Thermoplastic · Styrenic / support
AdvancedHIPS
High Impact Polystyrene
Dissolvable support material for ABS printing — and a light, matte structural plastic in its own right.
Print temperatures
Nozzle 230–245 °C Bed 90–110 °C
HIPS is cheap, light, rigid styrenic plastic — think disposable cutlery and model kits. Its FDM niche is special: it dissolves in limonene, making it the classic dissolvable support material for ABS.
It can also be printed as a standalone lightweight material with an ABS-like workflow.
Strengths & trade-offs
- Dissolvable in limonene — great ABS support
- Lightweight and rigid
- Cheap
- Sandable and paintable
- ABS-compatible print temps
- Warps — heated bed + enclosure
- Emits fumes
- Poor UV resistance
- Lower strength than ABS
- Limonene cleanup is slow
Best for
Dissolvable supports for ABS printsLightweight modelsPrototypesLow-cost rigid parts
Did you know
- HIPS's killer FDM feature is chemical: it dissolves in d-limonene (orange-peel solvent), washing away as support.
- It's the same plastic as many disposable cups and model kits, just rubber-toughened.
