Glossary · Filament

HIPS

A printing material that serves mainly as a dissolvable support scaffold for ABS prints.

Explained in more detail

High Impact Polystyrene. Printing temperature 225 to 255 °C, bed 100 to 110 °C, similar to ABS. Dissolves in limonene and is therefore used as a support material for ABS. Can also be printed on its own; it is light and easy to post-process.

Where does the term come from?

HIPS stands for English "High Impact Polystyrene". Embedded rubber particles of butadiene make the otherwise brittle polystyrene more impact-resistant.

In practice

Typical values: nozzle 225 to 255 °C, bed 100 to 110 °C, part cooling 0 to 10%.
Dry at 60 °C for 4 hours before printing.
HIPS suits ABS as a support material because both need similar printing and build volume temperatures.
To dissolve it, the part goes into limonene, which takes hours depending on the amount.
Limonene is a solvent: work with gloves and good ventilation.

Not to be confused

HIPS is not water-soluble like PVA or BVOH; it only dissolves in limonene.

Frequently asked questions

What dissolves HIPS?

With limonene, a solvent obtained from citrus peel. Water does not help.

Can HIPS be used as support material for PLA?

Rather not: HIPS needs much higher temperatures than PLA. For PLA, water-soluble PVA or BVOH is the usual choice.

Printers that can process HIPS

According to manufacturer specifications, from the 5 printers in the wiki: