PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified) is the plastic we recommend to customers in 8 out of 10 cases when a functional part is needed. The \u201cG\u201d stands for glycol \u2014 a modifier that makes ordinary PET (the same plastic water bottles are made of) suitable for FDM printing. Glycol lowers the crystallisation temperature, adds clarity and reduces warping during printing.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re looking for a material<\/a> that can take real loads and isn\u2019t afraid of moisture or sun, PETG fits the bill. Let\u2019s go through its properties with examples from our work.<\/p>\n PETG is much stronger than PLA and less brittle than ABS<\/a>. It withstands impacts, bending and stretching. We tested it in practice: we dropped a PETG electronics enclosure from 1.5 m onto concrete \u2014 not a single crack. PLA shatters straight away in the same test.<\/p>\n It resists household acids, alkalis and solvents. One of our customers prints holders for a chemistry lab in PETG \u2014 after a year of daily contact with reagents the parts haven\u2019t degraded.<\/p>\n Unlike PLA, which becomes brittle and yellows in the sun within a few months, PETG handles UV well. Outdoor parts in PETG are normal practice. We printed a security camera mount that has been on a building facade for over a year with no signs of degradation.<\/p>\n PETG is considered safe for food contact \u2014 it doesn\u2019t give off harmful substances. But there\u2019s a catch: micro-gaps between print layers can harbour bacteria. For complete safety, we recommend coating the surface with food-safe epoxy or using the item only for dry foods.<\/p>\n Natural PETG is translucent. With the right settings (temperature +5\u00b0C, speed 30 mm\/s, wide lines) you can get almost clear parts. We print LED diffusers in clear PETG \u2014 the results are very good.<\/p>\n A short comparison of the three most popular materials<\/a>:<\/p>\n PETG only loses to ABS on heat resistance (80\u00b0C vs 105\u00b0C) and acetone smoothing. In everything else it either outperforms ABS or matches it.<\/p>\n Printing PETG isn\u2019t much harder than PLA, but there are a few nuances. Here are the settings we work with every day:<\/p>\n Important: PETG sticks to the bed very well, sometimes too well. We always use a glue stick as a release layer \u2014 otherwise you can damage the PEI surface when removing the part.<\/p>\n Security camera mounts, enclosures for outdoor sensors, parts of garden structures. Rain, snow, sun \u2014 PETG copes without a problem.<\/p>\n For the same reason, PETG is the main plastic for fishing gear: lures, tackle boxes and rod holders. See examples in the article 3D printing for anglers<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gears, brackets, gearbox housings, guides. Anywhere strength and wear resistance are needed.<\/p>\n Spice racks, utensil holders, moulds. Thanks to its food safety, PETG suits the kitchen.<\/p>\n LED diffusers, protective screens, windows for enclosures. Clear PETG lets light through better than any other FDM material.<\/p>\n Phone holders, dashcam mounts, blanking caps, car interior parts<\/a>. PETG withstands vibration and the temperature swings in a car interior (up to +80\u00b0C, which covers summer heat).<\/p>\n PETG can\u2019t be smoothed with acetone (unlike ABS). For a perfectly smooth surface, mechanical finishing is needed.<\/p>\n The most common complaint about PETG is threads between features. The material is stringy and leaves strings as the nozzle travels. How we deal with it:<\/p>\n PETG can bond to glass or PEI so strongly that removing it damages the surface. Our solution:<\/p>\n For maximum clarity: a wall thickness that\u2019s a multiple of the nozzle diameter, a temperature 5\u201310\u00b0C above standard and a speed of 30 mm\/s. Wide lines with good overlap reduce air bubbles and improve optical clarity.<\/p>\n PETG is our main material for functional parts. If you need an item that will work in real conditions (load, moisture, sun, chemicals), PETG almost always fits. Message us<\/a>, describe the task, and we\u2019ll choose the best print settings. We ship anywhere in Ukraine.<\/p>\n Need quality 3D printing? all materials<\/a>. PETG printing prices<\/a>. order printing<\/a>. Delivery across Ukraine by Nova Poshta.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" PETG: what this material is and why we recommend it PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified) is the plastic we recommend to customers in 8 out of 10 cases when a functional part is needed. The \u201cG\u201d stands for glycol \u2014 a modifier that makes ordinary PET (the same plastic water bottles are made of) suitable for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":335,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-materials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=471"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":575,"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471\/revisions\/575"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Key properties of PETG<\/h2>\n
Impact resistance<\/h3>\n
Chemical resistance<\/h3>\n
UV resistance<\/h3>\n
Food safety<\/h3>\n
Clarity<\/h3>\n
PETG vs PLA and ABS<\/h2>\n
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PETG print settings<\/h2>\n
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What we print in PETG most often<\/h2>\n
Outdoor parts<\/h3>\n
Mechanical components<\/h3>\n
Kitchen accessories<\/h3>\n
Transparent parts<\/h3>\n
Car parts<\/h3>\n
Post-processing PETG<\/h2>\n
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Common PETG problems and how we solve them<\/h2>\n
Stringing<\/h3>\n
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Sticks to the bed too strongly<\/h3>\n
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Cloudiness in clear parts<\/h3>\n
Read also<\/h2>\n
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Order PETG printing<\/h2>\n
Order 3D printing<\/h2>\n