PETG mastered....finally!
After pulling all the hair out of my bald head I strapped myself in and wasn't leaving until every one of the 17 items on my build plate looked like it was PLA's twin brother/sister. This is specifically eSun black PETG on a well tuned mk2.
I made the following changes to the Original Prusa i3 mk2 setting in S3D:
Extruder tab;
Extrusion multiplier -> 110 (was 100)
Coasting Distance -> 0.05 (was 0.20)
Layer tab;
Outline direction -> Outside-In (was Inside-out)
First layer height -> 75 (was 100) *Not sure if this one matters too much
First layer speed -> 50 (was 60) *might not be significant either 🙂
Also using "use random start points for all perimeters" fwiw
Advanced tab;
Allowed perimeter overlap -> 26 (was 25) *another minor change that may not be significant
Turned on "Avoid crossing outline for travel movement" might not be necessary with "z-hop"??
So there it is. Hope this helps someone all the grief I had with it. I really like the properties of PETG so I'm pretty stoked about getting reliable prints.
Re: PETG mastered....finally!
I've been using MadeSolid's PET+ which I suspect is a version of PETG. The biggest problem I have had is getting it off the bed! Weak adhesion is not an issue with this stuff!
On the extrusion multiplier ... did you measure the diameter of your filament? It may not, as mine is not, 1.75mm. I measure each time just to be sure. What I am working with is usually 1.69 or so.
What's your extrusion width? I get good luck with 0.45. I guess it gives it a bit of extra squish.
What does "coasting distance" do? I saw that but didn't touch it.
I have Z-Hop at 0.15 and it works very well. It fixed a problem I was having with a difficult part.
I'm very happy with S3D, the supports support (if you will), is better than anything I know of.
Bill W
"Even old dogs can learn new tricks!"
Re: PETG mastered....finally!
Hey William.
My filament currently averages 1.72mm
I use glue stick. Pops off, as soon as the bed cools, quite easily.
Same extrusion width
Coasting distance is how soon retraction starts before the end of the current line it's printing.
I think I will tinker with z-hop a bit but only on difficult parts as you mentioned. I have no issues currently. Printing a bunch of triangular painting/wood finishing spikes currently.
The support functions is the only reason I bought s3d. I quite like slic3r.
Re: PETG mastered....finally!
Hello guys!
How do you prepare your heat bed when printing with PETG?
When I read about others result they just "pop" the model of when it has cooled down.
My PETG models are always stuck to the heat bed. I've tried to print without anything on it, and I've also tried gluestick.
Im printing with around 50 degrees on the heat bed, and 240 degrees on the nozzle, no fan turned on.
Im getting these "bubbles" below my print when I remove it, with great force. Looks like the PEI sheet is coming loose.
Any tips? I really like the PETG material, but I will ruin my PEI sheet in 3-4 more PETG prints...
Re: PETG mastered....finally!
Patrik - i had the exact same problem when i first got my Mk2, the bubble eventually went away/didn't cause many problems - especially now that i've sanded my PEI a few times.
I still get quite my bed quite hot when printing PETG (80 celsius) but then raise the z-height with the live adjust function about .050 from my PLA setting to reduce the first layer squish. I don't use any glue or anything, just a clean PEI sheet. If it really doesn't stick, i then use a fine grit sand paper to lightly sand the PEI and then clean it really well with IPA to remove any grit.
Re: PETG mastered....finally!
I've had great luck with PETG, most recently the eSun version. I run the bed at 70C for parts with a good footprint and they pop right off with this: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BUZUXXC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 If that link doesn't work then it's called "Foreasy 3D Printer Accessories 3D Print Removal Tool Shovel Tool" This puppy is really strong and that front edge is very thin and works its way under most anything. So far I haven't done any damage to the PEI ... 😮
I read the the post here: http://forum.makergear.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2593 and followed, mostly, their suggestions. It's for a different printer but still very useful. His discussion of WHY for each setting was very informative. Oh, the settings are for Simplify3D but you can read those and translate into Slic3r without much difficulty.
Bill W
"Even old dogs can learn new tricks!"
Re: PETG mastered....finally!
Alright! Maybe I'm squeezing it to much! I'll try raise the nozzle a bit 🙂
Re: PETG mastered....finally!
When I run my bed at 70C I don't have any trouble getting the part off. But I can only do that with the smaller pieces. The spool holder I posted in the Improvements section I did at 85C because it was so very tall and it took a lot of work to get it to release.
I've also tried glue stick and I think that helped. That seems to be a "magic" solution ... use it when you want more stick and use it when you want less stick ... go figure ...
Bill W
"Even old dogs can learn new tricks!"
Re: PETG mastered....finally!
I had this happen, only worse, with ABS. I talked to customer support and they said to not print the same model in the same spot and it will eventually "repair" itself. They were right. After a few days it was gone.
Also, I use glue stick and some parts are still tough.
Re: PETG mastered....finally!
Doing a new test now, have raised my nozzle 0.05mm, and its still sticking well so I guess it will pop right off now. Although my transparent orange petg from eSun almost looks matte/white ish. Read that it gets a nice finish with the fan turned on but with some worse layer bonding... What expertience regarding this do you have?
EDIT: The second layer looks more clear, so it might turn out good anyway!
Re: PETG mastered....finally!
I had the same experience last night with some clear eSun PETG. The first layer looked terrible and I almost aborted the print but let it go. I had used glue stick because I was afraid it would stick too well and maybe the glue was getting mixed with the filament? Anyway, the second layer looked a lot better and the whole thing was fine. I wouldn't say that it "popped right off" but it did release OK.
I've just seen a Kickstarter campaign for some new stuff. It's at http://kck.st/2cdWIaE and is called LokBuild. I've put my bid in for a 305x305 sheet which is promised until January. The price isn't bad.
Bill W
"Even old dogs can learn new tricks!"
Re: PETG mastered....finally!
I have very good experiences with dasFilament PETG . First time I printed PETG. I used the recommended temperature settings and got the best benchy I have ever had. It's just perfect.
To avoid to strong adhesion I used gluestick and set an additional 0.3mm to the z-adjustment. No problems. Right now, I hardly use any gluestick. Works perfectly.
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PRUSA MK2
- Noctua fan 40mm
- MK2/MK3 hybrid extruder
Re: PETG mastered....finally!
I've just seen a Kickstarter campaign for some new stuff. It's at http://kck.st/2cdWIaE and is called LokBuild. I've put my bid in for a 305x305 sheet which is promised until January. The price isn't bad.
Lockbuild is now readily available. William.w2, did you try it? How thick is it (they don't seem to say anywhere I could find.
Any advices given are offered in good faith. It is your responsibility to ensure that by following my advice you do not suffer or cause injury, damage or loss. If you solve your problem, please post the solution…