3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

HIPS vs PC-ESD

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

HIPS guideESD-safe PC guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore HIPS comparisonsMore PC-ESD comparisons
HIPS vs PC-ESD — documented properties and sources
PropertyHIPSABSESD-safe PCPC
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$29.99/kg median; $27.99–$32.00/kg across 3 dated product listings$180.00/kg median; $180.00–$180.00/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryHigh-impact polystyrene — polystyrene toughened with a butadiene rubber phase[1][2]Polycarbonate compounded with a conductive filler for static-dissipative parts[3]
Densityg/cm³1.04 (ISO 1183)[1]1.24 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech); Stratasys specific gravity 1.195 (ASTM D792)[3][4]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 31[5][6]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 180[5]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg28–32 across brands; YXPOLYER 28, Push Plastic 30, 3DXTech 32[6][5][7]180 at 3DXTech's 750 g pricing — the most expensive material in this group[5]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[5][6]Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[5]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[6][5]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g spools plus Stratasys-compatible cartridges[5]
Typical applicationsBreak-away and d-limonene-soluble support for ABS and ASA, and a light model material in its own right[2]Electronics fixtures and trays that need PC heat resistance and static dissipation together[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C230–245 (Simplify3D)[8]Not documented
Bed temperature°C100–115 (Simplify3D)[8]Not documented
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[9]Enclosure required (passive)[9][10]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan not required[8]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidGlue stick, glass plate, Kapton tape or PET sheets[8]PEI with a glue stick or a commercial adhesive[11]
Warping tendency1–5Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield[9]Severe — heated chamber needed[9][10]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[8]Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[11][12]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — HIPS oozes less than ABS[8][13]Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker flags stringing as a common PC problem[12]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[9]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[9]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[9]Hardened steel required[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[9]Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — no special hot-end required, no drybox and no hardened nozzle, and 3DXTech states drying is not needed[8][14][2]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a 120 °C pre-dry[15]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[8]Slightly sensitive[11]
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[8]All-metal hot end required (Simplify3D)[11]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Low (0.1–0.3 %) — Simplify3D lists water resistance as a headline property[8]Low (0.1–0.3 %) — the PC matrix takes up 0.15–0.25 % and 3DXTech specifies a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry[16][17][15]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[18]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[18]
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]No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. Polymaker calls PC highly hygroscopic and requires a 70–80 °C dry for 6–8 h; run wet, the loss shows as surface defects and poor layer adhesion[12][18]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; less critical than for the polyamides[18]Airtight containers with desiccant to prevent reabsorption[12]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa40 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]68 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech) — above the 58 of 3DXTech's unfilled ezPC; Stratasys prints 47.6-49.4 at yield in XZ (ASTM D638)[3][19][4]
Young's modulusMPa1350 (printed XY, ISO 527) — the lowest modulus of the styrenics here[1]2300 (printed XY, ISO 527); Stratasys prints 1960 in XZ and 1810-1910 in ZX (ASTM D638)[3][4]
Elongation at break%18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]6 at break (printed XY, ISO 527), against 14 for the unfilled grade[3][19]
Flexural strengthMPa70 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]95 (printed XY, ISO 178); Stratasys prints 82.6-83.2 at break in XZ against 46.3-49.5 in ZX (ASTM D790)[3][4]
Flexural modulusMPa1600 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]2310 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented32.5-37.9 at yield printed ZX (Stratasys, ASTM D638 on the Fortus 450mc and F900)[4]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Moderate[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedRockwell 70 (118) — the source does not name the scales and Shore D 79 on extruded unfilled PC stock (ASTM D785, D2240); no figure is published for an ESD grade[20]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no printed-HIPS creep test found; Tg of 100 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][8]Excellent — holds load for years. Moulded unfilled PC was still running unbroken under 41 MPa tensile creep at room temperature when the test was stopped, and the conductive filler leaves the glass transition unchanged at 142 °C, so the creep mechanism is polycarbonate's[21][4]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Moderate[1]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[3]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented68-77 (Stratasys ZX against XZ tensile yield, ASTM D638)[4]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented143-146 printed in XY, XZ and ZX (Stratasys, ASTM D648 Method B at 66 psi); 135 moulded[4]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented140-144 printed in XY, XZ and ZX (Stratasys, ASTM D648 Method B at 264 psi); 124 moulded[4]
Glass transition (Tg)°C100 (DSC)[1]143 (DSC, 3DXTech) and 142 (Stratasys, ASTM D7426)[3][4]
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]113 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament PC Blend[17]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented68.4 on extruded unfilled PC stock (ASTM D696; source states 3.8e-5 in/in/°F); no figure is published for a conductive-filled grade[20]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[1]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — polystyrene yellows and chalks under UV[22]Not documented
Chemical resistanceDissolves completely in d-limonene — the basis of its use as a soluble support[2]Withstands oils, solvents and fuels; Polymaker rates it good against weak acids[12]
Food contactNot food safe[22]Bisphenol-A polycarbonate is not offered as food-contact filament[12]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[22]Not biodegradable[12]
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[22]Mechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[12]
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — insulating (ASTM D257)[1]Surface resistance 10⁷–10⁹ ohm/sq, the static-dissipative band (ASTM D257), against above 10¹³ for unfilled ezPC[3][19]
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]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈4 × 10⁹ median for the HIPS filament tested, an order of magnitude below ABS but forty times PLA[23]≈4 × 10¹⁰ median — the highest ultrafine-particle rate of the nine filaments in the chamber study, above every ABS tested[23]
Hazardous species emittedStyrene was the only dominant VOC identified for the HIPS filament tested[23]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration[23]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[23][9]
Dust & fibre handling hazardNot documentedConductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[3]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands and paints readily, like ABS[22]Sands and machines well; the toughness means it cuts rather than chips[11]
Gluing & solvent weldingSolvent-welds with d-limonene, and with acetone via its polystyrene backbone[8][2]Cyanoacrylate; dichloromethane solvent-welds PC but is a laboratory reagent[11]
Vapour / chemical smoothingd-limonene attacks the surface; acetone smoothing is far less effective than on ABS[2][8]No practical vapour smoothing[11]
Support material pairingUsed as the support material itself — dissolves in d-limonene, or breaks away from ABS and ASA[2]Prints its own supports; 3DXTech sells a dedicated PC break-away support[11]
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]Dichloromethane, chloroform, DMF and dioxane dissolve it outright (Covestro, 6 days at 23 °C). 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]Methanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell 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]Dichloromethane cement welds PC — 16.5 MPa lap shear at one week (IPS Weld-On 3). A controlled carcinogen.[29]

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. 3DXSTAT ESD-PC Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  4. PC-ESD — FDM Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2024-10 · 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. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  9. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  10. PolyLite PC Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  11. Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  12. PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  15. 3DXSTAT ESD-PC — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V2.0 — PC Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  17. Prusament PC Blend Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  18. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. ezPC Polycarbonate Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  20. TECANAT natural (PC) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  21. Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
  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. Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
  28. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  29. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds