HIPS or High Impact Polystyrene is a material that consists of polystyrene and rubber. It is ideal for 3D printing parts with high resistance and excellent mechanical properties. It has similar characteristics to ABS, however it is stronger than the latter. The material surpasses ABS and PLA in terms of mechanical properties.
The primary difference between ABS and HIPS is that the latter is suitable as a support material, due to the fact that it can be subsequently diluted in D-Limonene. Limonene is an easily obtained solution made with lemon peels. Unfortunately, this limits you to using it for supporting ABS prints, as limonene can damage other materials. In addition, HIPS is as easy to print but much less likely to warp compared to ABS. It requires no scraping, cutting, or any other method of removal that may cause damage to your prints.
Apart from being a support material, it is useful as its own material. This is because it can be sanded and painted with acrylic paints, and works with a wide variety of adhesives. Furthermore, HIPS is food safe, non-toxic, fully recyclable and non-hydroscopic, which means it won’t degrade in humid environments.
However, HIPS produces fumes, much like ABS. While printing, HIPS will release small amounts of styrene into the atmosphere. Thus, it is important to make sure you ventilate the printing area.
HIPS filament generally works with a nozzle temperature between 220°C and 240°C, and a bed temperature between 90°C and 110°C. This means some machines will have trouble with bed adhesion, as the high bed temperatures are harder to reach and maintain.
