I finally printed with PETG for the first time a few weeks ago for something that I needed to be strong outside in the heat. It was easier to print than I was expecting.
I have a 7 year-old roll of ABS still in the shrink-wrap. I haven't given it a try... in large-part because I didn't really have a printer that would support it (Ender 3's)... but also because of the fumes and haven't really had a huge need to attempt the challenge.
I made a sunglasses holder for wifey's EV6 using ABS. Needed something that would survive in a car in az in the summer heat and PLA/PETG were both iffy. Took the printer outside for it
Prints pretty easily, but def recommend an enclosure.
| Material | Glass Transition Temperature (°C) |
|---|
| ABS | 105 |
| PETG | 80 |
| PLA | 60–65 |
I find PETG tends not to be worth the trouble. Its a lot more difficult to work with and not much better than PLA/PLA+ for most applications. It also has much worse toughness/impact resistance. Its only really handy if you want to print something food safe. I upgraded my CR10 with a hardened steel nozzle, all metal hot end, as well as a steel extruder gear. Then I reflashed my firmware to raise my maximum allowable hot end temp, and now I can print with carbon fiber filled nylon. Its still a major pain in the butt to print with, even more so than PETG. But at least at the end of all the trouble I end up with a seriously heavy duty print. Between that and PLA+, pretty much all my needs are covered for home use.
