PETG filament is a 3D printing material that is extremely durable. This filament has very high strength and can produce very solid and powerful prints. It has a low shrinkage rate, which makes it ideal for larger flat surfaces. PETG is a great replacement for ABS and PLA because it has better strength, less shrinkage, and a nicer finish. Here are some useful tips for using PETG filament while 3D printing.

Use a Glue Stick or Hair Spray

When adhesion is low, glue sticks or hair spray are typically used to print surfaces in order to help pieces stick to the bed. PETG, on the other hand, frequently sticks too well, tearing out bits of your printed part or build surface! As a result, you should always use a release agent like a glue stick or hair spray, and never print directly on BuildTak, PEI, or glass. In that manner, the agent will remove your parts rather than bits and pieces of your valuable build surface.

Get Retraction Right

PETG has a high tendency to string and ooze, as we already mentioned. The hardness of the material also makes molten plastic strings difficult to break, resulting in ugly webs and wisps on your prints. These can be reduced by fine-tuning your print settings. Within reasonable bounds, aim to improve retraction distance, retraction speed, and travel speed. Finally, if everything else fails, a heat gun can be used to remove any remaining strings.

Prevent Cracking

If you’re switching from PLA to PETG, you might notice that PETG cracks quite quickly. PETG can suffer if it is chilled too quickly, whereas PLA benefits from a lot of cooling. Reduce the fan speed if the print layers begin to split or fracture. PETG preserves its shape at significantly greater temperatures than PLA, allowing for sharp overhangs and intricate shapes. Extruded plastic will have more time to bind with the remainder of the model due to the slower cooling.

Give Support Structures Space

Some sculptures produced in PETG, like any other FDM printing material, may require support structures. PETG, once calibrated for layer adhesion, can attach to itself too well, making support removal difficult. You might want to go into the advanced settings of your slicing software and increase the distance between the support structures and your real model to mitigate this.

We hope you have enjoyed our article on some useful tips for using PETG filament while 3D printing! While PETG can be hard to print with, the characteristics it provides are astoundingly useful. However, a good printer would never limit itself to one filament. As such, for the future, ensure you know about the other filaments that may be useful to you.