Anyone use Polycarbonate (PC) or PETG?

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LePaul
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Anyone use Polycarbonate (PC) or PETG?

Post by LePaul »

I'm curious how you like them. I know Ultimaker offers their own brand PC and there are PETG brands out there (Matterhacker) too.
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Re: Anyone use Polycarbonate (PC) or PETG?

Post by Izzy »

I haven't yet, I think Anders has and I think he mentioned requiring higher temperatures to print for the PC
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Re: Anyone use Polycarbonate (PC) or PETG?

Post by Dim3nsioneer »

Ultimaker PC prints at 260°C; w/o fans. And it gives excellent results. Toughness, interlayer adhesion and even print finish are quite amazing. I printed it even without brim just on the glass (at 113°C, max. of my UM2) with a film of PVA slurry on it.
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Re: Anyone use Polycarbonate (PC) or PETG?

Post by LePaul »

Can you sand PC or PETG for a painted finish?
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Re: Anyone use Polycarbonate (PC) or PETG?

Post by danilius »

I use cheap(ish) PETG from amazon, and I really like the material. It gets quite stringy when damp, but a few hours in a food dryer cures that. Otherwise, it prints well at high temps and is incredibly strong. It's greatest strengths are inter-layer adhesion and springiness. If you need to make a part with a built-in spring, there is little if anything to beat it.
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Re: Anyone use Polycarbonate (PC) or PETG?

Post by LePaul »

I have had mixed luck with Polycarbonate (Ultimaker brand) and one thing I am curious about...how to make it print clear. Can that be done? I know some materials that are "transparent" can do this, but not sure about PC
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Re: Anyone use Polycarbonate (PC) or PETG?

Post by Anders Olsson »

I haven't printed Polycarbonate recently. The early types required very high temperatures, but recent versions like the Ultimaker branded one is apparently easier to print.

Both PC and PETG (Colorfabb XT) are hygroscopic and might need drying when the spool has been open for a while.

PETG can be dried at ~70 C for half a day or so.
PC its a bit more tricky as you probably need to get up to ~100 C to dry it properly, which means the spool might deform.
I recall unwinding the amount I needed before drying it.

Both materials should be possible to get reasonably clear, IF they are properly dry. Any humidity will ruin the quality though.
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Re: Anyone use Polycarbonate (PC) or PETG?

Post by LePaul »

It's been very humid the past few days (60-70%) but the dehumidifier in the basement/shop area has worked well. So far my polycarbonate has not shown any symptoms of absorbing water (no pops, steam or sizzle)
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Re: Anyone use Polycarbonate (PC) or PETG?

Post by LePaul »

I know one BB-8 builder ran into an issue where his PETG parts would not fit....he had to re-print them 1% larger to accommodate shrinkage.
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