3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

HIPS vs TPE SEBS

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

HIPS guideTPE (SEBS) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore HIPS comparisonsMore TPE SEBS comparisons
HIPS vs TPE SEBS — documented properties and sources
PropertyHIPSABSTPE (SEBS)FLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$29.99/kg median; $27.99–$32.00/kg across 3 dated product listings$98.25/kg median; $76.50–$120.00/kg across 2 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryHigh-impact polystyrene — polystyrene toughened with a butadiene rubber phase[1][2]Styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene thermoplastic elastomer — a styrenic rubber, not a polyurethane[3]
Densityg/cm³1.04 (ISO 1183)[1]1.044 printed part density (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 1183-1) — the lightest elastomer here[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 31[4][5]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 77[6]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg28–32 across brands; YXPOLYER 28, Push Plastic 30, 3DXTech 32[5][4][7]77 for the Recreus 600 g spool; Proto-pasta only lists a 50 g coil, which prices at 120[6][8]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[4][5]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3][8][6]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[5][4]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.05 and 0.6 kg spools[3][6]
Typical applicationsBreak-away and d-limonene-soluble support for ABS and ASA, and a light model material in its own right[2]Soft-touch overmoulds and skin-contact parts where a non-polyurethane elastomer is wanted[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C230–245 (Simplify3D)[9]260–280 (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A) — far hotter than any TPU here[3]
Bed temperature°C100–115 (Simplify3D)[9]70–90 (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[10]Open frame is fine[3]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan not required[9]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidGlue stick, glass plate, Kapton tape or PET sheets[9]PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[11][12]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented0.8–2.4 at the 10–30 mm/s BASF specifies on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer — the slowest material in this group[3]
Warping tendency1–5Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield[10]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[9]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — HIPS oozes less than ABS[9][13]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[10]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[3]
Extruder requirementNot documentedNozzle 0.4 mm or larger; BASF caps print speed at 10–30 mm/s[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[10]Brass fine indefinitely[14]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[10]Non-abrasive[14]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — no special hot-end required, no drybox and no hardened nozzle, and 3DXTech states drying is not needed[9][15][2]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; BASF caps print speed at 10–30 mm/s and Simplify3D warns that raised feed rates on flexibles most likely end in a jam[11][3]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[9]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[9]No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[11]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Low (0.1–0.3 %) — Simplify3D lists water resistance as a headline property[9]Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — BASF states drying is not necessary, unique among the elastomers here[3]
Drying temperature & timeNot documentedNone — BASF states Ultrafuse TPS 90A arrives in a printable condition and drying is not necessary[3]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[16]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[16]
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[16]Not applicable — the SEBS chemistry has no amide or ester linkages to take up water, and BASF specifies no drying at all[3]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; less critical than for the polyamides[16]Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[16]
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]Very ductile — bends far before failing[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documented89 Shore A and 29 Shore D (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 7619-1)[3]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no printed-HIPS creep test found; Tg of 100 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][9]Poor — no SEBS creep test; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[17]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Moderate[1]Excellent — living hinges viable[12]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rubbery / highly elastic[3]
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedAbrasion 111 mm³ (ISO 4649) — the poorest abrasion resistance in this group, well behind TPU[3]
Thermal Properties
Glass transition (Tg)°C100 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CAmorphous — no melting point[1]242–249 melting (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 11357-3)[3]
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[18]Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[12]
Chemical resistanceDissolves completely in d-limonene — the basis of its use as a soluble support[2]Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[12]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedExcellent — essentially unaffected[3]
Food contactNot food safe[18]Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[12]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[18]Not biodegradable[12]
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[18]Not accepted in household plastic collection[12]
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[19]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments 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[18]Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[12]
Gluing & solvent weldingSolvent-welds with d-limonene, and with acetone via its polystyrene backbone[9][2]Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[12]
Vapour / chemical smoothingd-limonene attacks the surface; acetone smoothing is far less effective than on ABS[2][9]No practical vapour smoothing[12]
Support material pairingUsed as the support material itself — dissolves in d-limonene, or breaks away from ABS and ASA[2]Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[12]
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]Toluene dissolves SEBS at room temperature — Kraton quotes solution viscosity at 25 % mass in toluene, 25 °C.[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]Soaking in hydrocarbon solvents and oils deteriorates it; short exposures are tolerated. Resists water, acids and bases.[23]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentLimonene welds and lightly etches it; acetone welds through the polystyrene backbone but smooths less well than ABS.[20][24]Toluene will weld it, though the joint stays soft; no workshop-safe agent, and vapour smoothing is not practical.[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. Ultrafuse TPS 90A Technical Data Sheet (Version 1.1, SEBS) BASF Forward AM · 2020-12 · tds
  4. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. YXPOLYER HIPS product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  10. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  11. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  12. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  15. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  18. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  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. KRATON polymers Grade Range — chemical resistance and toluene solution data Kraton Corporation · 2025-07 · tds
  24. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc