The Countdown To Christmas Continues with Our 25 Days of Materials, Up Next is HIPS

Tis the season to be jolly, join the Wolfpack in a fun 25 Days of Materials 3D printing countdown to Christmas and learn about 25 different materials and their unique properties!  The objects to be 3D printed are part of the Advent Calendar/Christmas Tree designed by pleppik.  Everyday we will unveil a new part of the beautiful Advent Calendar and talk about a different special 3D printing material.

Day 2: Wrapped Present (With A Bow) 3D Printing with HIPS

Following the Wolfpack’s 25 Days of Materials 3D printing countdown is a “wrapped present with a bow” 3D printed with HIPS. HIPS is High Impact Polystyrene and has very similar properties to ABS, but offers more hardness, impact resistance and works well as a support material. Making complex prints easier to achieve by saving you some trouble as break-away support.

Some interesting facts about HIPS:

• You can utilize HIPS as a support material, because it’s soluble in limonene, and it also has no effect on ABS.
• It is frequently used on prototypes because it has excellent dimensional stability, and not to mention it is also really easy to fabricate, paint and glue.
• HIPS is commonly used in the fabrication of home appliances, toys and product packaging.
• HIPS is safe to humans and animals, and is believed to be non-carcinogenic.
  

3D Printing With HIPS: Tips and Tricks

• Since HIPS contains similar properties to ABS, one coat of Original Wolfbite will prevent your part from warping. Wolfbite is a premium solution specifically engineered to ABS and PETG parts to a glass 3D printer build plate without lifting—also known in the industry as “warpage,”—and to enable smooth release of objects after printing. This new solution works well with heated and non-heated beds on all types and brands of the 3D printers utilizing glass printing surfaces.
• HIPS prints best with the bed set at 55-65°C
• Set your hot end temperature to 240°C when 3d printing with HIPS.

• Dissolving HIPS with Limonene:

• Wait for your print to completely cool down. HIPS stays very pliable until it’s cool and might bend if you remove it from the bed if it’s still hot.
• Place your print in a glass jar with enough limonene to soak in for 24 hours, agitate the glass jar as frequently as possible.  Are you anxious to see your final part?  Sometimes we use an agitator to speed up the process.  Time will vary depending on the amount of material you used, check your part every couple of hours.
• Remove your print from the jar and rinse it in fresh water.

Did you know?

Polystyrene has been around in other fields of application for decades. It is one of the most widely used thermoplastic polymers in the world. Because of its characteristics with respect to hygiene, heat resistance and strength, Polystyrene is being extensively used in additive manufacturing, food packaging industry, and also for the production of CD/DVD jewel cases and disposable plastic cutlery/dinnerware.

Are you ready to start 3D printing with HIPS?  Great!  You can buy some HIPS filament here https://airwolf3d.com/shop/hips.

MORE MATERIALS TO FOLLOW!

Below is a chart to list a few of the 3D printing filaments that we will be discussing over the next 25 days.  You can read about Day 1: ABS here.