Useful PETG guide

Hi!

I recently stumbled upon this awesome visual PETG guide that helps debug a lot of problems when printing with PETG.

Hope it helps :smiley:

https://support.3dverkstan.se/article/23-a-visual-ultimaker-troubleshooting-guide

-Greg

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I tried my eSun PETG for the first time with my Snapmaker last night, printing a temperature tower. Simply selecting ABS in Snapmaker3D was all I really needed to do to print it. I discovered that Iā€™ll need to bump the temp up to 245Ā°C to get best results, but the results over the entire 230-250 range were quite good.

Iā€™ve been using Sunlu PETG, but Iā€™ve been having stringing issues. Does turning up the heat help fix that? :open_mouth:
What retraction speed/distance are you using?

Iā€™ve only done the tower thus far, but I saw no stringing on it. PETG by its very nature has a tendency to string anyway. I think retraction is really the key to reduce stringing: the default ABS retraction distance in Snapmaker3D is 4.5mm and I donā€™t recall the speed (50mm/s maybe?), but I was just using the defaults. Increasing temperature helps with bonding of layers.

Iā€™d recommend running a temperature tower yourself. I used this one, which requires no special settings inside Snapmaker3D due to the Cura engine being used:

I went from 250 on the bottom to 230 on the top with 4 degree steps and there wasnā€™t a very big difference in quality between the different temperatures: one of the overhangs warped badly at 250 and I saw some bonding issues on the bridges at the lower temperatures. Iā€™ll probably run this filament around 245, which is the temperature the filament manufacturer reports most people are using.

Iā€™m printing Inland PETG. It prints fine at 230C with a bed temperature of 75C. However I had to reduce the print speed to half of what I use for PLA.

I think the default print speed with the ABS setting is 40mm/s (PLA is the same, I think), which is fine for objects the size of which I can print with the Snapmaker. When I get a large format printer, then Iā€™ll have to push the envelope on print speed to possibly shave days off a print.

Iā€™m printing at 60mm/s for PLA. Sounds like I can get away with 40mm/s for PETG.

I think Iā€™m going to have to slow the speed down below 40. Supports were having issues getting built tonight, as was infill.

Iā€™m printing with PET-G since nearly half a year now. Not using PLA anymore.
Bed@65Ā°C, nozzle@230-250Ā°C (depends on the other settings and the filament) and 20 mm/s (for small items) up to 45 mm/s (for big items).
Stringing/oozing can occur at too high temperatures

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Iā€™ve always got crazy stringing haha

been trying to fix it for a while now

Yeah, small movements appear to be the bane of PETG. I have a print going right now at 30mm/s and there are four very small isolated supports that wonā€™t stay put. Fortunately, they donā€™t appear to be critical (and Iā€™m not even sure of their purpose), but with Snapmaker3D, thereā€™s no option to remove them and there are places on the model that need supports. Two much larger support structures are printing fine.

What are the PROā€™s of using PETG?

Similar properties to ABS and considerably less warp, so itā€™s easier to work with. Itā€™s essentially soda bottle plastic.You can make things for your car using PETG or ABS; PLA will tend to melt down in a hot car.

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Along with what @TheBum said, PETG is also slightly flexible and is classed as a flexible filament (if I am not mistaken). So, if printing something that needs to take a bit of a beating, PETG is amazing! Iā€™ve printed some headset holders that require some flex with PETG.

Also it doesnā€™t absorb moisture from the air as much as PLA does, making it easier to store.

Hereā€™s one half of the body of a rubber band gun done in purple eSun PETG. I had a tiny bit of lifting in one corner, but not bad at all. The rough areas are where the supports were; they came right off by hand. The white residue on the handle is glue that I havenā€™t washed off yet.

Iā€™ve had less success with the silver eSun: it doesnā€™t want to bond very well. I may have to print it at a different temperature than the purple; Iā€™ll print a temperature tower to figure out the best oneā€¦or I may end up tossing it.

My favorite PETG thus far is M3Dā€™s ABS-R (R = ā€œreplacementā€) which, despite its name, is based on PETG. Itā€™s a proprietary blend that acts more like ABS when printing (including its extrusion temperature) but without nearly as much warping as ABS.

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Despite this guide Iā€™m having a really difficult time making detailed prints xD

Have you done a temperature tower and adjusted retraction? Have you tried a different brand of filament?

Havenā€™t tried a different brand of filament, but Iā€™ve reduced the temp down to 190 C! It prints way better at this temp. Only issue Iā€™ve had with the snapmaker is it doesnā€™t seem to be able to do small circles. Iā€™ve tried changing the speed and all, but nothing has helped.

Small circles have been a problem with both of the printers Iā€™ve used. Thereā€™s not much contact area for that short of a line of filament.

I read online that is may have to do with the constant heat that is around the general area. As the nozzle does not move too far away from the circle, the filament never has time to harden properly or settle, causing rough circles. Iā€™m experimenting with simple towers that allow the nozzle to move away from the small radius for a brief few seconds.