3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
HIPS vs PPA
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | HIPSABS | PPA (polyphthalamide)PA |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $29.99/kg median; $27.99–$32.00/kg across 3 dated product listings | $45.49/kg median; $45.49–$45.49/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | High-impact polystyrene — polystyrene toughened with a butadiene rubber phase[1][2] | Polyphthalamide — a semi-aromatic polyamide in which aromatic diacid units replace part of the aliphatic backbone; Raise3D and Bambu Lab both label it high-temperature nylon[3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.04 (ISO 1183)[1] | 1.21 (ISO 1183, Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA)[5] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg spools cluster near 31[6][7] | One 1 kg listing on the market, at 45[8] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 28–32 across brands; YXPOLYER 28, Push Plastic 30, 3DXTech 32[7][6][9] | 45 for the only unfilled PPA filament found — Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA at 1 kg; every other PPA in retail is carbon- or glass-filled[8] |
| Market availability1–5 | Available from several mainstream brands[6][7] | Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide — Siraya Tech is the only brand found selling unfilled PPA filament[8] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[7][6] | 1.75 mm, 1 kg[8] |
| Typical applications | Break-away and d-limonene-soluble support for ABS and ASA, and a light model material in its own right[2] | Gears, bearings and tooling that must hold load above the reach of PA6 or PA12, and parts exposed to fuels and industrial chemicals[5] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 230–245 (Simplify3D)[10] | 280–300 (Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Bed temperature°C | 100–115 (Simplify3D)[10] | 70–80 (Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure recommended[11] | Enclosure recommended — Siraya Tech advises an enclosure to hold temperature and limit warping on larger prints[5] |
| Part cooling fan | Part cooling fan not required[10] | 20–60 % (Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Glue stick, glass plate, Kapton tape or PET sheets[10] | PEI sheet with a glue stick, or a PVP glue coating[5] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield[11] | Not documented |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[10] | Not documented |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Slight — HIPS oozes less than ABS[10][12] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[11] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; needs a 300 °C-class hot end and a dry spool[5] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[11] | Brass fine indefinitely — Siraya Tech states a hardened steel nozzle is not needed for the unfilled grade[5] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[11] | Non-abrasive when unfilled[5] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Low — no special hot-end required, no drybox and no hardened nozzle, and 3DXTech states drying is not needed[10][13][2] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Siraya Tech tells users to dry only when moisture symptoms appear, rather than before every print[5] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Slightly sensitive[10] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required[10] | High-quality metal nozzle, 0.4–1.0 mm; hardened steel not required (Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Low (0.1–0.3 %) — Simplify3D lists water resistance as a headline property[10] | High (0.8–2 %) — Siraya Tech publishes 2.59 % by ISO 62 immersion for the unfilled grade; on the equilibrium basis Bambu Lab uses, its 15 % carbon-filled PPA reaches 1.30 % against 2.35 % for the same maker's PA6-CF[5][4][14] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 2.59 by ISO 62 water immersion (Siraya Tech, unfilled) — an immersion figure, not the 25 °C / 55 % RH equilibrium basis the filled grades are quoted on, so the two are not directly comparable[5] |
| Drying temperature & time | Not documented | 80–100 °C for 4–6 h (Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[15] | Oozing, bubbles and a rough surface finish (Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker 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[15] | Siraya Tech publishes dry against saturated for the same grade: tensile 70 → 60 MPa, flexural 114 → 87 MPa, HDT at 1.8 MPa 73.5 → 48.5 °C, while Charpy rises 10 → 14.5 kJ/m²[5][8] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant; less critical than for the polyamides[15] | Dry box below 15 % RH (Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 40 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1] | 72 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech); the product page quotes 70 dry and 60 saturated[5][8] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 1350 (printed XY, ISO 527) — the lowest modulus of the styrenics here[1] | 3600 (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Elongation at break% | 18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1] | 10.5 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 70 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1] | 115 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech); 114 dry against 87 saturated on the product page[5][8] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 1600 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1] | 3350 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 10.1 Charpy (printed, ISO 179, Siraya Tech); the data sheet does not state whether the specimen was notched[5] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1] | Moderate — 10.5 % elongation at break puts it between PA6 and the fibre-filled grades[5] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Moderate — no printed-HIPS creep test found; Tg of 100 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][10] | Good — Raise3D cites high creep resistance as a reason to choose the PPA matrix over other nylons[3] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Moderate[1] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Rigid — 3.6 GPa tensile modulus[5] |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | Siraya Tech describes the unfilled grade as low-friction and self-lubricating, aimed at gears and bearings[5][8] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 81 dry and 61 saturated (printed, ISO 75 Method B at 0.45 MPa, Siraya Tech)[5] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 73.5 dry and 48.5 saturated (printed, ISO 75 Method A at 1.8 MPa, Siraya Tech) — unfilled PPA deflects near its Tg; the 190–227 °C figures quoted for PPA are carbon-filled grades[5][4] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 100 (DSC)[1] | 80 (ASTM D3418, Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Amorphous — no melting point[1] | 231 melting point (ASTM D3418) and 230 Vicat (ISO 306), Siraya Tech[5] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Bounded by a glass transition of 100 °C; no loaded-bar service figure is published for HIPS[1] | Not documented |
| Annealing response | Not documented | Siraya Tech's product page offers annealing for strength while its own data sheet says annealing is not recommended because the print can warp; on its 15 % carbon-filled PPA, annealing lifts HDT at 1.8 MPa from 82.5 to 119 °C[5][8][16] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[1] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Months outdoors before embrittlement — polystyrene yellows and chalks under UV[17] | Not documented |
| Chemical resistance | Dissolves completely in d-limonene — the basis of its use as a soluble support[2] | Withstands fuels, oils and industrial chemicals; Bambu Lab rates semi-aromatic nylon better than general nylon against weak acids, weak alkalis and most organic solvents[5][4] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Not documented | Absorbs water, properties shift — a saturated specimen loses about 15 % of its tensile strength and 25 °C of heat-deflection temperature[5][8] |
| Food contact | Not food safe[17] | Not documented |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[17] | Not documented |
| Recyclability | Not accepted in household plastic collection[17] | Not documented |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Surface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — insulating (ASTM D257)[1] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[18] | Not documented |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | 12–113 styrene, the range measured across ABS and the one HIPS filament tested[18] | 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[18] | Not documented |
| Hazardous species emitted | Styrene was the only dominant VOC identified for the HIPS filament tested[18] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration[18] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands and paints readily, like ABS[17] | Not documented |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Solvent-welds with d-limonene, and with acetone via its polystyrene backbone[10][2] | Not documented |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | d-limonene attacks the surface; acetone smoothing is far less effective than on ABS[2][10] | Not documented |
| Support material pairing | Used as the support material itself — dissolves in d-limonene, or breaks away from ABS and ASA[2] | Compatible with quick-release support materials (Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | d-limonene, 12–24 h submerged with occasional agitation; acetone also dissolves it, and xylene does so at 23 °C.[19][20][21] | Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[22] |
| Softened or crazed by | Limonene also disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades, so an ABS model can flake apart in the same bath.[23] | Mineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not.[22] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Limonene welds and lightly etches it; acetone welds through the polystyrene backbone but smooths less well than ABS.[19][23] | None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[22] |
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
- 3DXMAX HIPS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- 3DXMAX HIPS — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Raise3D Industrial PPA CF Technical Data Sheet V2.0 Raise3D · 2022-04 · tds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PPA-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
- Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
- YXPOLYER HIPS product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
- HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA-CF Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
- ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- D-Limonene — FDM post-processing guide Filament2Print · 2026-08 · review
- Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
- Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
- HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc