HIPS or High impact polystyrene, is a commonly used filament when it comes to 3d printing. It is a material that is made of a blend of polystyrene and rubber. Many people who produce complex models and do not wish to keep the support material like to choose HIPS filament because of the fact that it is dissolvable.
People like to use HIPS filament because it simply dissolves in limonene solution and it eliminates the need to cut or remove supports themselves, this also means that your print won’t end up having jagged edges and a much smoother finish.
What is Limonene Solution?
Limonene solution is made with lemon peels and is quite easy to get a hold of. It is what makes the HIPS filament dissolve. The only downside to this is that you cannot use it for supporting material when you print with an ABS filament. This is because the limonene will damage the ABS.
HIPS VS ABS
ABS is the second most popular 3d printer filament next to PLA filament. ABS filament is the most popular choice among many people because of how strong and sturdy it is. However, not many people know that HIPS filament is actually stronger than ABS filament. As well as making for fantastic support material, HIPS does pretty well as its own material. In fact, there is a lot you can do with it. You can easily paint it, it is very machinable, extremely strong, and works with a vast amount of adhesives.
HIPS filament is also environmentally friendly, food safe and it won’t degrade in environments where the humidity is high.
HIPS 3D printer filament can be glued using almost any kind of speciality adhesives. It also easy to sand down and paint. This makes HIPS filament an excellent choice for mockups and prototypes.
Strength is not the only thing that HIPS and ABS filaments have in common. Odour is among the similarities between the two filaments. It is recommended that if you are printing with HIPS filament, that you make sure the process takes place in a well-ventilated room.
Heating Temperatures for HIPS Filament.
HIPS filament is normally printed with a nozzle and the temperature between 220°C and 240°C. It is recommended when printing with HIPS filament that you have a bed temperature set between 90°C and 110°C. This could mean that some machines will have trouble with bed adhesion, as the higher the bed temperatures are, the harder it is to reach and maintain.
A Quick Summary of HIPS and It’s Properties
- Strong and durable
- Excellent dissolvable support material
- Fantastic machinability, easily sanded and paintable
- Food safe, non-toxic and environmentally friendly
- Won’t degrade in environments where the humidity is high.
- Printing HIPS filament temperature is from 220°C – 240°C
- Recommended printing bed temperature of 90°C to 110°C
Some Tips for Printing with HIPS Filament
There are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to printing with HIPS.
As we stated above, HIPS prints best at a temperature between 220°C and 240°C. Have a play around with temperatures in this range to see what’s best for you.
Your printing bed should be set to a temperature of anywhere from 90°C up to 110°C. Again, experiment with temperatures in this range to find what works best for you.
After your print job has been completed, wait for it cool completely before removing it from the 3d printer. HIPS filament is still workable when warm, but it will bend if you try to remove it too soon.
If you’re using HIPS as a dissolvable support material, you will need to immerse your printed object completely in Limonene. Note that it can take up to 24 hours before it can completely dissolve. 
When a print job that you’re running gets ruined because of low-quality filament, you have not only wasted time, but you have also wasted money. Cheap and nasty filaments tend to produce cheap and nasty results.
At the end of the say, you’ll actually spend more on replacing filament than you would have spent stocking up on a quality filament. Make sure you choose only top-quality HIPS support material when printing. Here at Go3D, you will find a wide range of top-quality HIPS filaments or any other filament for that matter.
