3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

HIPS vs TPU-CF

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

HIPS guideCarbon-fibre TPU guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore HIPS comparisonsMore TPU-CF comparisons
HIPS vs TPU-CF — documented properties and sources
PropertyHIPSABSCarbon-fibre TPUFLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$29.99/kg median; $27.99–$32.00/kg across 3 dated product listings$107.05/kg median; $107.05–$107.05/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryHigh-impact polystyrene — polystyrene toughened with a butadiene rubber phase[1][2]Carbon-fibre reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane at the hard end of the range[3]
Densityg/cm³1.04 (ISO 1183)[1]1.22 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 2781)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 31[4][5]107 for the only retail listing found (Extrudr 0.5 kg coil, incl. VAT)[6]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg28–32 across brands; YXPOLYER 28, Push Plastic 30, 3DXTech 32[5][4][7]One listing only: EUR 49.56 incl. VAT per 0.5 kg coil, direct from Extrudr; no reseller or second brand found[6]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[4][5]Niche, a handful of specialist brands — Extrudr's FLEX HARD CF is the only carbon-filled flexible with a published datasheet found here[3]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[5][4]1.75 mm; 0.5 and 2 kg coils[6]
Typical applicationsBreak-away and d-limonene-soluble support for ABS and ASA, and a light model material in its own right[2]Stiffened flexible parts — damping mounts and semi-rigid brackets[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C230–245 (Simplify3D)[8]230–260 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[3]
Bed temperature°C100–115 (Simplify3D)[8]50–90 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[9]Open frame is fine[3]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan not required[8]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidGlue stick, glass plate, Kapton tape or PET sheets[8]PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[10][11]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented1.6–8 at the 20–100 mm/s Extrudr specifies on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[3]
Warping tendency1–5Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield[9]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[8]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — HIPS oozes less than ABS[8][12]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[9]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle needed[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[9]Hardened steel required — Extrudr marks FLEX HARD CF as needing a hardened nozzle where its unfilled FLEX grades do not[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[9]Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — no special hot-end required, no drybox and no hardened nozzle, and 3DXTech states drying is not needed[8][13][2]High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; a flexible base plus chopped carbon fibre, which Prusa lists as a higher nozzle-clogging risk, and Extrudr requires a hardened nozzle[14][3][10]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[8]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[8]No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[10]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Low (0.1–0.3 %) — Simplify3D lists water resistance as a headline property[8]Moderate[15]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented60 °C for 6 h (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[3]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[15]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[15]
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]Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[15]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; less critical than for the polyamides[15]Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[15]
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]35 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 527-2/5A/500)[3]
Elongation at break%18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]380 ultimate elongation (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 527-2/5A/500), against 490 for the unfilled FLEX HARD[3]
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 documented70 Shore D (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 868), against 58 Shore D for the unfilled FLEX HARD[3]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no printed-HIPS creep test found; Tg of 100 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][8]Below average — no CF-grade creep test; the grade is 70 Shore D where a 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[3][16]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Moderate[1]Good — 380 % ultimate elongation and a damping application set (Extrudr cites longboard wheels), below the unfilled grades[3]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Semi-flexible[3]
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedAbrasion 26 mm³ (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 4649-A) — the same as the unfilled FLEX HARD[3]
Thermal Properties
Glass transition (Tg)°C100 (DSC)[1]-24 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF)[3]
Melting point / Vicat°CAmorphous — no melting point[1]Vicat A 140 (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 306)[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[17]Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[11]
Chemical resistanceDissolves completely in d-limonene — the basis of its use as a soluble support[2]Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[11]
Food contactNot food safe[17]Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[11]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[17]Not biodegradable[11]
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[17]Not accepted in household plastic collection[11]
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[18]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[18]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 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 emittedStyrene was the only dominant VOC identified for the HIPS filament tested[18]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration[18]Open a window / occasional ventilation[18]
Dust & fibre handling hazardNot documentedCarbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[3]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands and paints readily, like ABS[17]Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[11]
Gluing & solvent weldingSolvent-welds with d-limonene, and with acetone via its polystyrene backbone[8][2]Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[11]
Vapour / chemical smoothingd-limonene attacks the surface; acetone smoothing is far less effective than on ABS[2][8]No practical vapour smoothing[11]
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[11]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedTear strength 165 kN/m (Extrudr FLEX HARD CF, ISO 34-1B)[3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble ind-limonene, 12–24 h submerged with occasional agitation; acetone also dissolves it, and xylene does so at 23 °C.[19][20][21]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve the TPU matrix and leave the fibre; ketones are partial solvents. Laboratory reagents.[22]
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.[23]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[22]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentLimonene welds and lightly etches it; acetone welds through the polystyrene backbone but smooths less well than ABS.[19][23]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[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

  1. 3DXMAX HIPS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. 3DXMAX HIPS — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  4. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Extrudr TPU FLEX Hard CF — product page (1.75 mm, 0.5 and 2 kg coils, price) Extrudr (FD3D GmbH) · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. YXPOLYER HIPS product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  9. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  10. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  11. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  12. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  17. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  18. 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
  19. D-Limonene — FDM post-processing guide Filament2Print · 2026-08 · review
  20. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  21. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  22. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  23. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc