11.3 PET/PETG
PETG is a very tough material with good thermal resistance. It’s universal but suitable
especially for mechanical parts and both indoor and outdoor use. PETG has almost
no
warping
, so printing large objects isn’t a problem. We use PETG to print parts for our
printers!
PETG is one of our favorite materials for 3D printing. It’s almost as easy to print as PLA, but
it can offer many mechanical properties that PLA prints just cannot achieve.
The G in the acronym PETG stands for Glycol which is added during the manufacturing
process. Glycol modifies the properties of PET, so that it’s
easier to print, less brittle and
clearer
when printing with semi-transparent variants. PETG has low thermal expansion, so
even when printing big and without an enclosure, it rarely lifts from the bed and warps. In
addition to that, PETG is
ductile
, it has a healthy amount of flex which can prevent parts
from breaking under stress.
Unlike PLA or ABS, PETG tends to ooze a bit and may leave
strings of plastic
on your
print. You can fight this with increasing retraction and playing with hotend temperature, but if
you use our filament presets in
Slic3r or Prusa Control
, we already did that for you and the
amount of stringing is minimal. If you witness a tiny bit of stringing anyway, you can get rid of
it by quickly blasting your finished prints with a heat gun.
PETG sticks very well to PEI, which is generally a good thing. But sometimes t could stick a
little bit too well and you could rip a piece of PEI from the bed, so you should use a
separating agent
(e.g. gluestick).
If you can handle the oozing and strong adhesion, you’ll be left with a very durable print, that
is considerably temperature resistant and usable for both indoor and outdoor use.
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
Easy to print
Possibility of stringing
Good layer adhesion
Not soluble in acetone
Very tough, low warping
Prone to scratches
Temperature resistance
Little shrinking
Durable
● Nozzle temperature:
240 °C
● Bed temperature:
80 - 100 °C
● Heatbed:
Make sure the surface is clean, as described in
6.3.2 PEI print surface
preparation
chapter. Do not use isopropyl alcohol to clean the bed, or the adhesion
may be too strong, if you do not have anything else on hand use the bundled glue as
a separator after cleaning it. Windex or similar windows cleaner is great option for
PET and you don’t need to use the glue after the cleaning. Pour a little amount on
unscented paper towel and wipe the print surface.
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Summary of Contents for Original Prusa i3 MK2S 1.75mm
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