How do you succeed with PETG?

For the best chance of success, you will want to make sure you have a heated bed set to 65°C. Some PETG is more warp-prone than others, so higher temperatures may be required to give them enough adhesion to the bed. If you're having difficulty, bump the temperature up by 5°C at a time until adhesion improves.

How do you get perfect prints on PETG?

How hard is it to print with PETG?

PETG is very sensitive to print speed. Print too fast and you'll have poor layer adhesion, extruder skipping, and low print quality, but print too slow and you'll end up with deformed parts, stringing, and oozing. You'll have to find the sweet spot with the printer and filament you're using.

How do you avoid warping with PETG?

Use a bottle of standard hairspray and hold it about 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) away from the print bed. Apply it by sweeping the nozzle back and forth to coat the surface of the print bed in a thin layer. The stickiness of the spray will improve the grip and help prevent warping.

How do I improve my PETG bridging?

The best way to improve PETG bridging is to decrease your printing temperature, increase your cooling fan speeds, and use a good fan duct that directs cool air to the filament. Try low printing speeds of 10-25mm/s, or higher speeds of 70-80mm/s to see what works best. You can enable settings just for bridges.

BEST TIPS FOR BETTER PRINTS WITH PETG | Everything you need to succeed with PETG filament

What is a bridging test?

A bridging test tests how well the 3D printer can print 90° overhangs. Good bridging test objects use as little filament as possible and offer multiple bridge lengths. Bridging tests are available either in slicer plugins or on platforms like Thingiverse.

How far can you bridge 3D printer?

In one print, you'll be able to see what bridge lengths are hard for your printer. 50- to 100-mm bridges are good, while bridges spanning 150+ mm are excellent. If this test doesn't turn out well, don't worry; this is just to figure out the extent of the problem.

At what temperature does PETG start to warp?

The glass transition temperature of PETG ranges from 80-95°C which makes it more efficient in facing the hot climate and extreme temperature as compared to other filaments.

Does PETG need an enclosure?

Overall, PETG is generally very easy to print with, as it requires no enclosure nor heated bed, making it compatible with virtually all FDM printers. It combines ease of printing with great strength and durability, making it a great filament choice for any print.

Why does PETG curl up?

Whenever some part of your printing object starts to curl upwards, you've got a warped 3D print on your hands. The problem occurs because the temperature differences between layers of extruded plastic are too big.

Is PETG worth the hassle?

PETG is a little more expensive, however worth it, as it is strong and easy to use. I normally print at 220°C on the nozzle and 80°C for the bed. PETG has more flex to it so when you are printing parts it is less likely to break under pressure like ABS.

Is PETG harder than PLA?

PETG is actually stronger than PLA in terms of tensile strength. PETG is also more durable, impact resistant & flexible than PLA so it's a great option to add to your 3D printing materials. The heat-resistance and UV-resistance of PETG outdoes PLA so it is better for outdoor use in terms of strength.

Does PETG need a heated bed?

Printing PETG requires a heated bed at 70°C - 80°C. We generally don't recommend heating your heated bed above the glass transition temperature of PETG (80°C ). A heated chamber is not required to successfully print parts in PETG.

Will PETG stick to glass?

PETG adheres very well to bare glass. Adhesive tape or other adhesives are not required. In cooling, PETG is more sensitive than PLA, the material likes to pull strings.

How far should the nozzle be from the bed for PETG?

The ideal gap between the nozzle and bed is typically a distance of 0.1mm, this is the thickness of two pieces of paper. PETG sticks to itself very well and because of this, can stick to the nozzle during printing. To prevent this it can be beneficial to print with a slightly larger nozzle gap than you usually would.

Will PETG warp in the sun?

PETG won't melt in the sun. Its melting point is 500 °F (260 °C), and the glass transition temperature is 176 °F (80 °C). Also, PETG is more resistant than other thermoplastic filaments to UV-A and UV-B radiation while being immune to the UV-C rays of the sun.

Is PETG as strong as ABS?

For most people, there really isn't a reason to choose ABS over PETG. PETG is stronger, more durable, and it prints better. It's also available in transparent colors. ABS is only necessary if you absolutely need the 100 °C temperature resistance or its ability to be glued and painted.

What is the 45 degree rule in 3D printing?

The 45 degree rule in 3D printing is a general rule used in 3D modeling that advises against designing objects that contain angles greater than 45°. But who cares about general rules. You know a better way. By eliminating angles greater than 45° in your designs, you also limit the scope of what you are able to create.

How do I fix poor bridging?

The best way to fix poor bridging is to improve your cooling system with a better fan or cooling duct. Next, you can decrease your printing speed and printing temperature to allow your extruded filament to cool faster while in the air.

How much of an overhang can you 3D print?

There is a general rule when it comes to 3D printing overhangs. The angle of the overhang should not exceed 45ᵒ. This is to make sure that each successive layer has enough support on it. This also means that at 45ᵒ, the 3D model is printed well because every layer is in about 50% contact with the layer below it.

Can you 3D print a bridge?

In terms of structures and walkways of urban architecture, 3D-printed bridge projects have multiplied in recent years. While the first 3D-printed bridges were created back in 2016, many countries are now using additive manufacturing to build these connecting structures.

What is bridge skin Cura?

Under the bridge settings you can set the print speed, the flow rate, the cooling (fan speed) and other things that only come into effect when Cura detects a bridge. You can also define when Cura recognizes an overhang as a bridge and thus prints with the special bridge settings.

What is bridging 3D print?

Bridging means that your 3D printer prints between two points that have no connection to each other. Normally, a 3D printer first prints the base layer, on which it builds up the object layer by layer. In contrast, there is no base layer between two points when bridging.

Does higher bed temp help adhesion?

While you can print without a heated bed in most cases, increasing the bed temperature results in a better first layer adhesion, and this translates to a better print quality and less warping overall.

Does hotter bed help adhesion?

This creates warping, a lack of bed adhesion, and a failed print. At the other end of the bed temperature spectrum is a too-hot bed. While more heat may sound like “better bed adhesion”, a part's foundation could melt too much. In most cases, melting at the base makes the part stick to the bed too much.