3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

HIPS vs PA6/66

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

HIPS guidePA66 (Nylon 66) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore HIPS comparisonsMore PA6/66 comparisons
HIPS vs PA6/66 — documented properties and sources
PropertyHIPSABSPA66 (Nylon 66)PA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$29.99/kg median; $27.99–$32.00/kg across 3 dated product listingsNot documented
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryHigh-impact polystyrene — polystyrene toughened with a butadiene rubber phase[1][2]Polyamide 66, condensed from hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid; melts around 40 °C above PA6[3]
Densityg/cm³1.04 (ISO 1183)[1]1.14 (extruded unfilled PA66 stock)[4]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 31[5][6]Not documented
Price range across brandsUSD/kg28–32 across brands; YXPOLYER 28, Push Plastic 30, 3DXTech 32[6][5][7]Not documented
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[5][6]Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide — no unfilled PA66 filament appeared in any catalogue searched, and the 3DXTech nylon range offers PA6, PA12 and a 6/66 copolymer but no straight PA66[5][8]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[6][5]Not documented
Typical applicationsBreak-away and d-limonene-soluble support for ABS and ASA, and a light model material in its own right[2]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C230–245 (Simplify3D)[9]Not documented
Bed temperature°C100–115 (Simplify3D)[9]Not documented
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[10]Enclosure required (passive)[3]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan not required[9]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidGlue stick, glass plate, Kapton tape or PET sheets[9]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield[10]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[9]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — HIPS oozes less than ABS[9][11]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[10]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[10]Not documented
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[10]Not documented
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — no special hot-end required, no drybox and no hardened nozzle, and 3DXTech states drying is not needed[9][12][2]Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[13][14]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[9]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[9]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Low (0.1–0.3 %) — Simplify3D lists water resistance as a headline property[9]Very high (>2 %)[14]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented8.5 at saturation on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D570) — the highest uptake of any polymer in this dataset[4]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[14]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[14]Measured dry against wet on printed specimens at 6.16 % moisture (Polymaker CoPA): tensile 78.0 → 34.3 MPa, Young's modulus 2703 → 724 MPa, flexural strength 109.8 → 22.6 MPa, while notched Charpy rises 6.9 → 27.7 kJ/m² and elongation 12.7 → 13.2 %[15][13]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; less critical than for the polyamides[14]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa40 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]82.7 at yield and 84.8 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 12,000 and 12,300 psi) — no printed figure exists because no unfilled PA66 filament was found[4]
Young's modulusMPa1350 (printed XY, ISO 527) — the lowest modulus of the styrenics here[1]2413 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 350,000 psi)[4]
Elongation at break%18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]50 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638)[4]
Flexural strengthMPa70 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]113.8 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 16,500 psi)[4]
Flexural modulusMPa1600 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]3034 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 440,000 psi)[4]
Other impact dataNot documentedIzod 53 J/m on extruded PA66 stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[4]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Not documented
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedShore D 86 and Rockwell 85 (108) — the source does not name the scales on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2240, D785)[4]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no printed-HIPS creep test found; Tg of 100 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][9]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Moderate[1]Excellent — living hinges viable[3]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Semi-flexible[13]
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedWear factor 200e-10 in3*min/(ft*lb*h) on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D3702); Ensinger lists very good slide and wear properties[4]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented232 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 450 °F)[4]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented90 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi; converted from 194 °F) — the gap to the 0.45 MPa figure is the widest in the dataset[4]
Glass transition (Tg)°C100 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CAmorphous — no melting point[1]255 melting on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2133; converted from 491 °F)[4]
Continuous service temperature°CBounded by a glass transition of 100 °C; no loaded-bar service figure is published for HIPS[1]85 long term and 149 short term on extruded PA66 stock (converted from 185 °F and 300 °F)[4]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented81.0 (extruded PA66 stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.5e-5 in/in/°F)[4]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[1]UL 94 V-2 on extruded PA66 stock[4]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — polystyrene yellows and chalks under UV[16]Not documented
Chemical resistanceDissolves completely in d-limonene — the basis of its use as a soluble support[2]Not documented
Food contactNot food safe[16]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[16]Not documented
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[16]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — insulating (ASTM D257)[1]Volume resistance 1e15 ohm-cm and dielectric constant 4 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D257, D150)[4]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[17]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[17]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the range measured across ABS and the one HIPS filament tested[17]Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon; total VOC reached nearly 200 µg/min, the highest of the nine filaments tested[17]
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈4 × 10⁹ median for the HIPS filament tested, an order of magnitude below ABS but forty times PLA[17]≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[17]
Hazardous species emittedStyrene was the only dominant VOC identified for the HIPS filament tested[17]Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[17]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration[17]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[17]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands and paints readily, like ABS[16]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingSolvent-welds with d-limonene, and with acetone via its polystyrene backbone[9][2]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingd-limonene attacks the surface; acetone smoothing is far less effective than on ABS[2][9]Not documented
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.[18][19][20]Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~80 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[21]
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.[22]Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[21]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentLimonene welds and lightly etches it; acetone welds through the polystyrene backbone but smooths less well than ABS.[18][22]None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[21]

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. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  4. TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  5. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. YXPOLYER HIPS product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  10. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  11. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  16. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. 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
  18. D-Limonene — FDM post-processing guide Filament2Print · 2026-08 · review
  19. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  20. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  21. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  22. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc