RE: PLA or PETG

I'd start with PLA until you need something else. It's pretty versatile and super easy to print with on our printers. Ignore what you ready about getting it to stick on other printers, just keep your sheet clean and it will stick. 

PETG is also pretty simple, but it likes the PEI too much so you do have to treat the sheet to avoid damaging it. 

RE: PLA or PETG

Thanks, @gnat, going tomorrow to get some filament from a local hobby/robotics supplier. His website shows that they carry a PLA +(plus).  It's supposed to be stronger than the regular PLA.

Here's the specs for the PLA +

eSun 1.75mm PLA+ filament - 1kg Spool

60702

Features:

• Like regular PLA, it is still 100% biodegradeable.
• Elongation at break is 29%. Regular PLA is 5%. That means it was tested to stretch 29% before finally failing.
• Izod impact Strength (receiving a sharp blow): PLA+ absorbs 7KJ/m², where regular PLA is only 4.2KJ/M²
  

Specifications:

• Base chemistry: polylactic acid biodegradable thermoplastic
• 1.75mm nominal diameter (spec'd +/- 0.05, but is in practice closer to +/- 0.03)
• 1kg spools on transparent LARGE diameter (easy unspooling) reels, vacuum sealed with desiccant
• Suggested build parameters:
• • Print temperature 190-210℃
  • Base temperature: 0/65 °C
  • Feed speed: 30-90mm/s
  • Idling speed: 90-150mm/s

RE: PLA or PETG

Canquest,

I am fairly new to 3D printing myself, but not to technology, (30+ years in IT).  I have been watching from the sidelines since the early days of 3D and waiting for a good quality printer for under $1k.  Enter the Prusa.  I have been printing anything and everything since I have found a niche for getting quality prints out of this machine.  BTW, I built mine from the kit and it worked right away.  I have since done the MK3S upgrade and soon will do the MMU2S upgrade.  So I am no shrinking violet.  All that said...

I have the PEI sheets to print on and I just acquired the Powder Coated sheets.  I love the PC sheets hands down over the PEI sheets.  I have just about 1000 hours of printing on my printer since I assembled it and I built the Prusa Lack Enclosure.  A slight aside.

I like PLA for it's ease of set up and use, (read forgiveness), but fear that the reason I bought the printer, (Parts for the exterior of my Airstream RV), will disintegrate in the sun over time, so I have opted to PETG for most things.  Note: Most of the printed parts of the Prusa printer are made with PETG.  In the future I look forward to working with other materials.  I have Metal PLA, Wood PLA, Flex, and soon Carbon reinforced Nylon.  Experimentation is fun.  Go at your own pace.  BTW, Some filaments deteriorate your extruder and may require a change of the nozzle, especially metal PLA and carbon fibre.

Enjoy PLA for a while then switch at your own speed.

BTW,  I have used eSun PETG Filament and they are very good.  Only second to Prusa filaments.  Prusa's are TOP NOTCH.  I have tried some less than stellar filaments which should remain NAMELESS.

Once you understand PLA and are really comfortable with it, PETG is no real jump.  I recommend making sure you know how to make the filaments stick and release.  How to clean the print surface and get good at it.  What to use to clean the surface for the filament you are using.  And I do recommend sticking with NAME BRAND filaments.  This prevents issues like air bubbles, and damage to your extruder from foreign objects like metal shavings clogging your extruder.

Also remember that you need to slice the files for EACH different filament you may use.  There are many settings that get changed when you switch materials.  The Prusa Slicer has them all listed and you just choose the closest one to your filament.  There are also setting recommendations on the filament box or on the manufacturer's web site.  Make sure you know that before you slice your designs.

I hope that helps.

Robin

RE: PLA or PETG

Thanks @robin-h9 (Robin), great post, greatly appreciated.

I have had to adjust my designing/manufacturing mindset because 3d printing requires different approaches which is sometimes not compatible with my machining/millwright background.

I am learning Fusion 360 and that has been an experience, but I will need that design power for my projects.

Glad you had tried eSun filaments and give it a fair review because I have no access to Prusa filament in Canada, but can get the eSun product locally.

Where are you based out of.  Would be good to follow someone who is close to the same 3d printer experience as me.

I too built the MK3S from a kit & it worked great right from the start.  Super assembly manual and this forum has been great answering my silly questions.

Rusty

RE: PLA or PETG

Posted by: canquest

Thanks, @gnat, going tomorrow to get some filament from a local hobby/robotics supplier. His website shows that they carry a PLA +(plus).  It's supposed to be stronger than the regular PLA.

Here's the specs for the PLA +

eSun 1.75mm PLA+ filament - 1kg Spool

eSun PLA+ is good stuff. It prints very well and has a great finish. It also comes on reusable 2 part spools, so you can order spool-less refills.

Don't be too anxious about PETG. It definitely prints differently than PLA, but is easy to master. Do be prepared for more stringiness with it. If you don't mind spending a bit more, Colorfabb's NGEN is essentially PETG that prints much like PLA.

RE: PLA or PETG

Thanks @bobstro, I will look up Colorfabb NGEN.

RE: PLA or PETG

It depends.  You need to decide what you want and choose from there.

If you want my opinion start with PLA because it's cheaper and relatively guilt free.  You're going to have more failed prints early on and you can just toss that sweet, sweet smelling corn starch in your compost bin.

Once you're comfortable and want higher quality go for PETG.  Glossy finish and a variety of colors means you can produce more functional items without the draw backs of ABS.  I also wouldn't mix PLA and ABS in the same extruder as you're more likely to have residual deposits due to ABS' much higher melting point.

I'd also avoid the Chinese stuff.  Buy either from Prusa direct or off of amazon.  If you love your machine keep supporting the company and their unparalleled products. 

RE: PLA or PETG

Thanks @gregory-b10, not sure how it all happened, but I'm glad I selected Prusa.  Thanks for the hint about not mixing PLA & ABS.  I have a friend that is an ABS fanatic, and he is always pushing me to go that way, but I will not.

I believe PLA, PLA+ & PETG will eventually be my main mix.

RE: PLA or PETG

Posted by: canquest

Thanks @robin-h9 (Robin), great post, greatly appreciated.

I have had to adjust my designing/manufacturing mindset because 3d printing requires different approaches which is sometimes not compatible with my machining/millwright background.

I am learning Fusion 360 and that has been an experience, but I will need that design power for my projects.

Glad you had tried eSun filaments and give it a fair review because I have no access to Prusa filament in Canada, but can get the eSun product locally.

Where are you based out of.  Would be good to follow someone who is close to the same 3d printer experience as me.

I too built the MK3S from a kit & it worked great right from the start.  Super assembly manual and this forum has been great answering my silly questions.

Rusty

 

 

No worries Rusty.  I come at this from 30+ years of IT Architecture and an Electrical Engineering background.  So we have a learning curve that isn't as steep as some.

Experimentation is the makers best friend.

Robin

RE: PLA or PETG

I have pla flower pots that have been outside around 2 years

RE: PLA or PETG

Posted by: jerry.s3

I have pla flower pots that have been outside around 2 years

That's good to know.

Has anyone tried HIPS material?  Any guidelines?

Robin

RE: PLA or PETG

Posted by: canquest

Thanks @gregory-b10, not sure how it all happened, but I'm glad I selected Prusa.  Thanks for the hint about not mixing PLA & ABS.  I have a friend that is an ABS fanatic, and he is always pushing me to go that way, but I will not.

I believe PLA, PLA+ & PETG will eventually be my main mix.

 

Check this out.  It's all of the parts, (using Prusament Orange PETG) of the Prusa Lack MMU enclosure (so far, and will total 160.7 hours of print time) and my other tinkers with electronics.  Working on a signal generator for a health project.  That's a wiper motor from the Airstream in the front.  LOL

RE: PLA or PETG

@big-bird, interesting parts.  Would like to see how you orientated some of the parts on your build platform (especially the part that has the square protrusion coming out of one end).

RE: PLA or PETG

Posted by: canquest

@big-bird, interesting parts.  Would like to see how you orientated some of the parts on your build platform (especially the part that has the square protrusion coming out of one end).

First off, I take no design credit for any of those parts.  They are from Prusa.  I merely split them to print in smaller batches.  I run my printer nearly 24x7 but I do not like print jobs longer than 12 hours.  It keepss my better half from sleeping well.

The magic of supports.  I have attached the 3MF file.  The advantage of the 3MF files is that they have all of the slicer settings in them.  You can get all of the details for successful printing right in there. Think of a 3MF as an STL with Printer settings in it.  It's really a ZIP file with all of the data right there, STL, config ini in XML format etc.

You can dissect the file with winzip or 7zip or just load it into Prusa Slicer.

Robin

RE: PLA or PETG

Posted by: RAHRAH

Posted by: canquest

@big-bird, interesting parts.  Would like to see how you orientated some of the parts on your build platform (especially the part that has the square protrusion coming out of one end).

First off, I take no design credit for any of those parts.  They are from Prusa.  I merely split them to print in smaller batches.  I run my printer nearly 24x7 but I do not like print jobs longer than 12 hours.  It keepss my better half from sleeping well.

The magic of supports.  I have attached the 3MF file.  The advantage of the 3MF files is that they have all of the slicer settings in them.  You can get all of the details for successful printing right in there. Think of a 3MF as an STL with Printer settings in it.  It's really a ZIP file with all of the data right there, STL, config ini in XML format etc.

You can dissect the file with winzip or 7zip or just load it into Prusa Slicer.

 

Robin

3MF files cannot be attached.  Sorry.  Here is a link to the file:

https://media.prusaprinters.org/media/prints/3673/stls/23621_017aec67-7712-48a2-bcd7-8ded56f9d5fe/prusa_mmu_enclosure_3.3mf#_ga=2.164395322.487786.1561327759-140937663.1547007839

RE: PLA or PETG

to attach 3mf files, zip them up and attach the zip - anomaly of the forum software

RE: PLA or PETG

Posted by: RAHRAH

Posted by: RAHRAH

Posted by: canquest

@big-bird, interesting parts.  Would like to see how you orientated some of the parts on your build platform (especially the part that has the square protrusion coming out of one end).

First off, I take no design credit for any of those parts.  They are from Prusa.  I merely split them to print in smaller batches.  I run my printer nearly 24x7 but I do not like print jobs longer than 12 hours.  It keepss my better half from sleeping well.

The magic of supports.  I have attached the 3MF file.  The advantage of the 3MF files is that they have all of the slicer settings in them.  You can get all of the details for successful printing right in there. Think of a 3MF as an STL with Printer settings in it.  It's really a ZIP file with all of the data right there, STL, config ini in XML format etc.

You can dissect the file with winzip or 7zip or just load it into Prusa Slicer.

 

Robin

3MF files cannot be attached.  Sorry.  Here is a link to the file:

https://media.prusaprinters.org/media/prints/3673/stls/23621_017aec67-7712-48a2-bcd7-8ded56f9d5fe/prusa_mmu_enclosure_3.3mf#_ga=2.164395322.487786.1561327759-140937663.1547007839

 

Rusty,

I had intended to attach only the part you asked about.  Since the rest of the file is larger.  Just rename the attached file to .3MF.  Actually .zip and .3mf are the same to a point.  Anyways just rename to .3mf and load with prusa slicer or unzip and look at the way the support blocks are defined.  You can learn quite a lot by seeing how other people do things.

Thanks David.

Robin