3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PEEK vs HT soluble

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

PEEK guideHigh-temperature support guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PEEK comparisonsMore HT soluble comparisons
PEEK vs HT soluble — documented properties and sources
PropertyPEEKHIGHTEMPHigh-temperature supportSUPPORT
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$531.87/kg median; $296.14–$770.00/kg across 5 dated product listings$209.00/kg median; $100.00–$290.00/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyether ether ketone — a semi-crystalline polyaryletherketone[1]Break-away support compounded to survive high-temperature print chambers; 3DXTech sells separate grades for PC/ABS and for the PAEK and PEI class[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.30 (ISO 1183)[1][4]1.37 (3DXTech THERMAX HTS1, ISO 1183)[2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 296–770; the middle of the market is about 532[5][6][7]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 168[5]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg296-770 across brands and spool sizes; 3D4Makers recycled R-PEEK 296 at 750 g, IEMAI 3D 420 at 1 kg, LEHVOSS Luvocom 3F PEEK 9581 532 at 2 kg, 3DXTech ThermaX PEEK 770 at 500 g[5][6][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 availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5][6][4]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5][8]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 200 g to 2 kg spools[5][6][4]1.75 mm; 250 g, 500 g, 1 kg and 2 kg spools[5]
Typical applicationsAerospace brackets, semiconductor handling, sterilisable medical tooling and downhole parts[1]Support for PEEK, PEI and PC-class prints, where PVA and PLA-based supports would decompose[2][3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C380-400 (3DXTech printed-specimen conditions); Victrex quotes a 340-450 melt range for AM 450 FIL[1][4]Not documented
Bed temperature°C130–140 (3DXTech)[1]Not documented
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Actively heated chamber required[9][10]Actively heated chamber required — it is used inside high-temperature builds[2]
Recommended chamber temperature°CNot less than 150 for semi-crystalline printing (Victrex AM 450 FIL); bed above 150[4]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5Severe — heated chamber needed[9]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Very difficult — special plates or slurry required[9]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Expert / industrial hardware only[9][10]Expert / industrial hardware only[2]
Extruder requirementAn all-metal hot end rated above 400 °C and a heated chamber; 3DXTech tests at 0.25 mm layer height on a 0.4 mm nozzle[1][9]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[11]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[9]Brass fine indefinitely[2]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[1]Non-abrasive[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 120 °C pre-dry before every print[12]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[11][13]
Moisture Behaviour
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.45 at saturation, 23 °C (ISO 62); 0.55 at 100 °C[4]Not documented
Drying temperature & time120 °C for 5 h, target below 0.020 % moisture (Victrex AM 450 FIL)[4]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthNo dry-versus-conditioned figures are published; 3DXTech mandates a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry before every print because trapped water flashes to steam at these nozzle temperatures[12]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[11][13]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa60-100 (printed XY): Victrex AM 450 FIL 60-80 at yield and 3DXTech 100, both ISO 527; 98 at yield injection-moulded[1][4]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa3000-4000 (printed XY, ISO 527, Victrex AM 450 FIL); 3720 (3DXTech); 4000 injection-moulded[1][4]Not documented
Elongation at break%28 (printed XY, ISO 527) — remarkably ductile for a high-temperature polymer[1]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa130 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2700 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²6.0 (injection-moulded, ISO 179/1eA); unnotched does not break[4]Not documented
Other impact dataIzod notched 7.0 kJ/m2 injection-moulded (ISO 180/A). Printed anisotropy is extreme: VICTREX AM 200 on a Stratasys F900 gives Izod notched 1380-1530 J/m XZ against 30-62 J/m ZX (ASTM D256)[4][14]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa20-85 at yield (printed ZX, ISO 527, Victrex AM 450 FIL); the spread is set by chamber temperature and weld quality[4]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Not documented
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellShore D 84.5 (injection-moulded, ISO 868); Rockwell M100 / R125 on extruded PEEK stock (ASTM D785)[4][15]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Excellent — holds load for years. Victrex rates PEEK for long-term creep; injection-moulded flexural stress at 3.5 % strain falls only from 125 MPa at 23 °C to 85 MPa at 125 °C, and extruded stock is rated to 249 °C continuous[16][4][15]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Excellent — living hinges viable. Victrex rates PEEK for long-term fatigue as well as creep[16]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Not documented
Z strength as % of XY%71-84 (VICTREX AM 200 LMPAEK printed on the Stratasys F900 and Fortus 450mc, ZX against XZ tensile yield, ASTM D638); unfilled PEEK's own ZX spread is wider[14]Not documented
Wear resistance & frictionNot documented3DXTech marks tensile strength, modulus and elongation as not applicable for its support grades — they are not characterised as structural materials[2]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C140 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech)[1]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C152 (unannealed, ISO 75-2/Af, Victrex AM 450 FIL); 160 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[4][15]205 (THERMAX HTS1, printed XY, ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)[2]
Glass transition (Tg)°C143 (DSC, 3DXTech); Victrex gives onset 143 and midpoint 150 (ISO 11357-2)[1][4]225 (3DXTech THERMAX HTS1, DSC) — high enough to stay solid inside a PEI or PEEK build[2]
Melting point / Vicat°C343 melting (ISO 11357-3, Victrex); VICTREX AM 200 LMPAEK melts at 303[4][14]Not documented
Continuous service temperature°C240 UL 746B relative thermal index, strength (RTI electrical 260, impact 180); Ensinger rates extruded PEEK stock at 249 long term[4][15]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K37.8 (extruded PEEK stock, 23-60 °C, ASTM E831; source states 2.1e-5 in/in/°F), rising to 41.9 at 60-100 °C and 55.8 at 100-150 °C[15]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm on the base resin; glow-wire flammability index 960 °C at 2.0 mm (IEC 60695-2-12)[1][4]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
Chemical resistanceOutstanding — resistant to almost all solvents and to steam sterilisation[1]Not documented
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Excellent — essentially unaffected; 0.45 % water at saturation and resistant to steam sterilisation[4][1]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesNot documentedSurface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq on all three THERMAX support grades (ASTM D257) — insulating[2][17][3]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised. None of these polymers was in the chamber study, and all are processed far above the temperatures it covered[18]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[18]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[18]Open a window / occasional ventilation[18]
Post-Processing
Support material pairingNot documentedThis is the support material. MTS1 is matched to PC/ABS and PC; HTS1 and HTS2 to the higher-temperature classes[3][2]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble in95–98 wt% sulphuric acid dissolves it — 10 g per 100 mL at 40–70 °C gives a dark red solution. Laboratory route only.[19][20]Aqueous alkali, not water: IEMAI specifies an alkaline bath in an ultrasonic cleaner until the support dissolves.[8]
Softened or crazed byConcentrated nitric, hydrofluoric, hydrobromic and hydriodic acids attack it; DCM, DMSO and THF swell thin-walled sections.[21][20]Not documented
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — no solvent softens PEEK, so parts are joined thermally or mechanically, never chemically.[21][20]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

  1. ThermaX PEEK Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. THERMAX HTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  3. THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  4. VICTREX AM 450 FIL — datasheet Victrex · 2025-12 · tds
  5. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. 3D4Makers product catalogue 3D4Makers · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. IEMAI 3D PEEK 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. IEMAI 3D HT-SP alkaline-soluble support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
  10. Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  11. THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. ThermaX PEEK — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. THERMAX MTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. VICTREX AM 200 — FDM Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2024-04 · tds
  15. TECAPEEK natural (PEEK) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  16. PEEK polymers — product overview Victrex · 2026-08 · doc
  17. THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  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. The Effects of Sulfonated Poly(ether ether ketone) Ion Exchange Preparation Conditions on Membrane Properties Yee, Zhang & Ladewig, Membranes 3(3) 182–195 · 2013-07 · paper
  20. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  21. What solvents are not compatible with PEEK? — fluidics technical FAQ IDEX Health & Science · 2026-08 · doc