High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) is not only regarded as a good support filament, but it can work wonders as a standalone filament as well. Because of the fact that it is easy to print and does not warp.

It combines the hardness of polystyrene and elasticity of rubber to produce a tough thermoplastic which does not become brittle.

It is very similar to ABS, the only difference being that it is soluble in Limonene. This solution is easily obtained from the skin of lemons. Once the printing is complete, and the model has cooled, HIPS dissolves after being submerged for 24 hours, and the result is a print with clean, crisp overhanging. This makes it a great option as a support material when printing with ABS on a dual extrusion printer.

HIPS has been able to solve the issue of warping and deforming when the support material and printing material have different printing temperatures. Because HIPS share nearly identical printing temperature with ABS, it will lie together without any deformation or warping.

HIPS can be painted and handles sanding well. It can also be glued together by specialty adhesives.