The Perfect Ender 3 PETG Settings

As 3D printing is evolving rapidly, the printers market is growing parallel. It is a fact that many brands will launch their printers; however, Ender 3 is one of the best 3D printers with a plethora of great features and benefits. 

Creality Ender 3 3D Printer

Ender 3 by Creality is one of the most popular 3D printers for hobbyists because of its affordable cost and excellent print quality. In addition to the Ender 3 Pro and Ender 3 V2, Creality has launched improved models since its debut.

It is possible to print using a wide variety of materials on an Ender 3. PLA, PLA+, and Exotic PLA are the most often used filaments. Low-temperature printing is possible with these filaments, which are extremely strong, have little warpage or stringing, and have excellent bed adherence.

In contrast, ABS has strong temperature resistance and flexibility under strain but can generate poisonous gases and normally requires an enclosure to prevent warping.

PETG - Overview

In simple words, PETG stands for Polyethylene terephthalate glycol, and it is a thermoplastic polyester that functions to provide the printer with chemical resistance and many more. When it comes to printability, heat resistance, and flexibility under strain, PETG is a bit of a Goldilocks filament. 

PETG has the potential to be food-safe. However, its stringing properties make this unlikely. The Ender 3 is excellent for printing this material if the print parameters are right.

Tips For The Perfect PETG Settings

When you have knowledge of the optimal settings for your Creality Ender 3 3D printer, you will end up making wonderful printings. Though the process of adjusting the well-tuned settings is always taunting. 

However, there are certain aspects of your printer that needs keen attention. For that purpose, we have enlisted these tips that will ease you and support you in tuning your Ender 3 printer for the best outcomes.

I. Ideal Bed Adhesion

Correct bed adhesion is key to success in the perfect PETG settings for your 3D printer. Here are a few bed adhesion measures you need to consider for better results.

1. Bed Temperature

You will need to set the bed temperature between 60°C and 70°C to avoid warping with PETG printing.

You may not have realized this, but the higher the bed's temperature, the stronger the adhesion will be. If you are using PETG, you will need to set your machine to a temperature a bit above 80°C for the bed to stick to the plastic. This is because PETG's Glass Transition temperature is 80°C.

Consider increasing the bed temperature to 70°C if the print warps and if that does not work, try 80°C or even higher.

2. Build Surface

Covering the Ender 3's print bed with blue painter's tape keeps PETG in place but allows for simple removal. This is the default way. Another nice choice is Kapton tape, which has the same benefits as blue painter's tape but not as much adherence.
The Ender 3's standard build surface, BuildTak, is perfect for printing PETG. The material's suppleness makes it easy to remove the print while maintaining outstanding adherence. However, a low starting layer height might allow PETG to bond to the print bed, causing damage during removal.
Watch out if you have a glass build plate or the Ender 3 V2! PETG is known for fusing to glass. This fusing might be so intense that it permanently damages the glass substrate. Use a small coating of hairspray, glue stick, or specialty bed adhesive.

3. Initial Layer Height

We recommend raising the layer height by 0.02-mm increments until you get it exactly right using PETG, which is different from ABS and PLA in this respect.
Consider purchasing an Ender 3 upgrade that includes automated bed leveling if you frequently find yourself needing to relevel your bed, as this will alter the height of your initial layer.

II. Optimal Print Temperature And Cooling

Temperature plays an integral role in the proper functionality of your Ender 3 3D printer. If you fail in setting it the right way, you will face a troublesome situation while printing. Here is the optimal temperature for your printer.

- Hot End Temperature

Temperatures between 220 °C and 250 °C are suggested for most PETG applications.
As a result of this layout, the Ender 3s' Bowden setup means the PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) tube is routed directly to the hot end's tip, which has a temperature restriction based on the Bowden tube's melting point.
As a result, keeping the print temperature below 240 °C is critical. To avoid causing damage to your printer or producing toxic odors from melting PTFE, you may use this method to print PETG.

- Cooling Fan

The first two layers should be done without the fan running. Finally, boost the fan speed as much as you can for the rest of the print. The increased speed of the fan aids in keeping the filament from melting too high at the hot end.
However, printing without a fan or a very low fan speed will result in superior layer adherence and robustness.
Even though your print will have a lot more stringing, PETG will fuse nicely to itself if heated for a longer time.

III. The Perfect Print Speed

PETG may flow more easily than other filament types when heated to a molten state. When printing, the filament's viscosity causes it to be more erratic than other materials.
For PETG printing on the Ender 3, we've put up these guidelines:

• Retraction speed: ≤40 millimeters per second
• Retraction Distance: Around 6 millimeters
• Print speed: 30 to 50 mm/s

PETG's values are quite comparable to PLA's, which is why PETG is so popular. You can try one more thing in case you can’t get a perfect retraction distance. As there is a connection between retraction distance and retraction speed, changing the retraction speed can do the trick for you.

Wrapping Up

The advantages of PETG are numerous. ABS's strength and PLA's printability are combined in this material. PETG, on the other hand, is food-safe and has a higher heat resistance than PLA. The Ender 3 is a great device for printing this product after tuning the print settings.

We hope you found our review of 3D printing with PETG on Ender 3 useful. Despite the fact that solving the filament might be a challenge, we hope that this fast introduction will be useful to you as you begin your PETG journey. As usual, have fun with your 3D printing!