I gave you an upvote in the first 5 seconds of the video for launching right into it. No life story, no 5 minute long explanation of the title, no ridiculous intro. Thanks!

I started with PETG almost immediately after my starter role ran out. I use PLA for some non-functional parts, cheap test prints, the occasional pointless object/desk thing, but petg has been my go to for nearly everything. It's worth the hassle to dial it in - it's a really excellent filament.

Tom, I'm really loving these new filament videos. Thank you sir.

i absolutely love this new series breaking down each filament great information!

Off topic but your photography is some of the best I've seen on KZfaq. On topic, I think your 3D printing video content is some of the best on KZfaq. Keep up the good work, thanks!

The first time I printed with PETG on a large-ish print, it took a nice big chunk out of my glass build plate. yay. I learned the hard way. I went with painters tape and it worked a bit better.

First, really this series is knocking out of the park, video quality and content are super high quality, thanks for that. Second, I tend to vapor smooth my ABS parts often, not always, but not rarely either. Almost always when I do, the parts are external. Internal parts I don't care about so much.

Nice I've been waiting for this one! 0:49 is pure gold

PETG has been one of my favorite printing filaments for some time now. As noted in the video and other places, it is usually considerably more durable than PLA, tolerates higher temperatures and is almost as easy to print as PLA.

I just started switching to PETG for my printing. Love the stuff. Had some transparent samples and they came out beautiful. I have an Ender 5 modified to direct drive with an Apollo mk8 coated aluminum nozzle that requires a hotter temp. My PETG Hot-end @ 250ºc and bed @ 70ºc. For PLA it was 225/63. I just printed a basket and absolutely no stringing. So cool. Make Shaper PETG Purple and Amazon Basics Grey both PETG. Speeds 35mm/s Thanks Tom

thank you so much for making this video. I took your advice to modify settings- and after making PETG spaghetti for serveral prints before your video... Now my prints are pristine after watching your video!

Perfect timing...thank you! I'm in the process of printing a PETG temperature tower and the notification for this video popped up.

This is really helpful, I was about to buy a PETG spool but didn’t know about the whole don’t print on glass thing. What’s nice is that my second option actually comes with a removable print surface and now I know why

Great video! I've ditched ABS in favor of PETG for most of my printing. The stringing and bed adhesion are trickier, but overall, the parts come out strong, and warping seems much better as compared to ABS.

Best PETG vid I could find! Thanks. I'm drawn to PETG as a beginner with a hotbed.

Awesome video, thanks for making it. The talk on retraction settings really helped me out.

I just started working with PETG. Your excellent tips will help a lot! Thanks! 👍🇨🇦

After a lot of PETG printing, much of what Thomas said is is good info .. Everyone has their preferred approach, here is mine: .. to reduce stringing > NO Z lift (using Z lift creates a string of material) > Tweek flow rate within 1%, reduce flow rate so that nozzle does NOT drag through the layer being printed > Be aware that optimum nozzle temp varies considerably between PETG brands (I run eSUn at 240C and Hatchbox at 250C) > careful trying to use large retractions, as material may freeze off and jam nozzle due to high print temp, I limit retraction to 1mm > Print SLOWLY ~30mm/s to get reasonable cosmetic appearance,, infill faster 40mm/s, and travel VERY fast >80mm/s to break & reduce stringing > print on PEI surface, NO tape or spray required! ... adhesion will be VERY strong, may require a razor blade carefully slide under to release parts .. but very few parts will come loose during printing Timelapse example of PETG printing a finely detailed thin wall set of camera cases for a 360 video camera I designed... camera external faces are fully filled smooth surfaces printed against the PEI top sheet .. but you will note the inevitable stringing at the end of the print job, which must be cleaned away ... that said, these parts were great, are flexible, tough, and handle the high operating temperature of the camera boards (a job ABS or PLA can NOT do): kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Y9Gpe61ipsyyqas.html www.thingiverse.com/thing:1884782 Also another example of a durable PETG designed drone, a very large 7 pound flying monster with nearly 4hp of power .. many flights and NEVER broke a single PETG printed part: Video flying / landing: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/sNObitukxsW3l2g.html www.thingiverse.com/thing:2420214 Overall, IMO, PETG is the single best material for mechanically functional parts, the trade off is accepting a cosmetic appearance less than that of ABS or PLA. PETG is more flexible, tough, and temp resistant than PLA .. and stiffer & stronger than ABS, and does not shrink/warp like ABS (I hate ABS, basically worthless IMO).

Hey Tom! I'm liking this series. I think a lot of people will find it useful. You asked about ABS acetone vapor smoothing... I only print in ABS when I need to smooth the finished print. Besides just looking nice, I'll use a smoothed print if I am making a silicone mold from it since the cast part will look better and release from the mold easier. Cheers!

Thanks for this Tom! I got some PETG for a few original handheld video game concepts I designed, but I've been a bit hesitant to try it until I know what I'm doing. Looks like I'll be experimenting this weekend!

Thanks Tom - until now I've only been printing in PLA but have a roll of PETG on the shelf for the printed parts of my planned AM8 upgrade for the Anet a8. This video had given me the confidence to dive in - the specifics around slicer settings in particular. I shall also switch over to the Prusa edition of Slic3r.

Thanks! This is a great video series. I have found that I get the best performance with my PETg if I keep it in a humidity controlled (dry) box.

perfect timing as I am printing a new carriage with some petg today!

Loving this series, quality videos and well presented information 👍

great video Tom! its really helping me get ready to start printing when the Prusa mk3 arrives!

thank you so much you said some things i havent heard yet from other videos. the travel speed combined with a very small retraction speed and length change made my prints almost perfect

I am so excited every time you upload a new video Love your videos

Thank you for your videos, yes finishing is a very important step for every one that is serious about 3d printing. If you would like to listen to my advice, I would recommend on concentrating a little bit on how to finish the different materials ( one example is Can petg be vapour smoothed?). Thank you again man for your awesome videos.

This video series is great! Thank you so much!

Great video ! I'm convinced I need to try PETG now, thanks !

I too have made PETG my favorite. The properties are good and the transparent look is fantastic.

Glad you mentioned the glass chunks part!

Great Video! I love printing in PETG and unless I am looking for a specific color that only comes in PLA will normally print in PETG first.

Hey Tom, When it comes to my ABS prints I almost always end up using acetone even if I don't go for a full smoothing job. I find that it's quick and easy too clean up marks and blemishes, or just knock down the layer lines to make prints look a little less chunky and more glossy, with acetone and paper towel. It can really change the feel of a part too. Some pigments tend to develop a haze if I'm too heavy handed with it and you also have to move to clean sections of paper towel regularly, but it's pretty reliable after getting used to it. I don't go for a full smooth very often, seems like more of a decorative effect and not usually what I need, but I have a cheap rice cooker just for this task(one of Angus's tips). As for ABS over other filaments, I guess I'm a bit backwards. I had a poor experience with the sample roll of PLA from my first printer and enjoyed everything about the ABS. The fact that I was using a Flashforge Creator with no part cooling fan and a Kapton bed may have contributed to this. I never really looked back, not trying PLA again for years until I bought a Cetus recently. I did start using PETg for translucent prints fairly early on, and lately for mechanical ones too. That Cetus hadn't seen anything but PETg since I installed a heated bed either... Besides that, thank you for the excellent videos! I'm loving the level of detail with this filament series.

Thanks for bringing up the point of being difficult to paint! I was debating using PETG for some cosplay armor due to it's higher strength, but I definitely need to paint it.

now i know where the chunk of glass from my bed went ...

Good recommendations. I'm new to 3d printing. I made a table in pine wood with supports in PETG in addition to an enclosure for my CR10. With low budget. I really like the filament. All went for less than 100 dollars including the enclosure. I'm finished and it looks good. Greetings.

Gorilla Glue White (polyurethane) works great for gluing PETG for me, and I've found with a good primer (Rustoleum Filler Primer) it takes paint very well! Also thanks for the note about over setting retraction, I think mine is set way too high, causing globs exactly as you described!

Digging this series. Thanks Tom!

Great video! recommended settings were very close. adjusted retraction speed and dialed it in nicely. Thank you for sharing this information!

About PETG adhesion on glass. Use only heated glass surface and after printing when it cools down, it comes off itself without any need of external help.

Good stuff brother, definitely helped my prints right away.

I've been printing with PETG for the past week now and I REALLY love how strong the prints are, especially when printed solid. Now the one challenge I've faced is printing on BuildTak, and after tearing a chunk out of it, I ended up using Aqua Net hair spray to ensure it holds onto my cold plate. I use PLA for test parts and PETG for my final parts...

Congratulations on 400 thousand subscribers! Wish you luck in the future!

I see what you did at 3:13 - you changed the value to OVER 9000!!!

Thanks for producing this video on PETG. I was really wondering about the potential of this material for different applications. I come from using ABS for most things and wondered if there is any material that might be even better (especially for weather hardiness). I will proceed with many of these things in mind (esp safety). I can say I am one person who has done Vapor Smoothing for ABS prints. I do agree that for some stuff, it might be only an aesthetic benefit so I dont know if it is always necessary. We are careful in getting the acetone heated just right, either using a hotplate or by boiling water (no flame!!). Setting up a good rack system can help for making sure it is dried fully.

Some additional info helpful for beginners: - Clean nozzle is especially important for PETG. - Fan speeds are based on a Prusa. It needs to be tuned depending on the cooling setup you have. (On a Wanhao stock cooler, it's not very powerful and will have trouble bridging.)

These things you should know about videos are really good! Thank you!

In my experience, PETG parts that are under constant stress will exhibit considerable creep, significantly more than the same parts printed in PLA or ABS. Anything like tension clips, or parts that are bent to form a press fit will creep out of tolerance relatively quickly. The only solution to this is to drastically overengineer the parts, or just print them out of something else. Otherwise, PETG prints like butter and looks incredible - very nice stuff!

This guy is awesome! I have learned a lot about 3D printing from him. Thanks for all the specs, safety requirements and good info!

Just started using PETG a few days ago printing the parts for my Hypercube300 build. One thing I had to do was bring the exit tube/throat on my extruder right up close to the drive gear, because the filament is so flexible I got a ball of spaghetti a few times before I done that, prints perfectly now.

I've been going through your 3d printing videos since I started a few weeks ago and I'm pretty sure my phone screen has a wear spot from hitting the thumbs up button so often! Haha, seriously though, thank you very much for the help.

Recently printed a cupholder for my brother's car in PETG and it came out great

PETG is my absolute favorite. Straight up beast of a material! I've used it ever since I bought my first role of PETG--which was my second roll of filament ever.

Thanks Tom for another great video.

Not saying your other videos wasn't helpful, but due to starting to play with PETG, I found this extremely helpful. I'd like to see more of these types of videos to get a better sense of the next material I want to play with and maybe get a head start instead of walking in blind. Thx & keep up the great work!

Tom - what about PET/PETG on the new Prusa PEI beds? It's not a PEI sheet, so would it be better at handling PET/PETG without a release agent?

So much info here. Thank you for sharing.

Thumbs up Tom, thanks for talking about PETG tips, hard to find such on the interweb, and I quite like the material as my CR10 prints it easy enough. Looking to use it for RC Aircraft as it seems more durable than PLA, for the usual bumps and such. Its the gluing thats a challenge, but your tip on tape might be a great alternative.

Thanks Tom. Good useful advice as usual

Another great video! Now I want to try PETG.

Thanks Tom, I would like to know how to finish PETG? Love your vid’s , thanks for all the info!

Was waiting for this video :) Now let's watch it!!!!

i go with "terra fellate"... just used your link to buy $100 in parts and filament on amazon. i hope you get your cut. you're my favorite 3d printing youtuber. the extra work you put into your videos really pays off.

Professional review ! I just bought 2 transparent petg spools (Spectrum) to change my pla. First print and it looks like sticking to bed the same way as pla just finishing looks is a bit messy. So still need to play with it as I hope it will be stronger than PLA for my threads. My settings fan 230C, 75C and 20% fan, the same as big Tom recommended. Thanks Tom !

What a great go to videos when trying a different material

Thank you Thomas great information. keep up this series of videos

I have two problems with petg my first problem is getting it to stick to the bed no matter what surface I use it's always a real pain to get that first layer to stick once I get that first layer stick it Prince like a dream but I can never walk away from a petg print until that first layer is done The other problem I have with petg which I don't think there's anything I can do about it is that I can't make a tall delicate Prince with it without losing resolution because it's too flexible so the tall skinny part begins to actually Flex under the nozzle which of course ruins layer alignment you can see these in the spiral pens that I printed pla print looks fantastic and so does the petg print but you can see it lose resolution as it nears the top of the pen that's the layer alignment is no longer perfect and that's because the pain was flexing as a printed I don't think there's any way to fix that But any suggestions on getting that first layer to lay down better please by all means because I love printing with the stuff but it's such a pain in the butt to get it to stick :-)

Thomas, I print my moulds out of ABS, so vapor smoothing is a must to remove the internal layer lines. This both helps the mould to release, and improves the quality of the moulded product.

I do printing PETG on glas from the first time and its awesome my Last Print was 43 hours or Sticks perfectly and i can remove it very easy unser 40°C And you get a perfect surface

Very new to this and printing on TEVO Tornado. I have made a couple of items with PETG and by dumb luck, not really knowing what I was doing in CURA, I had increase bed and extruder temps and reduce fan speed even slower on first 2 layers, and I got in my opinion some good results that I was satisfied with.

Awesome video! For me on glass, I test it at lower temps on the heated bed and raise it slowly until it sticks enough. As of course as seen in the video it can bond much too well. My sweet spot on my printer is 70c, I don't know the offset for my printer so I can't tell you what it's really at. And also my PETG (from Micro Center) would probably be different from your PETG.

THanks for all your videos that helped this 3D printing noobie.

I used to vapor smooth some ABS prints from my old Soliddoodle SD3 printer, I would use a can with some acetone at the bottom, a wire rack to hold the part a ways up from the acetone, and a lid for fume control. As a heater, I would put the can on the still warm heated bed and set to a lower temperature. Self contained printing and smoothing.

PETG is my goto filament of choice. One thing I would like to add is that its pretty easy to glue together. I bought some store brand general adhesive and haven't had an issue. Used it to glue together a star trek phaser rifle, and the only place where it has broken is where I used hot glue.

Your comment on vapor smoothing ABS, I do it all the time here. Most of my ABS prints are designed for my Christmas Light display and thus are either very thin walled LED covers, or clips and similar. Vapor smoothing does wonders for inter-layer adhesion, and while the originals are tough, the smoothed ones are way better and will often bend before breaking, and rarely break along layer lines anymore. It also makes them more weather resistant, and thus they are much less likely to allow water to get inside the items. I have literally smoothed thousands of LED covers, and hundreds of other parts, 90% of which are used outside mid summer in Australia for 6-8 weeks

Vapour smoothing prints can get some excellent results, I have even used it on gaming miniatures to a great effect,often with it enhancing details, not removing them. When an ABS part is finished then there is often a lot of tension between the layers. vapour smoothing will also release some of this tension and make the model less likely to crack in the long run.

After the fillaween series I tried PETG and is now my favorite material. I even find it easier to print than PLA, and parts are way stronger. Thanks for the great content.

Hi! Nice video! Could it be glued with two parts epoxy?

I love PETG, it's my main printing material now. I print on glass with a thin layer of ABS (applied dissolved in acetone), prints release easily as the bed cools below 40°C. Btw, PETG is also resistant to acetone - although there maybe a deterioration over time. I try to use a little cooling as possible, parts with large layers I have zero cooling. I really only use cooling for supports interfaces and small features.

I have been using PET-G for quite a while now and I have had great success printing on thick (5mil) Kapton tape on heated bed (75Deg), it sticks very well without need to 'squish' the first layer. Cooled to room temperature, parts come off without problem. I also have no problem gluing PET-G parts: I use common acrylic glue (Methylene Chloride based) applied with a seringe, it welds the parts together making a very strong bond.

Like this type of videos to the point and with a lot of information thank you. have a nice weekend

Up your's ABS! You've been replaced! Great rundown Thomas! I have this planned for my next project!

Hey, thanks for the cool video. I recently bought a prusa i3 mk and having fun time with it. I have a question for you. when it calibrates before it start print, the filament comes out from the nozzle and dangle. so it does calibrate with the dangled filament which I doubt to do correct z axis calibration. Is there any way you handle the leaking filaments when it calibrates?

hi I didn't realize I need to put a protective adhesive on the glass bed. Thank you for that tip

How do we feel about hairspray on PEI surface while printing PETG? Thanks yet again, Tom. Great job as always.

I'm using 2-component Araldite for PETG. Awesome stuff

This was very useful. Thank you.

Added that video to my favorites, very nice compact & full good information :) A Prusa Mini on the way (at some point) & will be my first high quality 3D printer (returned the Monoprice crap to Amazon quickly on my last go with 3D printing) // Prusa Mini had some issues at launch, glad I am getting a latter production version with some of the included hardware improvements // Plan on mostly printing PETG parts, brackets, housings, functional objects, some of which will require bonding the parts together. Curious if 2 part epoxy resin adhesives are strong enough or have good adhesion properties with PETG ?

Chewey? Love it. Recently used XT in my Robox and thought it was really good, so I tried nGen, but this left a lot of whispey bits on the prints. So back to XT. Can't see me using anything else, it just works. Sticks to PEI bed very well, no warping to speak of, better than PLA and ABS in my printer.

As usual, great video. I've had PETG eat clean glass, but in my experience it seems like a well seasoned glass bed, I'm personally an Aquanet fan, reduces the chance of removing chunks of glass.

I just started with 3D printing and so far tried PLA, ABS, Acetal (POM) and PETG. PLA is nice and simple, ABS warps too much without an enclosure, so does POM. PETG is just the right stuff - hard and durable, print well given that the bed temperature is high enough and doesn't require anything else. Will try HIPS and Nylon soon, will see how it goes.

You still pronounce the real name for PET better than I do.

About "vapour smoothing," ABS, yes, it works. I use a large stainless soup pan with a glass lid, and put it on the stove, gently heating it up and only put 2 spoons of Acetone inside. After 20 minutes or so, the surface starts to shine nicely. It works for me, no danger involved, and it's very easy to do.

Polycarbonate paint, normally used for RC bodies sticks really well and is designed to flex once it's dried

All metal hotend needed for this or no?

real educational video dude

I'm the same way with ABS vapor smoothing, its a few times a year kind of process. Once you have a well-tuned machine, the need for smoothing goes down.

First attempt at printing PETG and I am already in love with it.

Hi Tom, recently I've recreated your Dolly printer and bought an E3D V6 clone with teflon tubing. Can I try to print PETG or do I really need the 'all metal' one? Thanks! Keep it up!