HIPS filament

HIPS filament

HIPS filaments belong to the family of styrenic plastics, likeABS. HIPS stands for High Impact Polystyrene, and these thermoplastics are not very common in 3D printing, but reveal a rather unique advantage in relation to this proximity toABS. In fact, HIPS can be used in two forms, the first being that this filament is known for its beautiful matt appearance, good mechanical properties and impact resistance, and also for its excellent post-processing qualities (sanding, for example). This makes this 3D printing material a good candidate for functional and appearance applications.

Its other use will be to exploit its solubility in the solvent D-Limonene, so you can use this filament in double extrusion to create your support structures. In the same way as with PLA, PVA and water, here your 3D print made up ofABS and this HIPS support can be immersed in D-Limonene so that your supports disappear. This ability to create soluble supports for such a common material will make it possible to create mobile mechanisms, or to generate support structures in inaccessible areas.

It is this dual use that makes it an interesting 3D filament to have in stock. In fact, as a reminder, printing soluble supports such as PVA is not compatible withABS and few other solutions are as accessible as HIPS. HIPS filament fulfils this role perfectly.

In terms of printing, this filament behaves in a similar way to its styrenic counterpart and requires a heating plate and generally an adhesion solution. The use of a printer with a closed enclosure or bonnet will be recommended to help the interlayer bonding of your largest prints.

How do you choose your HIPS filament?

The choice of your HIPS filament should be made according to the filament diameter of your printer model 1.75mm or 2.85mm. The HIPS filaments available here all come from the largest manufacturers of 3D printing materials, Zortrax and its Z-HIPS is a forerunner in this type of filament but it is only available in the diameter 1.75mm due to the fact that it belongs to the 3D printer manufacturer Zortrax working in 1.75mm.