3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
HIPS vs HT soluble
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | HIPSABS | High-temperature supportSUPPORT |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $29.99/kg median; $27.99–$32.00/kg across 3 dated product listings | $209.00/kg median; $100.00–$290.00/kg across 4 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | High-impact polystyrene — polystyrene toughened with a butadiene rubber phase[1][2] | Break-away support compounded to survive high-temperature print chambers; 3DXTech sells separate grades for PC/ABS and for the PAEK and PEI class[3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.04 (ISO 1183)[1] | 1.37 (3DXTech THERMAX HTS1, ISO 1183)[3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg spools cluster near 31[5][6] | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 168[5] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 28–32 across brands; YXPOLYER 28, Push Plastic 30, 3DXTech 32[6][5][7] | 100–290 across grades; 3DXTech THERMAX MTS1 100 at 2 kg, HTS2 168 at 250 g, HTS1 250 at 500 g, IEMAI 3D HT-SP 290 at 1 kg[5][8] |
| Market availability1–5 | Available from several mainstream brands[5][6] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5][8] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[6][5] | 1.75 mm; 250 g, 500 g, 1 kg and 2 kg spools[5] |
| Typical applications | Break-away and d-limonene-soluble support for ABS and ASA, and a light model material in its own right[2] | Support for PEEK, PEI and PC-class prints, where PVA and PLA-based supports would decompose[3][4] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 230–245 (Simplify3D)[9] | Not documented |
| Bed temperature°C | 100–115 (Simplify3D)[9] | Not documented |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure recommended[10] | Actively heated chamber required — it is used inside high-temperature builds[3] |
| Part cooling fan | Part cooling fan not required[9] | Not documented |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Glue stick, glass plate, Kapton tape or PET sheets[9] | Not documented |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield[10] | Not documented |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[9] | Not documented |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Slight — HIPS oozes less than ABS[9][11] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[10] | Expert / industrial hardware only[3] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | A dual-extruder machine rated for high-temperature materials; 3DXTech states the grade is intended for dual-extruder printers designed to print high-temp materials[12] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[10] | Brass fine indefinitely[3] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[10] | Non-abrasive[3] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Low — no special hot-end required, no drybox and no hardened nozzle, and 3DXTech states drying is not needed[9][13][2] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 120 °C pre-dry for HTS1 and 80 °C for MTS1[12][14] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Slightly sensitive[9] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | No special hot-end required[9] | Not documented |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Low (0.1–0.3 %) — Simplify3D lists water resistance as a headline property[9] | Not documented |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[15] | Not documented |
| 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] | No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published; 3DXTech mandates a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry for HTS1 and 80 °C for MTS1 because trapped water flashes to steam at these nozzle temperatures[12][14] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant; less critical than for the polyamides[15] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 40 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1] | Not documented |
| Young's modulusMPa | 1350 (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 strengthMPa | 70 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1] | Not documented |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 1600 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1] | Not documented |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Moderate — no printed-HIPS creep test found; Tg of 100 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][9] | Not documented |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Moderate[1] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Not documented |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | 3DXTech marks tensile strength, modulus and elongation as not applicable for its support grades — they are not characterised as structural materials[3] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 205 (THERMAX HTS1, printed XY, ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)[3] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 100 (DSC)[1] | 225 (3DXTech THERMAX HTS1, DSC) — high enough to stay solid inside a PEI or PEEK build[3] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Amorphous — no melting point[1] | Not documented |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Bounded by a glass transition of 100 °C; no loaded-bar service figure is published for HIPS[1] | Not documented |
| 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[16] | Not documented |
| Chemical resistance | Dissolves completely in d-limonene — the basis of its use as a soluble support[2] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Not food safe[16] | Not documented |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[16] | Not documented |
| Recyclability | Not accepted in household plastic collection[16] | Not documented |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Surface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — insulating (ASTM D257)[1] | Surface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq on all three THERMAX support grades (ASTM D257) — insulating[3][17][4] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[18] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[18] |
| 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] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[18] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands and paints readily, like ABS[16] | Not documented |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Solvent-welds with d-limonene, and with acetone via its polystyrene backbone[9][2] | Not documented |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | d-limonene attacks the surface; acetone smoothing is far less effective than on ABS[2][9] | Not documented |
| Support material pairing | Used as the support material itself — dissolves in d-limonene, or breaks away from ABS and ASA[2] | This is the support material. MTS1 is matched to PC/ABS and PC; HTS1 and HTS2 to the higher-temperature classes[4][3] |
| 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] | Aqueous alkali, not water: IEMAI specifies an alkaline bath in an ultrasonic cleaner until the support dissolves.[8] |
| 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.[22] | Not documented |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Limonene welds and lightly etches it; acetone welds through the polystyrene backbone but smooths less well than ABS.[19][22] | None — the alkaline bath dissolves the support rather than welding anything.[8] |
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
- THERMAX HTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
- YXPOLYER HIPS product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI 3D HT-SP alkaline-soluble support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 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
- THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- THERMAX MTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- 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
- HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc