Windex  

RE: Windex

Yes.  You need it with every PETG.  Start with a small print without and text adhesion for the filament.  

RE: Windex

Hi Szumi,

I print almost exclusively PETG (eSUN and Prusament).  I still clean with 99.7% anhydrous IPA between prints on my smooth PEI sheet.  Nozzle wipe at the beginning of prints is pretty sticky so I do use a line of glue stick there, but all my prints just snap right off unless I have a support interface on the first layer, in which case it's one line and easily peels off with a nudge from the tip of my hobby knife.

Tl;dr:  I used to use Windex between PETG prints but realized that it's not necessary with the spring steel sheet.  No PEI surface damage to report, and I print everything in the middle of the bed.  Plus there's still another side to play with if I ever did end up with damage.

EDIT:  If you are using the textured sheet, ignore everything I just said.

RE: Windex

@slumb3rjack

You will eventually get burned over time. It took me about a year on the same sheet to start having over adhesion with PETG and it only happens with certain brands.  3DXTech is the worst.   The last time I did not use it, it took 3 hours to remove all the supports from the bed.  The worse part is the perimeter.  

RE: Windex

@cwbullet

True, but I tend to stick to the same two brands, and I have never run into any over-adhesion that was severe enough to damage my bed.  I've been printing parts centered on my bed since I got my MK3S with no Windex, and have yet to have any over-adhesion issues with eSUN or Prusament filaments.  PEI sheet looks and functions just about how it did the way I got it; honestly, I don't mind spending $30-$40 every year or two to replace a sheet.  Windex is useful on my Ender 3 Pro with a glass/PEI surface, but that's mainly due to the fact that I can't just pop the prints off and inevitably end up cutting my hands on something when removing prints.  When experimenting with gluestick/Windex/dish soap on my smooth sheet, I actually experienced poor adhesion and failed first layers; switching back to a clean IPA wipe and a little glue stick for the wipe line has made my PETG printing hassle-free and tuning my z-offset very simple.  Since you don't want as much "squish" with PETG, I tend to start at a zero offset and bring it down just until it sticks at 40mm/s.

RE: Windex

Windex, gluestick, hairspray etc. all work well as release agents for petg but, like slumb3rjack, over the years I've come to mostly rely on ipa and a well calibrated nozzle height. I print primarily in petg and rarely have any major issues releasing prints. A little help from a pair of tweezers generally lifts stubborn filament lines (like the nozzle purge line) and block shapes pop off with a quick bend of the steel sheet.

I'm still using my original gold smooth pei spring steel sheet that came with my launch mk3. A quick mop over with 70-99% ipa after a print usually preps the sheet for another go. If necessary a scrub with fairy liquid works wonders, and twice since new a quick wipe with acetone has refreshed the print surface. The pei sheet is still going strong. Certain prints can benefit from a release agent (like complex support reliant prints or near-total print sheet area prints) but in my experience a correct nozzle height is mostly key to ease of use when it comes to print sheet surfaces. 

RE: Windex

I quit using glue stick as it was putting bubbles in my prints.  Using Windex with petg (hatchbox).  91 isopropyl with pva.  I'm slowly learning.

Thanks,

RE: Windex

@szumi

I reserve glue sticks for PC Blend.  

RE: Windex

Posted by: @szumi

I quit using glue stick as it was putting bubbles in my prints.  Using Windex with petg (hatchbox).  91 isopropyl with pva.  I'm slowly learning.

Thanks,

 

The Layerneer Bed Weld seems to work as well as the glue stick for both an adhesion enhancer for PLA and as a release agent for PETg, ABS and PC Blend.  It goes on much thinner than the glue stick and therefore does not affect the bottom side of the print nearly as much.

RE: Windex

I mainly print in PETG and has been doing that since I got my first MK2 (now upgraded to MK3S).

Started using diluted soap water but switched to windows cleaner (not Windex) - In my tests any windows cleaner will work as long as it is ammonium free.
After some time I started to get too little adhesion and switched to water diluted windows cleaner and that works very well for me. Before every print on the smooth PEI sheet I wipe it with a sponge with diluted windows cleaner (approx. 1:4).

From time to time it is necessary to really clean the PEI surface (dirt+finger grease) and I do that in hot water and dish wash with a quick drying to avoid rust. This has replaced my use of IPA.

My primary PETG filaments is: Devil Design, Prusa PETG and Prusament PETG.

On the textured sheet I don't use any release agent, just a wash in hot water and dish soap when needed.

RE: Windex

I'm using gluestick again.  Only where the wipe occurs at the start of printing.  There it was sticking too tightly.