Yesterday I threw some 3DPCA House Brand Clear PETG into the dehydrator and today I spiralized it.
My results were eventually very good but I’m afraid everything we’ve seen online about the tensile and torsion and layer etc. strength of these materials may be complete bunk.
Between you and me, I always thought so, because the numbers were so flat across the board.
I will do a more controlled experiment in the next couple days but first I’m wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences.
there’s been a couple of people on here with some trouble within particular clear petg. I have some red and some plain here and I know they have to be really dry. They definitely flex a long way before breaking compared to PLA. ABS is my go-to for strengths though so far,.
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I really dislike the term strength. Petg is flexible PLA is brittle. It isn’t like one is stronger than the other it is just which is the right choice. Single layers I like PLA the stiffness prevents deflection and it IMO holds together longer of there is no flex at all. The design with vase mode is the real determining factor in how well a design holds up.
I bought III 3d from #DPC lately it is very clear better than PETg but one spool was warped from what I think was from being crushed, The box was perfect so before packing it was damaged. It has so many tangles it was unprintable. That said I was sent a new roll that is better, not neat and tidy like premium brands but useable. It is very clear perhaps the most clear I have ever used.
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Thanks for getting back to me, guys. I’m printing at the outlaws right now and don’t have access to the gear I need to be sure, but I suspect these guys doing the Big German Analysis of these materials are are actually testing their printers and slicer settings, not the material itself.
My roll of PETG was very cloudy until I printed very hot and slow.
Air gaps between layers refracting the light?
I will put samples under a microscope when I get home.
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Do you have any information on this?
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I’m just teasing Stefan Gootentog from CNC Kitchen
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gotcha heh… fill in characters to reach the 20min
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Yes air gaps refract light. Wider extrusion (line width) and a bigger nozzle will alter the way clear looks.
I think that materials are just different. Not really better or worse. Pla is brittle it makes it stronger for some things and weaker for others. The soft materials like Petg are stronger in some ways but weaker in others.
A tire is unbelievably strong you could beat it with a sledge hammer for weeks and it would be unchanged.
I sheet of steel would be deformed and fracture far faster.
Saying rubber is stronger than steel is silly. I just doesn’t work that way. A rubber bridge isn’t appropriate nor a steel tire.
Often the way people look at 3d materials is very well, one dimensional.
I have some 3DMax PLA+ “crystal” and It is quit clear. The only problem is the layer lines that refract the light. Not much that can be done about that unless we can change the laws of physics. Anyone want to try?
you could coat it in layers of something… maybe resin. as long as there no transition between the layer lines and the outside surface it should really improve transmission. in fact I’m pretty sure there is a product out there already that works for this
This is a model of the church my dad attends, he is 97 so it plays a big roll in his life. It is in vase mode from iiiD max crystal. The icicle beside is also base mode but it is clear PetG in the 3D pc brand.
The iiiD is far more clear. There is a lot of variables if you posted a photo perhaps we could offer some different opinions.
I printed at .2 with a .4 nozzle with a mk3s+ the rest was default for vase mode.
And and ye shall receive!
I modeled a temp tower earlier and just running the last couple of speeds now.
I will post the results real soon.
Those prints look awesome, by the way.
The iii3 stuff is PLA?
yes it is pla. its quite nice. I had some issues with the winding of one of 4 rolls I ordered but the others are good. III3D replaced the flaky one. (I bought 3 one is a replacement) It is quite good it has a silvery finish.
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What are you trying to do? I have been printing clear a lot. many rolls and use vase mode a bunch for ornaments and such I maybe able to offer some suggestions if I understand what you are trying to do.
Ok, house brand PETG clear. Very dry.
Ender 3 Pro Max with magnetic base.
0.6 tip with .3 layers, because life is short, unless you go to church and live to 97 so far.
As you can see, there seems to be a speed : heat ratio that impacts clarity.
Instead of using speed settings, I maxed everything out and set Minimum Layer Time setting to control for speed.
The model 15mm radius, and I printed it at 6, 5, 4, and 3 seconds per layer, and figure the travel speed at 15.7, 18.9, 23.6, and 31.4 mm/second.
After the second test, which barely held together, I gave up on 200 degrees because the layers just weren’t holding.
So the third test was manually adjusted to start at 210, and I changed the model for the forth to eliminate 200 and 210 altogether.
I can upload the model and slicer settings if anyone wants to try, though I’m not sure how to do that.
Honestly, I’m pretty new to all this so, mainly I’m just trying to understand the material properties so when a project comes up, I have a recipe at hand.
At first I thought the opacity of the print meant air gaps and weakness. The concern was that coloured PETG prints were equally, but invisibly weak.
Now I’m not so sure.
I can’t get a proper microscopic image, but I’m not seeing air pockets at all.
Ok, generally my experience with Petg clear samples are a bit increased temp and a bit lower fan and a increased extrusion width. I have a 0.6 on my artillery and 0.4 x on the prusa. A 0.4 brass on my mono price.
I found a slower speed and increased temp and extrusion width with lower fan gave me the best clear. I think because the hotter and forcing extra material helps fill the air gaps. I have found the well made nozzles string less and generally extrude better. I use only E3D nozzles now. The X Nozzle is fantastic. I get little to no stringing.
I get the speed, oddly the Prusa rigid frame allows it to print faster and sidewinder x1 even with the 0.6 in the artillery.
The 0.6 makes stronger prints. Especially one perimeter. The thinner walls seem to be more clear.
In a single perimeter I find the PLA prints to be a bit more robust. Petg flexs and the flex seems to cause stress on the opposing edges. PlA will hold better and less challenges to layer adhesion. That said non single layer prints I usually print Petg. I need the little flex for most of my applications. I am working on gears and bearings they do better in PLA.
At the end of the day every layer line creates a different refraction it is not a single piece of plastic. There is a limit to how clear 3d printing can be. Excuse the crap pic but it is on the artillery x1 one perimeter with the same III3d crystal slightly larger as the original size it can’t manage some details in vase mode. Tomorrow I’ll put them side by side.
3D Max Chrystal is PLA +
and extra characters to keep the software happy.