leaving good feedback
I just got my mini and have been printing petg with great results and would like to leave feedback to say what a brilliant little printer this is. For the money it is definitely the best value tool in my workshop. I'm 60 years old and have been interested in tools and tool making for most of that time and have a keen eye for quality and good workmanship and this little printer has everything and more. My first printer, it is being used for prototyping and has not let me down at all, nor has petg which is much stronger and more flexible than I expected.
I researched greatly before buying this printer and was impressed with Prusa from the start. I am totally blown away by the mini and and the support you get with it and would just like to say thanks for the lovely experience.
RE: leaving good feedback
Totally agree (beside that mine does not print that good as expectect but I will figure out why).
Prusa MK3s /wFilamentSensor /wSuperPINDA
Prusa Mini /wFilamentSensor /wSuperPINDA
MMU2S (nicht in Betrieb)
RE: leaving good feedback
Just had my first rolls of Prusament PETG delivered, and I am currently printing a Neon Green Benchy 🙂
To date I have had some fantastic results with PLA, great little machine for the price. Very impressed with both its quality and that of its prints.
RE: leaving good feedback
Started getting burn bits of filament in my prints. Just lowered the temperature by 10C, as I was also getting stringing (which was causing a build up on the nozzle).
It seems to have helped. Just hope the layers are sticking to each other, I guess I will find out at the end of the print.
RE: leaving good feedback
Started getting burn bits of filament in my prints. Just lowered the temperature by 10C, as I was also getting stringing (which was causing a build up on the nozzle).
Build up on the nozzle would also explain the little burned bits. Keep an eye on your heater block and clean it off periodically if you notice build-up of filament. This will also make any future thermistor or heater cartridge replacements much easier as removing them after filament has caramelized in the threads is very difficult. A silicone sock is highly recommended. A few notes on PETG:
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You don’t want too much cooling or you’ll get poor inter-layer adhesion, but too little and it can produce very stringy prints. I’ve gone with 30% cooling for appearance when appropriate. Keep your eyes open for new versions of PrusaSlicer as they’re adding a feature that will allow you to enable cooling only for external perimeters which should help a lot with balancing print strength and appearance.
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PETG is prone to snagging the nozzle when printing the first layer if it’s too close. Some Live-Z adjustment for PETG is recommended. I raise mine (make less negative) by 0.02mm, though others swear by 0.2mm. See what works best for you.
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PETG is attracted to heat, so try to keep your bed as hot as possible and the extruder as cold as possible at the start of your prints. After the first layer the extruder temperature can be raised and the bed temperature lowered.
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Consider a coated nozzle and/or silicone sock for the heater block to reduce tendency of PETG to stick to the nozzle and heater block.
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When switching from PETG to PLA, heat the nozzle above PETG temps and use some cleaning filament to clear the hotend and nozzle of any residual PETG. This is not 100% mandatory, but the cleaning filament does a good job of pulling out all the PETG, and will also melt out at PLA temps, so any stuck won’t screw up lower temp PLA prints.
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PETG will absorb moisture over a short period of time. Keep PETG in sealed freezer bags with fresh desiccant when not in use.
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You don’t need an enclosure for PETG. It’s pleasant to work with at normal room temperatures.
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Most PETG will print fine on the PEI sheet with a spritz of Windex and/or wipes with your fingers. However, hotter stuff (>250C on 80C+ bed) may stick too well. Consider gluestick or some other release agent for hotter temps.
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Reserve one PEI surface for PETG and other hot sticky materials and a separate surface for PLA.
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RE: leaving good feedback
Thanks Bob, some fantastic information.
I have ordered a little brass brush to clean off the nozzle. The PETG does appear to make more of a mess on it than the PLA did.
Also need to look into a silicone sock.
Getting the Z level correct does seem a little trickier with PETG on the textured sheet than PLA on the PEI.
And it certainly strings more. I will try a stringing test along with your advise on the temperature and cooling.
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