3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

HIPS vs PLA Silk

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

HIPS guideSilk PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore HIPS comparisonsMore PLA Silk comparisons
HIPS vs PLA Silk — documented properties and sources
PropertyHIPSABSSilk PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$29.99/kg median; $27.99–$32.00/kg across 3 dated product listings$19.49/kg median; $9.75–$24.99/kg across 15 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryHigh-impact polystyrene — polystyrene toughened with a butadiene rubber phase[1][2]PLA with a gloss-forming additive package; suppliers publish the composition as polylactic acid only[3]
Densityg/cm³1.04 (ISO 1183)[1]1.27 (ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 31[4][5]Mainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[6][7][8]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg28–32 across brands; YXPOLYER 28, Push Plastic 30, 3DXTech 32[5][4][9]10–25 across brands; CHCKX 10 in a 16-roll bundle, SUNLU 13, LANDU 18, YXPOLYER 20, Polymaker 22, Devil Design 25[10][11][12][13][14]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[4][5]Stocked by most mainstream brands[6][10][15]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[5][4]1.75 mm; 1 and 1.1 kg spools; dual- and tri-colour coextruded variants[16][17]
Typical applicationsBreak-away and d-limonene-soluble support for ABS and ASA, and a light model material in its own right[2]Decorative prints where surface gloss matters more than strength[3]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[18]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C230–245 (Simplify3D)[19]210–240 — 20 °C above the plain PLA window[3]
Bed temperature°C100–115 (Simplify3D)[19]35–45[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[20]Open frame is fine[3][21]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan not required[19]Fan on[3]
Bed surface & adhesion aidGlue stick, glass plate, Kapton tape or PET sheets[19]Cool Plate SuperTack, smooth PEI or textured PEI[3]
Warping tendency1–5Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield[20]None[3]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[19]Sticks to anything[22]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — HIPS oozes less than ABS[19][23]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[20]Easy — minor profile tuning; hotter nozzle and slower cap of 250 mm/s[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[20]Brass fine indefinitely[21]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[20]Non-abrasive[24][21]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — no special hot-end required, no drybox and no hardened nozzle, and 3DXTech states drying is not needed[19][21][2]Very low[21]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[19]Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[25]
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[19]No special hot-end required[22]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Low (0.1–0.3 %) — Simplify3D lists water resistance as a headline property[19]Moderate — 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.40 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[3]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented55 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer, or 65–75 °C for 12 h on an X1 heatbed[3][26]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[27]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[27]
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[27]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[27]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; less critical than for the polyamides[27]Sealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[28][22]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa40 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]33 (printed XY, ISO 527); eSun Silk broke 22 % below the 16-brand PLA mean on identical 4×4 mm bars[3][29]
Young's modulusMPa1350 (printed XY, ISO 527) — the lowest modulus of the styrenics here[1]2130 (printed XY, ISO 527)[3]
Elongation at break%18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]2.8 (printed XY, ISO 527) — a quarter of PLA Basic at 12.2[3][28]
Flexural strengthMPa70 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]75 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Flexural modulusMPa1600 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]2460 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented10.3 (printed XY, ISO 179, notched); unnotched 18.5[3]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented25 (printed Z, ISO 527), and flexural Z collapses to 30 against 75 in XY; eSun Silk broke at 12.3 kg where twelve of the 16 plain PLAs managed 44.6–61.5 kg[3][29][30]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Brittle — snaps with little warning[3]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no printed-HIPS creep test found; Tg of 100 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][19]Poor — no silk-specific creep data published; plain PLA sagged from 12 to 18.7–20.3 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[31][32]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Moderate[1]Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength (R = 0.2)[33][25]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[3]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented76 by tensile, 40 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented60 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented56 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°C100 (DSC)[1]57 (DSC)[3]
Melting point / Vicat°CAmorphous — no melting point[1]158 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 66 °C[3]
Continuous service temperature°CBounded by a glass transition of 100 °C; no loaded-bar service figure is published for HIPS[1]50 — a loaded bar begins to move at this temperature (My Tech Fun, eSun eSilk PLA)[30]
Annealing responseNot documented50–55 °C for 6–12 h[3]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[1]Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[28][34]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — polystyrene yellows and chalks under UV[35]Degrades within weeks outdoors[25][36]
Chemical resistanceDissolves completely in d-limonene — the basis of its use as a soluble support[2]Good against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[34][25]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedGood — insoluble in water[28]
Food contactNot food safe[35]Base resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[25]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[35]Industrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[37][25]
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[35]Mechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[37]
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — insulating (ASTM D257)[1]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[38]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[38]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the range measured across ABS and the one HIPS filament tested[38]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[38]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedStyrene was the only dominant VOC identified for the HIPS filament tested[38]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration[38]None needed in a normal room[38]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands and paints readily, like ABS[35]Wet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[36][25]
Gluing & solvent weldingSolvent-welds with d-limonene, and with acetone via its polystyrene backbone[19][2]Cyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[25][39]
Vapour / chemical smoothingd-limonene attacks the surface; acetone smoothing is far less effective than on ABS[2][19]No practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[25]
Support material pairingUsed as the support material itself — dissolves in d-limonene, or breaks away from ABS and ASA[2]Support for PLA (Bambu Lab)[3]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documented55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges; gloss hides fine detail and is destroyed by sanding[3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble ind-limonene, 12–24 h submerged with occasional agitation; acetone also dissolves it, and xylene does so at 23 °C.[40][41][42]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[43]
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.[44]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[43][45]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentLimonene welds and lightly etches it; acetone welds through the polystyrene backbone but smooths less well than ABS.[40][44]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[46][45]

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. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PLA Silk+ Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  4. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Panchroma Silk PLA collection Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Spectrum PLA Silk — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. 3DJake ecoPLA Silk Black 1.75mm 1000g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. YXPOLYER HIPS product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Sunlu Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1kg Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Bambu Lab PLA Silk 1.75mm 1kg 3D Universe · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. CHCKX 16 Pack Silk Dual Color PLA Filament Bundle CHCKX (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. YXPOLYER Silk PLA Black&Gold product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. LANDU Silk Tri-Color PLA Filament 1.75 mm 1 kg LANDU (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. Overture Silk PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. eSUN PLA-Silk Magic 1.75mm eSUN Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. JAYO Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1.1kg JAYO Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  19. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  20. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  22. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  23. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  25. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  26. Filament Drying Recommendations Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  27. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  28. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  29. 16 PLA brand comparison test — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2022-10 · test
  30. Testing eSun PLA filaments: PLA-ST vs PLA+ vs Silk PLA My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  31. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  32. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  33. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  34. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  35. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  36. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  37. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  38. 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
  39. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  40. D-Limonene — FDM post-processing guide Filament2Print · 2026-08 · review
  41. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  42. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  43. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  44. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  45. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  46. Effect of vapour smoothing in trichloromethane on 3D printed PLA — surface, mechanical and chemical structure Pitale, Keche & Chopra, Engineering Research Express 6(4) 045579 · 2024-12 · paper