3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

HIPS vs TPU soft

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

HIPS guideSoft TPU (below 85A) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore HIPS comparisonsMore TPU soft comparisons
HIPS vs TPU soft — documented properties and sources
PropertyHIPSABSSoft TPU (below 85A)FLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$29.99/kg median; $27.99–$32.00/kg across 3 dated product listings$114.04/kg median; $109.80–$122.27/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryHigh-impact polystyrene — polystyrene toughened with a butadiene rubber phase[1][2]Very soft thermoplastic elastomers below 85 Shore A. Fiberlogy's FiberFlex 30D measures 81 Shore A, the softest grade with a published datasheet found here[3]
Densityg/cm³1.04 (ISO 1183)[1]1.07 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 31[4][5]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 115[6][7][8]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg28–32 across brands; YXPOLYER 28, Push Plastic 30, 3DXTech 32[5][4][9]110–122 at 1 kg-equivalent; Recreus 70A 110 and 60A 116 at 500 g, NinjaTek Edge 83A 112, NinjaTek Chinchilla 75A 122; the Recreus 3 kg spools fall to 70–73[6][8][7]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[4][5]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3][10][6]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[5][4]1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 0.85, 1, 2 and 3 kg spools[3][6][11][7]
Typical applicationsBreak-away and d-limonene-soluble support for ABS and ASA, and a light model material in its own right[2]Highly compliant seals, soft grips and prosthetic liners[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C230–245 (Simplify3D)[12]Not documented
Bed temperature°C100–115 (Simplify3D)[12]50–70 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[13]Open frame is fine[3]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan not required[12]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidGlue stick, glass plate, Kapton tape or PET sheets[12]PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[14][15]
Warping tendency1–5Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield[13]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[12]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — HIPS oozes less than ABS[12][16]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[13]Expert / industrial hardware only — below 85 Shore A the filament buckles in almost any feed path that is not a short, constrained direct drive[11][15]
Extruder requirementNot documentedDirect drive only, with a constrained filament path; Bowden is not viable at this hardness[11][10]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[13]Brass fine indefinitely[17]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[13]Non-abrasive[17]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — no special hot-end required, no drybox and no hardened nozzle, and 3DXTech states drying is not needed[12][18][2]High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; below 85 Shore A the filament buckles and compresses, and Simplify3D warns that raised feed rates most likely end in a jam[14][15][19]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[12]Very high — softens in the cold zone readily[15]
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[12]No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[14]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Low (0.1–0.3 %) — Simplify3D lists water resistance as a headline property[12]Moderate[19]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[19]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[19]
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]Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[19]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; less critical than for the polyamides[19]Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[19]
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]870 at break (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 527) — the highest elongation in the dataset[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 documented81 Shore A and 30 Shore D (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 7619)[3]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no printed-HIPS creep test found; Tg of 100 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][12]Poor — no creep test at this hardness; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[20]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Moderate[1]Excellent — living hinges viable[15]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rubbery / highly elastic[3]
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedTear strength 95 kN/m (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 34-1)[3]
Thermal Properties
Glass transition (Tg)°C100 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CAmorphous — no melting point[1]170 melting (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, DSC)[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[21]Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[15]
Chemical resistanceDissolves completely in d-limonene — the basis of its use as a soluble support[2]Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[15]
Food contactNot food safe[21]Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[15]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[21]Not biodegradable[15]
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[21]Not accepted in household plastic collection[15]
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[22]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[22]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the range measured across ABS and the one HIPS filament tested[22]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[22]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedStyrene was the only dominant VOC identified for the HIPS filament tested[22]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration[22]Open a window / occasional ventilation[22]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands and paints readily, like ABS[21]Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[15]
Gluing & solvent weldingSolvent-welds with d-limonene, and with acetone via its polystyrene backbone[12][2]Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[15]
Vapour / chemical smoothingd-limonene attacks the surface; acetone smoothing is far less effective than on ABS[2][12]No practical vapour smoothing[15]
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[15]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble ind-limonene, 12–24 h submerged with occasional agitation; acetone also dissolves it, and xylene does so at 23 °C.[23][24][25]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[26]
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.[27]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[26]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentLimonene welds and lightly etches it; acetone welds through the polystyrene backbone but smooths less well than ABS.[23][27]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[26]

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. FiberFlex 30D Technical Data Sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · 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. Chinchilla product page — print guidelines, spool sizes and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. NinjaFlex Edge product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. YXPOLYER HIPS product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Filaflex 82A product page (Shore hardness and elongation) Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. NinjaFlex 85A Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  12. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  13. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  15. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  18. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  20. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  21. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  22. 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
  23. D-Limonene — FDM post-processing guide Filament2Print · 2026-08 · review
  24. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  25. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  26. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  27. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc