polymaker PETG print profile

ShepherdSleeve

i have been trying to print with polymaker polymax PETG and i tried adjusting the settings in my slicer to what the specs are on the box. but my first few prints came out very poorly and didnt finish. i figured i should ask here before burning up a spool of the material trying to dial it in. i have made a profile for polymaker polymax PLA pro and it comes out beautifully. its just the PETG that has given me trouble.

for information i have running a bambu labs X1C and i am using the bambu labs slicer.

any tips or help would be greatly appreciated. thank you for taking the time to read my post.

hoffmantactical

If you could post pictures of the prints, that would be great! The default Bambu PETG profile is probably pretty close. I would suspect wet filament, which is a common issue with PETG. It causes stringing and general poor surface finish.

ShepherdSleeve

this is the only one that came out not a rats nest of filament. and the filament should have been dry. since i had ran it through a few cycles in a dryer and keep my dry box stuffed to the gills in desiccant as i have been religiously trying to keep moisture away from my filaments. but if the default "generic PETG" should work ill see about giving that a shot.

hoffmantactical

Looks like over extrusion is leading to plastic blobs forming, resulting in nozzle strikes and bed dislodgment. I'd reduce flow.

ShepherdSleeve

hoffmantactical how much should i reduce the extrusion? again im using the generic PETG profile for these prints here. and there was no bed dislodgment going on. print held firm to the bed as well ive not noticed any nozzle strikes going on.

ShepherdSleeve

much delayed update.

i used generic PETG profile for a small test piece. and this was the result. i think it looks vastly better then what it was originally. but one more post for another larger piece i tested.

ShepherdSleeve

i tried a much larger piece and it went alot better untill near the end. as well there is alot of "dandruff" going on. along with just little im not sure what to call them.

hoffmantactical

Glad to see better results! The its of plastic are from oozing, increasing the retraction might help a little, as will ensuring the filament is bone dry.

The extrusion multiplier, or flow rate, should be adjusted as the part prints until the solid infill is fully filled, but not forming ridges.

CCClinton

What are you wanting to print out of PETG?
I see you have a Bambu Lab printer. You should try Polymaker Fibercon PET-CF. It out performs PETG in every aspect and prints like a dream. Paird with Bambu Lab green (previously called Support G) PA-CF and PET-CF Support interface material... you can print anything and the support pops off like a dream!! Just substitute the PET-CF for the PA-CF in the video 😉😉☺️

https://youtube.com/shorts/JVCPEVeyXms?si=upFmonHIXTdQ1rkt

hoffmantactical

CCClinton While I agree with this for most structural parts, there are some things best in unfilled PETG or PCTG. Outdoor electrical enclosures are what I use PETG for.

ShepherdSleeve

CCClinton im using polymakers polytough PETG because i wanted to test if it would have been a bit better then their extra tough PLAs. trying to squeeze performance with non fiber filaments. as well im printing test pieces in the PETG before i start using up my polymaker PA6F spool. though i might try that out on some small parts later on once i find a oven thats big enough to dry filament and cure parts at my local store. and yeah i am using an X1C. it has printed everything like a dream so far. its just the non bambu filaments that ive been having some trouble with

ShepherdSleeve

update. after many many tries and attempts. i think ive figured out what was going on. it was a mix of support issues and infill issues. my rats nest i was making was due to supports some how just collapsing and failing. there was no head strike on any parts. the supports would just fail. then having a bunch of nubbins hanging off the side. i think hoffman said it was due to over extrusion. i dialed my extrusion back. from 100% to the instructions recommended 95%, which still yielded over extrusion. i backed it off to about 85% for the main front of the receiver. i watched and it looked like polytough PETG has an expansion to it. because on my modified prints i still had over extrusion issues as well as the printed parts look like they had a full 100% infill. i will probably do an autopsy on some of the junk prints to check infill later.

i had to resort to using as tough of supports as i could to get the supports to not fail. which led me to beating the hell out of one printed part. but some fine tuning got that down to something a little less crazy to get off. the prints look much better. still a bit rough in places but they are acceptable for me now at this point.

on this photo is my most recent prints. i printed the smaller parts to use less filament
left. most recent. 80% infill. normal manually painted supports.
center. second test print. 85% infill. auto generated normal supports.
right. my first test print. 95% infill. auto generated tree supports.

i added brims to all three of these prints just in case to prevent any edges pulling off the bed. i figured what the hell i was trying what ever i could.