3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

HIPS vs PPS

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

HIPS guidePPS guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore HIPS comparisonsMore PPS comparisons
HIPS vs PPS — documented properties and sources
PropertyHIPSABSPPSHIGHTEMP
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$29.99/kg median; $27.99–$32.00/kg across 3 dated product listings$116.97/kg median; $84.00–$200.00/kg across 3 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryHigh-impact polystyrene — polystyrene toughened with a butadiene rubber phase[1][2]Polyphenylene sulfide — a semi-crystalline high-temperature polymer[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.04 (ISO 1183)[1]1.28 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech) and 1.33 (ISO 1183, Spectrum PPS AM230)[3][5]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 31[6][7]1 kg-equivalent spools span 84–200; the middle of the market is about 117[6][8][9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg28–32 across brands; YXPOLYER 28, Push Plastic 30, 3DXTech 32[7][6][10]84-200 across brands and diameters; IEMAI 3D 84 at 1 kg, Spectrum PPS AM230 117 at 750 g, 3DXTech ThermaX PPS 140 at 2.85 mm and 200 at 1.75 mm[6][8][9]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[6][7]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[6][8]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[7][6]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 500 g and 750 g spools[6][8]
Typical applicationsBreak-away and d-limonene-soluble support for ABS and ASA, and a light model material in its own right[2]Chemical-plant and under-bonnet parts needing solvent resistance above 200 °C[4]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C230–245 (Simplify3D)[11]335-345 (3DXTech printed-specimen conditions); 300-330 (Spectrum)[3][5]
Bed temperature°C100–115 (Simplify3D)[11]110-130 (3DXTech); 100-120 (Spectrum)[3][5]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[12]Actively heated chamber required[13][14]
Recommended chamber temperature°CNot documented60-80 actively heated (Spectrum PPS AM230)[5]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan not required[11]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidGlue stick, glass plate, Kapton tape or PET sheets[11]Adhesive required — Spectrum specifies Magigoo Pro HT[5]
Warping tendency1–5Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield[12]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[11]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — HIPS oozes less than ABS[11][15]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[12]Expert / industrial hardware only[13][14]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[12]Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[13]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[12]Non-abrasive when unfilled[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — no special hot-end required, no drybox and no hardened nozzle, and 3DXTech states drying is not needed[11][16][2]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 110 °C pre-dry before every print[17]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[11]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[11]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Low (0.1–0.3 %) — Simplify3D lists water resistance as a headline property[11]Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Polymaker states minimal water absorption at 0.05 %[4]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.01 in 24 h on extruded stock (ASTM D570) — effectively non-absorbing[18]
Drying temperature & timeNot documentedAt least 3 h at 90 °C in hot dry air if the filament has taken up moisture (Spectrum)[5]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[19]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[19]Little to measure — equilibrium uptake is 0.05 %; 3DXTech still specifies a 110 °C, 4 h pre-dry before printing[4][17]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; less critical than for the polyamides[19]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa40 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]50 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 65 at break injection-moulded (ISO 527, Spectrum); 94 at yield on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[3][5][18]
Young's modulusMPa1350 (printed XY, ISO 527) — the lowest modulus of the styrenics here[1]2650 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 3650 injection-moulded (ISO 527, Spectrum); 5769 on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[3][5][18]
Elongation at break%18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech) against 2.0 injection-moulded (Spectrum) and 2.5 on extruded stock — the suppliers disagree by nearly an order of magnitude[3][5][18]
Flexural strengthMPa70 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]52 (printed XY, ISO 178, 3DXTech); 141 on extruded stock (ASTM D790)[3][18]
Flexural modulusMPa1600 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]2540 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented1.3 notched injection-moulded (ISO 179-1eA, Spectrum); unnotched 18[5]
Other impact dataNot documentedIzod notched 33 J/m on extruded PPS stock, converted from 0.62 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[18]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Moderate[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedRockwell 105 (and R124) on extruded PPS stock (ASTM D785)[18]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no printed-HIPS creep test found; Tg of 100 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][11]Excellent — holds load for years. Ensinger lists high creep resistance as a headline property of extruded PPS stock, and Spectrum states that rigidity, strength and creep resistance are unchanged under continuous load at high temperature[18][5]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Moderate[1]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented90 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech); 129 injection-moulded (ISO 75, Spectrum); 204 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi)[3][5][18]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented107 injection-moulded (ISO 75 at 1.81 MPa, Spectrum); 104 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[5][18]
Glass transition (Tg)°C100 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CAmorphous — no melting point[1]283 melting (ISO 11357, 3DXTech) and 280 on extruded stock; Vicat softening 236 at 50 N injection-moulded (ISO 306, Spectrum)[3][5][18]
Continuous service temperature°CBounded by a glass transition of 100 °C; no loaded-bar service figure is published for HIPS[1]170 long-term service on extruded PPS stock, converted from 338 °F[18]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented59.4 (extruded PPS stock, 22-60 °C, ASTM D696; source states 3.3e-5 in/in/°F)[18]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[1]UL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm, rated on the base resin[3]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — polystyrene yellows and chalks under UV[20]Not documented
Chemical resistanceDissolves completely in d-limonene — the basis of its use as a soluble support[2]Outstanding — PPS resists essentially all solvents below 200 °C[4]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedExcellent — essentially unaffected; extruded stock takes up 0.01 % water in 24 h[18]
Food contactNot food safe[20]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[20]Not documented
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[20]Not documented
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[21]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised. None of these polymers was in the chamber study, and all are processed far above the temperatures it covered[21]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the range measured across ABS and the one HIPS filament tested[21]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[21]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedStyrene was the only dominant VOC identified for the HIPS filament tested[21]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration[21]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[21]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands and paints readily, like ABS[20]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingSolvent-welds with d-limonene, and with acetone via its polystyrene backbone[11][2]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingd-limonene attacks the surface; acetone smoothing is far less effective than on ABS[2][11]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.[22][23][24]None — PPS does not dissolve in any known solvent below 200 °C.[25][23]
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.[26]Nothing at 23 °C; Ensinger rates it only conditionally resistant to benzene, dichloromethane, toluene and pyridine.[23]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentLimonene welds and lightly etches it; acetone welds through the polystyrene backbone but smooths less well than ABS.[22][26]None — no solvent welds or smooths PPS.[25]

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. ThermaX PPS Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  4. PPS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  5. Spectrum PPS AM230 Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2022-04 · tds
  6. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Spectrum PPS AM230 Natural, 1.75 mm / 750 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. IEMAI 3D PPS 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. YXPOLYER HIPS product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  12. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
  14. Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  15. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  17. THERMAX PPS — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  18. TECATRON natural (PPS) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  19. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  20. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. 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
  22. D-Limonene — FDM post-processing guide Filament2Print · 2026-08 · review
  23. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  24. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  25. PPS (Polyphenylene sulfide) — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  26. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc