3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PE vs Breakaway

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

Polyethylene (PE) guideBreak-away support guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PE comparisonsMore Breakaway comparisons
PE vs Breakaway — documented properties and sources
PropertyPolyethylene (PE)POLYOLEFINBreak-away supportSUPPORT
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$87.72/kg median; $87.72–$87.72/kg across 1 dated product listings$42.49/kg median; $26.00–$79.98/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyethylene — the simplest polyolefin, non-polar and highly crystalline. The one retailed filament grade, Spectrum HDPE, uses what Spectrum calls Low Warp technology and is denser and stiffer than plain HDPE[1][2]Break-away support compounds matched to a specific model material — Polymaker sells separate grades for PLA and for PA12[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.10 (Spectrum HDPE filament, ISO 1183) against 0.95 for extruded HDPE stock — the filament is a modified formulation[1][2]1.22 (PolySupport for PLA) and 1.29 (PolySupport for PA12), ISO 1183[3][4]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 88[5]1 kg-equivalent spools span 26–80; the middle of the market is about 45[6][7][8]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg87.72 — Spectrum's 500 g spools at 3DJAKE are the only PE filament listing found[5]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[6][7][8]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands — Spectrum HDPE in six colours is the only PE filament in the 3DJAKE and igo3d product sitemaps, at MatterHackers or at Printed Solid, but it is a normal stocked item rather than a special order[9][10][11][5]Available from several mainstream brands[6][12]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 500 g spools in six colours[5][9]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[6]
Typical applicationsChemically resistant containers, packaging prototypes and consumer goods where HDPE is the production material[1]Support that peels off by hand, avoiding the moisture handling and dissolution time that soluble supports demand[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C240-290 (Spectrum HDPE)[1]220–230 (PolySupport for PLA)[3]
Bed temperature°C80-100 (Spectrum HDPE)[1]25–60 (PolySupport for PLA)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended — Spectrum recommends a closed chamber for larger prints[1]Open frame is fine[3]
Part cooling fan0-50 % part cooling (Spectrum HDPE)[1]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidSpectrum states no adhesive is necessary for its low-warp HDPE, depending on geometry[1]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. Spectrum's low-warp grade is sold as printable on desktop machines, which is not true of plain polyethylene[1]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs the right surface or a thin adhesive; Spectrum states no adhesive is necessary but recommends a closed chamber for large parts[1]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; Spectrum sells the grade as desktop-printable with no dry box and no hardened nozzle[1]Easy — minor profile tuning[3]
Extruder requirementNot documentedA second extruder or a tool changer[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely — Spectrum states a ruby or hardened nozzle is not required[1]Brass fine indefinitely[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[1]Non-abrasive[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — Spectrum lists no drybox and no ruby or hardened nozzle for HDPE, and very low moisture absorption[1]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]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Spectrum lists very low moisture absorption and no dry box[1]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]
Drying temperature & timeNo drying step published; Spectrum lists a dry box as not required[1]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthNot applicable in practice — Spectrum lists very low moisture absorption and no drybox requirement for HDPE[1]Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[13]
Storage requirementStore dry at 18-25 °C out of sunlight; Spectrum quotes a 24-month shelf life[1]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa29 at break (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 527; specimen type not stated) against 25.5 at yield on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D638, from 3700 psi)[1][2]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa3500 (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 527) against 965 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D638, from 140,000 psi) — the filament grade is nearly four times stiffer than plain polyethylene[1][2]Not documented
Elongation at break%18 at break (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 527) against above 100 on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[1][2]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa27.6 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D790; converted from 4000 psi)[2]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa3200 (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 178) against 965 on extruded stock (ASTM D790, from 140,000 psi)[1][2]Not documented
Other impact dataCharpy 10 kJ/m2 (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 179-1; notch condition not stated); Izod 104 J/m on extruded stock, converted from 1.94 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[1][2]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking; 18 % elongation at break on the filament and above 100 % on extruded stock[1][2]Not documented
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellShore D 67 and Rockwell R54 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D2240, D785); Spectrum quotes Rockwell 80 HRM for its filament (ISO 2039-2)[2][1]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Good — Spectrum lists outstanding abrasion and crack resistance for its HDPE, but no repeated-flex or fatigue test data was found for any PE filament[1]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Slightly flexible in thin sections — Spectrum's low-warp grade has a 3.5 GPa tensile modulus; plain extruded HDPE at 965 MPa is genuinely semi-flexible[1][2]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C75 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 167 °F)[2]43 (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]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documentedVicat 171 (PolySupport for PA12, ISO 306)[4]
Continuous service temperature°C110 stated as heat resistance by Spectrum with no test standard given; extruded stock is rated 120 long-term maximum (converted from 248 °F) and brittle below -76[1][2]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K117 (extruded HDPE stock, ASTM D696; source states 6.5e-5 in/in/°F)[2]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Moderate — a season or two. Spectrum describes its HDPE as UV-stable and weather-resistant but publishes no exposure data[1]Not documented
Chemical resistanceExcellent chemical resistance to acids, bases, oils and solvents (Spectrum); Ensinger lists broad chemical compatibility for HDPE stock[1][2]Not documented
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Excellent — essentially unaffected; Ensinger lists low moisture absorption for HDPE stock and Spectrum very low absorption for the filament[1][2]Not documented
RecyclabilitySpectrum states the filament is fully recyclable; HDPE is resin code 2[1]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesNot documentedSurface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq (ASTM D257, THERMAX HTS2 and MTS1)[14][15]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Not documentedLow hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[16]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Not documentedOpen a window / occasional ventilation[16]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningEasy to machine — Ensinger lists machinability as a headline property of HDPE stock[2]Not documented
Support material pairingNot documentedThis 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]
Dimensional accuracy & detailSpectrum lists a shiny surface finish and no adhesive requirement; shrinkage remains the limit on large flat parts[1]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inNone at room temperature; xylene dissolves HDPE at about 105 °C and LDPE at 75 °C. Hot decalin does the same.[17][18]None — break-away support is removed mechanically; 3DXTech lists no water or solvent route for it.[19]
Softened or crazed byToluene, xylene, styrene, chloroform, dichloromethane, MEK and trichloroethylene are all unsatisfactory at 21 °C.[18]Not documented
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — polyethylene has no room-temperature solvent, so joints are made by heat welding.[18][17]None — there is no solvent to weld or smooth with.[19]

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. Spectrum HDPE Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2025-10 · tds
  2. TECAFINE HDPE natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  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. Spectrum HDPE Traffic Black, 1.75 mm / 500 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. YXPOLYER Breakaway Support Filament 1 kg Black — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE breakaway support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. 3DJAKE product catalogue 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. igo3d product sitemap (17452 product URLs) igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  15. THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  16. 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
  17. US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
  18. HDPE Chemical Resistance Guide (21 °C and 60 °C) INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA · 2026-08 · tds
  19. THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor