3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

HIPS vs PA6-CF

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

HIPS guideCarbon-fibre PA6 (PA6-CF) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore HIPS comparisonsMore PA6-CF comparisons
HIPS vs PA6-CF — documented properties and sources
PropertyHIPSABSCarbon-fibre PA6 (PA6-CF)PA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$29.99/kg median; $27.99–$32.00/kg across 3 dated product listings$62.48/kg median; $39.00–$133.32/kg across 6 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryHigh-impact polystyrene — polystyrene toughened with a butadiene rubber phase[1][2]PA6 reinforced with chopped carbon fibre — Polymaker's grade is 20 wt%[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.04 (ISO 1183)[1]1.09 (Bambu Lab), 1.17 (Polymaker Fiberon and 3DXTech), ISO 1183[4][3][5]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 31[6][7]1 kg-equivalent spools span 39–133; the middle of the market is about 80[4][8][9][10]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg28–32 across brands; YXPOLYER 28, Push Plastic 30, 3DXTech 32[7][6][11]39–133 across brands; IEMAI 3D 39, Bambu Lab 43, YXPOLYER 45, Polymaker Fiberon 80, 3DXTech CarbonX 83, Obsidian 133[4][8][12][6][9][10]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[6][7]Stocked by most mainstream brands[4][8][6][12][9][10]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[7][6]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 2 kg spools[8][6][4]
Typical applicationsBreak-away and d-limonene-soluble support for ABS and ASA, and a light model material in its own right[2]Load-bearing brackets, tooling and drone frames that must hold strength above 150 °C[4][3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C230–245 (Simplify3D)[13]260–290 (Bambu Lab); 280–300 (Polymaker Fiberon)[4][3]
Bed temperature°C100–115 (Simplify3D)[13]40–50 (Polymaker Fiberon)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[14]Enclosure required (passive) — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber, Polymaker room temperature[4][3]
Recommended chamber temperature°CNot documented45–60 (Bambu Lab); room temperature (Polymaker Fiberon)[4][3]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan not required[13]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidGlue stick, glass plate, Kapton tape or PET sheets[13]Engineering or high-temperature plate with glue (Bambu Lab)[4]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented8 at Bambu Lab's 100 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer; Polymaker rates its grade to 300 mm/s[4][3][15]
Warping tendency1–5Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield[14]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[13]Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[4]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — HIPS oozes less than ABS[13][16]Moderate — retraction tuning needed[17]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[14]Expert / industrial hardware only — enclosure, hardened nozzle, an 80 °C dry and a printer that can hold the filament dry throughout[4][3][18]
Extruder requirementNot documented0.6 mm nozzle recommended by Bambu Lab; 0.4 and 0.8 also supported[4]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[14]Hardened steel required — Polymaker measures brass nozzle life at about 9 h on PA6-CF20 and recommends hardened steel or ruby[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[14]Highly abrasive — standard CF composite; Polymaker puts brass nozzle life at roughly 9 h[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — no special hot-end required, no drybox and no hardened nozzle, and 3DXTech states drying is not needed[13][19][2]Very high — frequent jams without careful setup; the combination of moisture and fibre is the worst case in the dataset[18][3]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[13]Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[20]
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[13]Hardened steel or ruby nozzle plus an all-metal hot end rated to 300 °C[3][4]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Low (0.1–0.3 %) — Simplify3D lists water resistance as a headline property[13]Very high (>2 %) — 2.35 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[4]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented2.35 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[4]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented80 °C for 8–12 h (Bambu Lab); 100 °C for 10 h (Polymaker Fiberon)[4][3]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[18]Popping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[21]
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[18]Polymaker publishes dry and wet printed blocks for PA6-CF20 itself: at 5.30 % moisture tensile falls 109.3 → 54.7 MPa and modulus 8636 → 2508 MPa, while notched Charpy rises 11.0 → 35.6 kJ/m². Fibre reinforcement reduces but does not remove the effect[3][21]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; less critical than for the polyamides[18]Sealed below 20 % RH with desiccant; often needs to stay in a dryer while printing[18]
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[3][22]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa40 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]102 ± 7 (Bambu Lab) and 109.3 ± 2.4 (Polymaker Fiberon, dry/annealed) printed XY, ISO 527; the Fiberon grade falls to 54.7 ± 1.1 conditioned to 5.30 % moisture; 3DXTech quotes 63 at break[4][3][5]
Young's modulusMPa1350 (printed XY, ISO 527) — the lowest modulus of the styrenics here[1]4430 ± 310 (Bambu Lab) and 8636 ± 211 (Polymaker Fiberon, dry/annealed) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberon falls to 2508 ± 83 conditioned; 3DXTech quotes 3800[4][3][5]
Elongation at break%18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]5.8 ± 1.6 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); 3DXTech quotes 3 at break[4][5]
Flexural strengthMPa70 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]161.0 ± 3.9 printed XY dry, 64.9 ± 4.9 conditioned, ISO 178 (Polymaker Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 84[3][5]
Flexural modulusMPa1600 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]7038 ± 205 printed XY dry and 2286 ± 185 conditioned, ISO 178 (Polymaker Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 3750[3][5]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented11.0 ± 0.3 printed XY dry and 35.6 ± 1.2 conditioned, ISO 179 notched (Polymaker Fiberon)[3]
Other impact dataNot documentedCharpy unnotched 24.0 ± 1.0 printed XY dry and 73.0 ± 2.0 conditioned, 7.5 ± 2.7 printed Z dry (Polymaker Fiberon); Bambu Lab 40.3 ± 2.5 unnotched, 13.4 ± 1.7 notched[3][4]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented48 ± 6 (Bambu Lab) and 54.0 ± 5.2 (Polymaker Fiberon, dry) printed Z, ISO 527; Fiberon falls to 25.5 ± 1.2 conditioned[4][3]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Moderate[4][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 carbon-fibre nylon filament[23]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no printed-HIPS creep test found; Tg of 100 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][13]Good. Ensinger rates its PA66-CF30 injection-moulding compound for exceptional performance under both static and dynamic loading with 110 °C continuous service; in a printed part the fibre restrains the matrix, but conditioning to equilibrium moisture still softens it[24][21]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Moderate[1]Good. Ensinger states its PA66-CF30 compound has improved fatigue strength in tension, flexure and compression against unfilled and glass-filled PA66[24]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[4]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented47 (Bambu Lab) to 49 (Polymaker Fiberon), printed[4][3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented186 (Bambu Lab) and 215 (Polymaker Fiberon), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[4][3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented164 (Bambu Lab) and 173 (Polymaker Fiberon), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[4][3]
Glass transition (Tg)°C100 (DSC)[1]68 (Bambu Lab) to 74.2 (Polymaker Fiberon), DSC; 3DXTech quotes 70[4][3][5]
Melting point / Vicat°CAmorphous — no melting point[1]223 melting (Bambu Lab, DSC); Vicat 212 (ISO 306)[4]
Continuous service temperature°CBounded by a glass transition of 100 °C; no loaded-bar service figure is published for HIPS[1]Bounded by heat deflection of 164–173 °C at 1.8 MPa; no loaded-bar service figure is published[4][3]
Annealing responseNot documented100 °C for 16 h (Polymaker Fiberon)[3]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented94 in the XY direction and 180 in Z, measured on XY-built specimens (79 and 148 on XZ/ZX-built specimens), room temperature to 60 °C, ASTM E831. From Stratasys FDM Nylon-CF10, a blended-nylon matrix with 10 wt% carbon fibre — the closest published printed CTE for a carbon-fibre nylon[25]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[1]Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[3]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — polystyrene yellows and chalks under UV[26]Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows and chalks under UV[17]
Chemical resistanceDissolves completely in d-limonene — the basis of its use as a soluble support[2]Withstands oils, fuels and alkalis[17]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedAbsorbs water, properties shift[21]
Food contactNot food safe[26]Not food-contact certified[17]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[26]Not biodegradable[17]
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[26]Fibre-filled polyamide is not accepted in household plastic collection[17]
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — insulating (ASTM D257)[1]Surface resistance above 10⁹ ohm/sq — not static-dissipative (3DXTech, ASTM D257)[5]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[27]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[27]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the range measured across ABS and the one HIPS filament tested[27]Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[27]
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈4 × 10⁹ median for the HIPS filament tested, an order of magnitude below ABS but forty times PLA[27]≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[27]
Hazardous species emittedStyrene was the only dominant VOC identified for the HIPS filament tested[27]Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[27]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration[27]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[27]
Dust & fibre handling hazardNot documentedFibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[3]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands and paints readily, like ABS[26]Sands to a matte finish; the fibre makes it cut more cleanly than unfilled nylon[20]
Gluing & solvent weldingSolvent-welds with d-limonene, and with acetone via its polystyrene backbone[13][2]Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[20]
Vapour / chemical smoothingd-limonene attacks the surface; acetone smoothing is far less effective than on ABS[2][13]No practical vapour smoothing[20]
Support material pairingUsed as the support material itself — dissolves in d-limonene, or breaks away from ABS and ASA[2]PolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker Fiberon)[3]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedConditioned parts grow; Polymaker declines to publish a standard dimensional allowance because it depends on geometry and infill[21]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble ind-limonene, 12–24 h submerged with occasional agitation; acetone also dissolves it, and xylene does so at 23 °C.[28][29][30]Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[31]
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.[32]Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[31]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentLimonene welds and lightly etches it; acetone welds through the polystyrene backbone but smooths less well than ABS.[28][32]None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[31]

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. Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  4. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  5. CarbonX Carbon Fiber Nylon (Gen3) Technical Data Sheet v3.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  6. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. YXPOLYER PA6 CF-Black 1 kg — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. IEMAI 3D CF-PA6 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. YXPOLYER HIPS product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  14. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  16. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  17. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  22. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  23. TECAMID 66 GF30 black (PA66-GF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  24. TECACOMP PA66 CF30 black — injection-moulding compound Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  25. FDM Nylon-CF10 — Material Data Sheet (blended nylon, 10 wt% carbon fibre) Stratasys · 2026-08 · tds
  26. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  27. 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
  28. D-Limonene — FDM post-processing guide Filament2Print · 2026-08 · review
  29. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  30. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  31. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  32. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc