High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) Cores

Applications

HIPS cores are used across multiple high-specification sectors:

• Food industry: Food-contact compliant cores for winding films, tapes and packaging materials.
• Pharmaceutical & medical: Support cores for sterile devices and technical films.
• Electronics: Winding of cables, technical films and sensitive components.
• Packaging: Winding and storage of plastic films and visual supports.
• Thermal transfer: Our cores ensure perfectly consistent winding and stable dimensions over time. They deliver high mechanical strength and a calibrated surface to prevent slippage, ensuring optimal print quality on TTR (Thermal Transfer Ribbon).

Technical information

Our High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) cores are manufactured to the highest standards of tubular extrusion.

Available in a wide range of dimensions, they can be tailored to your specific needs.

Main technical features

• Inner Ø: smooth or grooved
• Standard diameters: 76–77 / 82 / 84 / 86 / 88 / 90 mm
• Laize: inline cutting from 100 mm to 4000 mm
• Other diameters: available on request (contact us for custom production)
• Tight tolerances: suitable for high-precision industrial applications
• Appearance: smooth, clean, homogeneous surface

These cores can be customised in dimensioning, visual finish and inner surface according to your technical requirements.

Material used: High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS)

Our cores are produced from High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS), a material valued for its rigidity, impact resistance and excellent surface quality.

Made from a blend of crystal polystyrene (GPPS) and a butadiene-based elastomer, HIPS provides an ideal balance of aesthetics, robustness and dimensional stability.

Advantages of HIPS for technical cores

• High impact resistance: the butadiene content absorbs shocks and limits deformation.
• Clean, aesthetic surface: ideal for visible applications, packaging and POS displays.
• Dimensional stability: maintains shape and mechanical characteristics under stress.
• Food-contact compliance: meets European standards for contact with foodstuffs.
• Easy to machine and extrude: enables very precise tolerances, smooth or grooved finishes.

Hips variants

Depending on the application, ABI Profils offers several formulations of High Impact Polystyrene:

• Standard HIPS: suited to general industrial needs requiring rigidity and stability.
• Food-grade HIPS: compliant with EU Regulation No. 10/2011 for food packaging films.
• High-resistance HIPS: reinforced for environments with repeated mechanical impacts.
• Anti-static HIPS: designed for electronics or medical sectors to reduce electrostatic discharge.
• Mass-coloured HIPS: available in multiple colours for enhanced aesthetics or product identification.

Available fillers and additives

To adapt HIPS to the specific constraints of your application, several technical additives can be incorporated:

• Mineral fillers (talc, calcium carbonate): improve rigidity and heat resistance.
• Anti-UV additives: increase durability in outdoor or high-light environments.
• Anti-static additives: reduce dust sensitivity and ESD risks.
• Recycled materials: partial or full incorporation available for more eco-friendly solutions.
• Colourants and technical masterbatches: ensure uniform and durable visual finishes.

With full control over HIPS and its variants, ABI Profils develops cores perfectly suited to the mechanical, aesthetic and regulatory requirements of each industrial sector.

Manufacturing process and quality

HIPS cores are produced by plastic extrusion in our certified French facility.

The process includes:

• Mono- or twin-screw tubular extrusion for a perfectly homogeneous material flow
• Precision dimensional calibration ensuring consistent inner and outer diameters
• Automatic inline cutting from 100 mm to 4000 mm
• Integrated quality control (thickness, roundness, surface finish)

Our 15 extrusion lines enable flexible, responsive production suited to medium and large runs.

Each batch is traceable, controlled and compliant with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.