Materials · With some practice
HIPS
Light and similar to ABS. Its best-known job: support material for ABS parts.
SupportsHandles impacts
What changes most if you're coming from PLA:
What it's for
- Supports for ABS parts: they come off cleanly because the two materials don't fully fuse.
- Light parts you'll paint or sand.
What it's not for
- Parts in the sun for a long time.
- Supporting PLA or PETG: it's meant to go with ABS.
If you're coming from another material
- Nozzle temperature220 °C 240 °C20 °C hotter. HIPS needs more heat to melt properly; printed like PLA, the layers don't fuse and the part breaks easily.
- Bed temperature65 °C 70 °C5 °C hotter. A hotter bed keeps the base warm while the rest prints, so it doesn't shrink or lift at the corners.
- Part fan60–80 % 0–60 %Less air. This material prefers to cool slowly: with lots of fan the layers bond poorly or the part cracks.
- Max volumetric speed12 mm³/s 8 mm³/sIt melts more slowly: the profile limits how much plastic comes out per second, so the printer slows down (about 67% of PLA's flow).
- Softens at45 °C 100 °CIt handles 55 °C more before softening: good for parts that will sit in the sun or near something hot.
What it's like to print
- A hot bed and little fan at first, like ABS.
- To use it as support you need a printer with an AMS or two materials.
Starting values
From Bambu Studio's generic profile for the A1: they're meant for any brand, so they're cautious. They're a starting point; the calibration tests get you to your filament's own values.
| Nozzle | 240 °C (220–270) |
|---|---|
| Bed, textured plate | 70 °C |
| Bed, smooth plate (PEI) | 70 °C |
| Bed, cool plate | not recommended |
| Fan | 0–60 % |
| Max flow | 8 mm³/s |
| Softens at | 100 °C |
| Hardened nozzle | not needed |
Moisture
It absorbs little moisture.
Drying time and temperature come from your filament's maker: every brand and blend is different, so we don't give numbers here. Look for them on the filament's label or the brand's data sheet.
The settings that change the most
- Support/raft interface filamentProcess › SupportThis is where you pick HIPS for the support layer that touches the part.
- Maximum fan speedFilament › CoolingLittle air at first, like ABS.
Typical problems:Support won't come off or tears pieces awayThe corners lift
Calibrate first:1Temperature
The numbers come from Bambu Studio and the A1, but the material is the same on any FDM printer: on another machine or slicer, the values are similar and everything explained here still applies.
Other materials
PLAPLA SilkPETGPCTGTPUABSASAPC (polycarbonate)Nylon (PA)PP (polypropylene)Fiber-filled (CF and GF)Soluble supports (PVA and BVOH)