3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

HIPS vs Breakaway

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

HIPS guideBreak-away support guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore HIPS comparisonsMore Breakaway comparisons
HIPS vs Breakaway — documented properties and sources
PropertyHIPSABSBreak-away supportSUPPORT
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$29.99/kg median; $27.99–$32.00/kg across 3 dated product listings$42.49/kg median; $26.00–$79.98/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryHigh-impact polystyrene — polystyrene toughened with a butadiene rubber phase[1][2]Break-away support compounds matched to a specific model material — Polymaker sells separate grades for PLA and for PA12[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.04 (ISO 1183)[1]1.22 (PolySupport for PLA) and 1.29 (PolySupport for PA12), ISO 1183[3][4]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 31[5][6]1 kg-equivalent spools span 26–80; the middle of the market is about 45[7][8][9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg28–32 across brands; YXPOLYER 28, Push Plastic 30, 3DXTech 32[6][5][10]26–80 across brands and grades; IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE 26, Polymaker PolySupport for PLA 40 at 750 g, YXPOLYER 45, PolySupport for PA12 80 at 500 g[7][8][9]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[5][6]Available from several mainstream brands[7][5]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[6][5]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[7]
Typical applicationsBreak-away and d-limonene-soluble support for ABS and ASA, and a light model material in its own right[2]Support that peels off by hand, avoiding the moisture handling and dissolution time that soluble supports demand[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C230–245 (Simplify3D)[11]220–230 (PolySupport for PLA)[3]
Bed temperature°C100–115 (Simplify3D)[11]25–60 (PolySupport for PLA)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[12]Open frame is fine[3]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan not required[11]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidGlue stick, glass plate, Kapton tape or PET sheets[11]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented4–12 at Polymaker's 50–150 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[3]
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][13]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[12]Easy — minor profile tuning[3]
Extruder requirementNot documentedA second extruder or a tool changer[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[12]Brass fine indefinitely[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[12]Non-abrasive[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — no special hot-end required, no drybox and no hardened nozzle, and 3DXTech states drying is not needed[11][14][2]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Polymaker specifies a 55 °C dry for the PLA grade and warns brass nozzle life falls to about 9 h on the PA12 grade[3][4]
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]Moderate — 0.64 % equilibrium water absorption (PolySupport for PLA)[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.64 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySupport for PLA)[3]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[15]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[15]Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[15]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; less critical than for the polyamides[15]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa40 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa1350 (printed XY, ISO 527) — the lowest modulus of the styrenics here[1]Not documented
Elongation at break%18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa70 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa1600 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no printed-HIPS creep test found; Tg of 100 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][11]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Moderate[1]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented43 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, PolySupport for PA12). Polymaker's sheet prints a higher figure at the higher load, which is physically inverted; treat both HDT numbers as approximate[4]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, PolySupport for PA12) — printed above the 0.45 MPa figure on Polymaker's own sheet, which cannot be right; treat both as approximate[4]
Glass transition (Tg)°C100 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CAmorphous — no melting point[1]Vicat 171 (PolySupport for PA12, ISO 306)[4]
Continuous service temperature°CBounded by a glass transition of 100 °C; no loaded-bar service figure is published for HIPS[1]Not documented
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[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]Surface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq (ASTM D257, THERMAX HTS2 and MTS1)[17][18]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[19]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[19]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the range measured across ABS and the one HIPS filament tested[19]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[19]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedStyrene was the only dominant VOC identified for the HIPS filament tested[19]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration[19]Open a window / occasional ventilation[19]
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[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]This is the support material. Polymaker publishes an adhesion matrix per model material, from very good to unusable, because break-away supports only work against the polymer they were matched to[3][4]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble ind-limonene, 12–24 h submerged with occasional agitation; acetone also dissolves it, and xylene does so at 23 °C.[20][21][22]None — break-away support is removed mechanically; 3DXTech lists no water or solvent route for it.[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.[24]Not documented
Solvent welding & smoothing agentLimonene welds and lightly etches it; acetone welds through the polystyrene backbone but smooths less well than ABS.[20][24]None — there is no solvent to weld or smooth with.[23]

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. PolySupport Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  4. PolySupport for PA12 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  5. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. YXPOLYER Breakaway Support Filament 1 kg Black — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE breakaway support 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. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  18. THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  19. 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
  20. D-Limonene — FDM post-processing guide Filament2Print · 2026-08 · review
  21. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  22. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  23. THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  24. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc