this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2023
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Tips for PETG? (self.3dprinting)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by WhosMansIsThis to c/3dprinting
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Im very new to 3d printing and this is my first time using anything other than pla. So far all of my prints are lifting off the bed at the corners. They start off looking beautiful. No stringing, great adhesion, etc. But after a few layers, they start to come off. Especially on larger prints.

Heres my setup:

  • Ender 3 pro with skr mini e3 v2
  • Creality Ender 3 glass bed upgrade
  • Bed temp: 90C
  • Extruder temp: 240C
  • Nozzle diameter: .4
  • Layer height: .2
  • First layer: .45
  • Speed: 60mm/s
  • Slicer: Silc3r

I realize that asking this question is like asking WebMD to dianose my sniffles, cause it can literally be anything, but Im hoping someone with more experience can give me some pointers on what works for them. Thanks yall!

Update: First of all, thank you all so much for the kick ass suggestions! I really appreciate all of your replies. Since pretty much everyone recommended it, I went ahead and got a textured spring steel PEI plate and holy shit, it didn't disappoint. Adhesion has been fantastic. I also ended up lowering my bed temp down to 75 from 90 and pushing my hotend temp to 245 for the first layer, then back to 240. I got an enclosure to help keep the plate clean but I also stocked up on some blue dawn dish soap. I still have a little more trial and error with print speed and cooling but I'm literally getting the best prints I've ever gotten thanks to all of your suggestions. Yall are awesome and I'm really glad I posted here.

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[–] B20bob 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

What I am about to say will probably go against what at least a few people on here will say, but I've been printing PETg (and PLA, ABS, tpu, etc...) for about 5 years now on 6 different machines. It all started where you are now, on a stock (besides a microswiss hotend) ender 3 and a glass bed.

For me PETg Prints as easily as PLA every time by following these guidelines.

  • 1. This is the number one most important thing when printing PETg. MAKE SURE IT'S DRY. PETg is very hygroscopic, which means it absorbs moisture from the air like crazy. It's a requirement (IMO) to get a filament dryer, or food dehydrator to dry your PETg. I dry it at 120°F for 6-12 hours in a modified flld dehydrator. Even when stored in a vacuum bag with desiccant PETg will still not stay 100% dry. Wer filament will bubble and make it weak, make it stringy as a guitar, and lead to weak parts.
  • 2. Invest in a PEI coated spring steal build surface. Smooth and textured both work awesome. It just depeton what surface finish you want. Personally, I would start with one that is powder coated with a textured finish, as it's more forgiving to uneven beds and also releases super easy once it cools off, usually the part will self release so you can just grab it right off.
  • 3. Don't use any type of adhesives on the PEI. We use PEI on our high dollar, over engineerd Voron printers for a reason. When you heat it up to the proper temp, prints stick to it like theres no tomorrow, As long as you keep it clean! I don't even bother with isopropyl alcohol anymore, use blue dawn and a paper towel in the kitchen sink. Dish soap is a surfactant, which means it washes contaminates away, instead of just moving them around like a solvent does (isopropyl). From talking to people online about it, some of those adhesives can actually cause adhesion issues.

Temp: I print PETg at 245° first layer and 240° after that. I run 75° on all of my beds with PEI sheets and have great adhesion.

Part Cooling: PETg doesn't tolerate part cooling as well as PLA. I run my 5015 setups at about 30% fan speed which delivers a good balance of print quality and strength.

It should also be noted that you should really invest in an all metal hotend when printing above above 230°C. The PTFE tubing in the stock lined creality hotendt begins to break down above this temp and puts off some really bad chemicals, like chemicals that are said to eat holes in your brain amd stuff... Also, you will have less headaches with an all metal hotend, just be sure to lower your retraction accordingly.

Well, this has turned into a wall of text so I'm going to stop here. If anything I said doesn't make sense justlet me know and I'll be happy to clarify. Cheers.