind-limonene, 12–24 h submerged with occasional agitation; acetone also dissolves it, and xylene does so at 23 °C.[24][25][26]Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[27]
Softened or crazed byLimonene also disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades, so an ABS model can flake apart in the same bath.[28]Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[27]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentLimonene welds and lightly etches it; acetone welds through the polystyrene backbone but smooths less well than ABS.[24][28]None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[27]

Material entries describe families or representative grades, not an interchangeable specification for every spool. Test methods, orientations and conditions may differ. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.

Sources for this comparison

  1. 3DXMAX HIPS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. 3DXMAX HIPS — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. FibreX PA12-GF30 Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  4. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. IEMAI 3D GF-PA12 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. PrimaCreator SELECT NylonPower Glass Fiber product page PrimaCreator · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. YXPOLYER HIPS product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  10. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  11. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  12. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  14. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  16. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Fiberon PA12-CF10 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2025-02 · tds
  19. Fiberon PA6-GF25 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  20. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  21. TECAMID 66 GF30 black (PA66-GF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  22. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Emissions of Ultrafine Particles and Volatile Organic Compounds from Commercially Available Desktop Three-Dimensional Printers with Multiple Filaments (Azimi et al.) Environmental Science & Technology 50(3) 1260-1268 · 2016-01 · paper
  24. D-Limonene — FDM post-processing guide Filament2Print · 2026-08 · review
  25. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  26. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  27. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  28. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc