Best PETG for printing

[D3DPrintedThingz]

I feel super bad about not answering a super silly question like what plastic did you use, so I am hoping if someone googles on even better uses this wonderful forum of information to get an idea what plastic to print, PETG is wonderful. No problems, ever. Ok that’s a lie everything has problems but it’s great. ABS works too , I have read , but I’ve never printed it. I do not get any type of compensation for this just hoping to help someone stay away from certain plastics who spend money to show up in search results instead of making quality products. The top one I use with black, white, blue, and red all look nice and greeeeat price. The bottom one is more expensive but buy 10 at a time then it’s not more expensive anymore! I’d love to hear others opinions, I’m always willing to throw some new plastic on my CREALITY ENDERS

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

I feel super bad about not answering a super silly question like what plastic did you use, so I am hoping if someone googles on even better uses this wonderful forum of information to get an idea what plastic to print, PETG is wonderful. No problems, ever. Ok that’s a lie everything has problems but it’s great. ABS works too , I have read , but I’ve never printed it. I do not get any type of compensation for this just hoping to help someone stay away from certain plastics who spend money to show up in search results instead of making quality products. The top one I use with black, white, blue, and red all look nice and greeeeat price. The bottom one is more expensive but buy 10 at a time then it’s not more expensive anymore! I’d love to hear others opinions, I’m always willing to throw some new plastic on my CREALITY ENDERS

I've always had this question for reefkeepers who 3d print aquarium parts, I've heard PLA isn't reef safe, though that isn't my question. I'm wondering if you use any bed adhesive for your prints, if so which one and how do you ensure its all off before adding said print to an aquarium?

 

[D3DPrintedThingz]

I've always had this question for reefkeepers who 3d print aquarium parts, I've heard PLA isn't reef safe, though that isn't my question. I'm wondering if you use any bed adhesive for your prints, if so which one and how do you ensure its all off before adding said print to an aquarium?

bed printing for me was a very simple concept. i spent a lot of time on youtube being tossed around like a ping pong ball from a bunch of people with "links in the description" , got on amazon and found this gold PEI sheet Fugacity and I thought the name kind of sounded like a bad word and it is $9 and it will change your life. steal paper towel from your place of work, its the least they can do, squirt 91% alcohol on your bed plate, and rub it making sure you focus on the front left area because that is naturally the dirtiest part. PETG at a temperature of 69 degrees on the build plate ( i am not kidding , i tried it because 70 was working fine) and those two specific brands of plastic will not detach, or even worse warp at the 82% mark, causing you to have to run to micro center to honor 1-3 day processing times and buy their crap plastic and print more warped light shades. i get nothing from them just spreading knowledge in a wonderful place where we can step back and not make quick bucks off of each other

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

bed printing for me was a very simple concept. i spent a lot of time on youtube being tossed around like a ping pong ball from a bunch of people with "links in the description" , got on amazon and found this gold PEI sheet Fugacity and I thought the name kind of sounded like a bad word and it is $9 and it will change your life. steal paper towel from your place of work, its the least they can do, squirt 91% alcohol on your bed plate, and rub it making sure you focus on the front left area because that is naturally the dirtiest part. PETG at a temperature of 69 degrees on the build plate ( i am not kidding , i tried it because 70 was working fine) and those two specific brands of plastic will not detach, or even worse warp at the 82% mark, causing you to have to run to micro center to honor 1-3 day processing times and buy their crap plastic and print more warped light shades. i get nothing from them just spreading knowledge in a wonderful place where we can step back and not make quick bucks off of each other

I honestly don't know if I should react this with a "" or thumbs up...

Anyway you say warp at the %82 mark, is that the print failing at 82 percent finished?

 

[Naekuh]

@Sisterlimonpot

This person would probably know whats the best.
She seems like she has vast knowledge in 3D printing.

 

[tbrown]

I've always had this question for reefkeepers who 3d print aquarium parts, I've heard PLA isn't reef safe, though that isn't my question. I'm wondering if you use any bed adhesive for your prints, if so which one and how do you ensure its all off before adding said print to an aquarium?

This is big debate though... Lots of people say it is reef safe, and lots say it isn't. What I've been able to find is that PLA may break down in saltwater easier than other filaments. However, if it's a "clean" PLA then it's generally accepted as reef safe but it may not last as long as other filaments like PETG or ABS.

The bed adhesive is a question I'd be asking as well. Is glue stick reef safe? What about hairspray?

 

[tbrown]

I honestly don't know if I should react this with a "" or thumbs up...

Anyway you say warp at the %82 mark, is that the print failing at 82 percent finished?

Sometimes warping causes failed prints, other times it causes print flaws. Overall the print worked but it isn't going be perfect. Lifted corners can cause blobs or such at higher levels.

 

[Naekuh]

Is glue stick reef safe? What about hairspray?

Ive heard of people wiping out there tank using windex on accident to clean the glass and somehow the mist getting into the tank.

But also depending on the glue id assume its OK... i mean when i was in elementry, i come from that time where you would see your fellow class mates eatting glue sticks when the teacher is not looking.

Although we don't do that anymore, but i remember looking at that dude funny and going, does it taste good?

 

[D3DPrintedThingz]

I honestly don't know if I should react this with a "" or thumbs up...

Anyway you say warp at the %82 mark, is that the print failing at 82 percent finished?

no , its 82% of the way done and it warped anywhere from 1/3rd or 1/2 of the way up the print. this is only on light shades that i have designed that have absolutely no infill. 100% my fault, because I get carried away in Fusion with the chamfer or filet button because it makes it look pretty. Gotta watch out for those chamfers on your 90 degrees

 

[D3DPrintedThingz]

I honestly don't know if I should react this with a "" or thumbs up...

Anyway you say warp at the %82 mark, is that the print failing at 82 percent finished?

i will take both ! thats usually what i go for, information and a note of "what just happened here" and then ill disappear again for awhile

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

@Sisterlimonpot

This person would probably know whats the best.
She seems like she has vast knowledge in 3D printing.

I know a little about a little.

PETG is hands down the ideal plastic for our aquariums.

PLA is popular because its cheaper. The issue becomes, most FDM 3d printers and slicers were designed around PLA. Which means print quality is always best with PLA.

PETG is 2nd (in my book). Thermal expansion isn't bad and most bed materials can keep the part from warping, peeling and/or popping off.

When you start getting into the exotics like abs, nylon, pom etc, the challenge becomes keeping the plastic warm enough that it doesn't shrink. Ie, the layers close to the bed stay warm but as you add layers those start to cool faster and warp, thus tugging on the printed part encouraging warping or worse the part not sticking to the bed. It's ideal to put the printer in a heated enclosure and regulate heat at that point. For that reason I stay away from those filements.

Another good filiment is the flexible plastics like TPU. That is reef safe as well. And prints similar to PETG.

PLA, does break down in salt water. Although I don't have much experience with it and never tested it long term.

I may be talking out my rear, but as I recall it being explained to me, PLA breaks down because bacteria feeds off of it in the same way a bio pellet reactor works (if anyone remembers those bio pellet reactors for controlling nitrates, they were popular circa 2010).

I don't know if you can label PLA as NOT reef safe. If people are having issues, I would think it's more about releasing the dye as it breaks down. Reds, and yellows are the colors to stay away from in that regard.

Anyway, I'm of the opinion that PETG gets the job done in just about any project and when you need something flexible, TPU is also your friend.

As far as glue sticks go. I use them sometimes. I couldn't speak smartly on weather or not it's reef safe. The great thing about glue sticks is the glue is water soluble, so you can rinse you part in the sink and it comes right off.

 

[apista]

What makes PETG hands down ideal?

But then u said it’s 2nd best.

 

[D3DPrintedThingz]

What makes PETG hands down ideal?

But then u said it’s 2nd best.

PETG, as long as you purchase the appropriate brand , will last in an aquarium indefinitely, saltwater or freshwater, and not make any kind of negative effect to the inhabitants or levels of your aquarium. There is no documentation on anything that proves otherwise. Anything else you hear is unfortunately someone spreading knowledge about something they know very little about. For PETG vs. ABS, I can not speak to ABS pros and cons but only as to why I do not print with it, that is simple, you need an enclosure to print large items. Most of what I print is large, and I don't have enclosures.

For what it is worth, there are absolutely 100% better , more expensive ways to do it. I purchase 10 spools of California Filament at a time, and supplement with black, clear, white, and very very rarely gray and I bought a spool of brown in October I think its around here somewhere? I printed two hooks, and I took a nice long 1/2" piece of PVC and stuck that sucker right through the hooks. I also borrowed some window curtain hooks for the other printer. And on that 1/2" PVC I will line up BROYGBIVBClear , because the first time I did it my 5 year old said daddy you made rainbow colors and I love it so i have to do that forever now. It works. If you have a nice printer and have properly address the settings required for printing PETG, skip over all the parts about drying and making sure it is dry. I can send you as much and way more proof of all of these filaments that sit out until the next one goes on the PVC line. It makes it much easier to switch out plastic for layered colors, and once you do it a couple of times and understand how the walls work in relation to the infill, and can properly print infill colors and then switch out colors for walls, or other fun things , you can really really reeeeeeeeeeally get some neat looking stuff. if you dont run 5 printers 24/7 non stop, I would imagine a spool of filament would last longer than 36 hours. however i am not the person to ask on that.

 

[D3DPrintedThingz]

I lied I used a broom stick , but I like the PVC more because the wood and plastic spools will turn much better on PVC. You can also use the white wrapping thread stuff and wrap it around a wooden dowel or broomstick, and that is the same material as PVC. There was one night I , as a reefer , did not have a single stick of PVC to be found and got creative

 

[D3DPrintedThingz]

Also will allow for no stress on your print frame. Do you ever wonder why a new spool of plastic doesn’t print well? Because it’s 1000 g of weight redistributing every point on your frame, and even knocking off any part of that printer by 0.01 mm will make a difference. Don’t touch the dang printer. As for printer recommendation, Ender 3 V3 KE will do everything you need it to. It is not expensive, and it prints very fast, and at an exceptional quality. My sweet spot is at 2.69 mm/s retraction and 46.9 mm/s speed. I do not fully understand why, I know what it does, and I’ve printed enough things enough times and stared at them that those numbers on the printer I bought will do absolutely fine.

 

[D3DPrintedThingz]

Put those settings , make sure you turn off Z-hop, use Creality Slicer unless you want horizontal expansion, then use anything else because the horizontal expansion is broken. You can sit at your computer, put any file from thingiverse (I will make sure over the next couple of days you have plenty to download) into this slicer, put these settings, hit print and it will do two things. It will print perfectly, and you will have made something you can use forever for anywhere from $0.01 to $7-8. I can literally try and still never print more than half of a spool even on my largest designs

 

[D3DPrintedThingz]

I am working on three, don’t have a lid handy, but a bit of how the sausage is made.

17x5 ceramic magnets on the inside. Super glue dab will be your best friend. It only takes one time of 100 magnets all dominoing together flinging epoxy resin all over your carpet to know better. Glue the magnets in. Green gel gorilla glue is all I use. Would love a recommendation because I always have to let Ace Hardware know they need to order more .

60x10x3 mm neodymium are fine on small tanks. If your glass is 1/2”, 3/4” or some random mm , assume you will need an amount of 60x10x5 mm N52 stacked on the outside to hold. If you want to hold heavy stuff, more magnets. The outside magnet you can scale vertically to fit more magnets in there. Use the “measure” function or just throw darts until you get the right multiple of 15.

Print a lid. I use these to put coral in if they are being picked on, put frozen food in because I have this sensory thing and everything grosses me out, ran it in a high flow sump area with a bag of carbon, extremely multi purpose. If you want the holes, bigger, smaller, search in your slicer for “horizontal expansion” this will do just that.

All of this can be done for less than $3, but you really should buy at least 30 of the 60x10x5 mm N52 and 100 of the ceramic 17x5 because those are bang for your buck sort of thing and you’ll want more than one.

Dremel any of the epoxy off, when it is half dry you will want to try and wipe the top surface flat.

I am staying up all night tonight, packing up 17 orders. I am oh so very tired and I miss my fish tank. I don’t want to keep spending my time selling single items to people who think I’m trying to scam them, while I continually assure them that they paid for it, they will get it ,and some other cool things ,in 1-3 days + the post office time. Unless you are order # 449-453, but those people will be ok with the extended wait, I do believe. I also don’t want people to try and hide anything from me as I have no intention of hiding anything from anyone else. I really don’t care, all I want to do is share the knowledge and move the hobby in a forward direction and maybe at some point figure out a way to stop collecting W2s but that part I’m less worried about

 

[apista]

PETG, as long as you purchase the appropriate brand , will last in an aquarium indefinitely, saltwater or freshwater, and not make any kind of negative effect to the inhabitants or levels of your aquarium. There is no documentation on anything that proves otherwise. Anything else you hear is unfortunately someone spreading knowledge about something they know very little about. For PETG vs. ABS, I can not speak to ABS pros and cons but only as to why I do not print with it, that is simple, you need an enclosure to print large items. Most of what I print is large, and I don't have enclosures.

For what it is worth, there are absolutely 100% better , more expensive ways to do it. I purchase 10 spools of California Filament at a time, and supplement with black, clear, white, and very very rarely gray and I bought a spool of brown in October I think its around here somewhere? I printed two hooks, and I took a nice long 1/2" piece of PVC and stuck that sucker right through the hooks. I also borrowed some window curtain hooks for the other printer. And on that 1/2" PVC I will line up BROYGBIVBClear , because the first time I did it my 5 year old said daddy you made rainbow colors and I love it so i have to do that forever now. It works. If you have a nice printer and have properly address the settings required for printing PETG, skip over all the parts about drying and making sure it is dry. I can send you as much and way more proof of all of these filaments that sit out until the next one goes on the PVC line. It makes it much easier to switch out plastic for layered colors, and once you do it a couple of times and understand how the walls work in relation to the infill, and can properly print infill colors and then switch out colors for walls, or other fun things , you can really really reeeeeeeeeeally get some neat looking stuff. if you dont run 5 printers 24/7 non stop, I would imagine a spool of filament would last longer than 36 hours. however i am not the person to ask on that.

So to sum it up tldr; asa/abs is better if you can print it?

 

[D3DPrintedThingz]

So to sum it up tldr; asa/abs is better if you can print it?

i have no idea

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

So to sum it up tldr; asa/abs is better if you can print it?

There might be truth to that. Only because, certain PETG brands seem to get brittle in saltwater over time. I don't think that's across the board, but filament manufacturer add other materials to their PETG blend to make them print better. Which in turn, might make them incompatible with our tanks long term.

That can also explain water absorption across different brands. PETG is supposed to be really good at rejecting water absorption, but I've made parts with tight movable tolerances. Some filaments kept that tight tolerance while others absorb water, expand and bind after a few days in saltwater.

I'm not sure if ABS/ASA get the same treatment to improve printing experience though. It would be a good experiment to conduct. I rarely print stuff for saltwater out of it.