We have been using PETG-CF, but its print speed is a bit slow.
I noticed today that there is the new PETG-HF. But it explicitly states:
Note: PETG HF must be dried before use to achieve optimal print quality.
That is really not clear to me in the sense that I am using an AMS. So if the humidity level is very low in the AMS is that good enough? or does it still need to be put on the bed @ 75 - 85℃, for 12 h.
Desiccant in an AMS can help keep filament dry, but it is not an effective way to remove moisture from filament. That would probably require many days and multiple desiccant changes.
You might find it interesting to make a small test print with the filament as-is, and then repeat the test after a drying cycle to see the difference. Or read some of the many discussions here about drying filament.
PETG-CF states:
It is pretty standard for PETG that you need to ensure it is dry.
An AMS will not dry you filament in any reasonable length of time. It is easy to dry filament using the bed.
PETG-HF NEEDS to be dried for best surface finish right out of the package as Bambu states. It will have a bunch of tiny bumps in it if you take it out of the back and throw it straight on the printer. We have run through about 20kg of it now and love it but its a unique filament that has different properties from PETG basic and of course quite different for PETG-CF
PETG-CF and PETG-HF are very different products I wouldn’t say they are interchangeable. PETG-HF surface finish is fairly close to PETG-CF though. Much more satin than the super gloss of PETG Basic
Thank you all for the feedback.
I am under the assumption that when I receive the spool of PETG-HF from Bambu and open the vacuumed bag its ready to go. Or do I still need to dry it first?
You will need to dry it before use, it states this on the shop page when you buy the filament and going by some of the problems people have had I wouldn’t forgo this step.
This is what I would like clarification on. Bambu is no clear about this. Drying removes the moisture from the filament. If it comes from the factory should it not already be dry?
No, filament isn’t pre dried at the factory. It should never be assumed to be moisture free.
Thanks, that’s what i needed to know.
https://forum.bambulab.com/t/bambu-petg-hf-orcaslicer-calibration-results/92850/9
I have just calibrated the PETG HF using the Bambu 0.4 and 0.6mm hotends. If I did it right the link is above. Maybe it helps
Just confirming what odds said, PETG-HF must be dried before use period. Similar to engineering filaments the bag is to prevent additional moisture from being absorbed but it is unlikely that it was ever fully dry before leaving the factory. We have been spoiled with PLA being pretty forgiving out of the bag (usually)
Sounds like I must have been just lucky or pushing my luck by not drying all this time. We have 3, X1-C printers here. Guessing we have gone through ~40 reels of PLA, and 4 of PETG-CF thus far. Just with the reels hanging off the back of the unit. All my prints come out prefect and smooth.
The only issue I had was if I don’t use them for say 2 weeks, the filament typically cracks in the Teflon tube. But now I just unload it when I know I am not going to use it for a while.
Just last week we bought 2 AMS units, and I love the fact that they auto unload when done printing.
Well you are pretty safe to use PLA right out of the package, but occasionally you’ll get some that has a lot of moisture in it. (Some manufacturers liquid cool the filament so it takes a bath as part of the manufacturing process haha) PETG-CF is pretty save as well. The PETG-HF however benefits significantly from being dried out of the package. Most of the time any given spool of PLA won’t even last 2 weeks hear so we generally don’t worry about drying it.
I have seen lots of articles about PLA-CF/PETG-CF with most people thinking the addition of carbon fiber adds to the strength. From my experience and what I have read on-line adding carbon fiber to PLA or PETG can improve the aesthetics (looks better, nice matte finish), the ease and stability when printing (less shrinkage) but makes no appreciable changes to the strength. In order to get a real increase in strength to the filament by adding carbon fiber, special printers must be used that can add continuous carbon fiber threads as the work is printed. HF (High flow) filaments allow the filament to flow at a higher rate and therby print faster. Therfore CF filaments and HF filaments are very different products serving different purposes. For strength and aesthetics I personally like PAHT-CF, I think it basically the nylon that adds to the strength but the CF makes it easier to print. I have started playing with a couple rolls of Bambu’s PETG-HF and after a bit of tweaking I am starting to get good results (you really need to dry thoroughly before use). I found the temperatures in the Bambu profiles are at least 5-10 too low (for me) and the interlayer bonding is not very good so far but I am still playing with the temps. And I agree with you the finish of the PETG-HF it has a somehwat matte finish similar to some of the carbon fiber hybrids, and if properly dried looks really nice.
When you are talking about “strength” are you referring to stiffness or toughness? CF filament is significantly stiffer than its standard alternatives and is generally proportionately less tough. We use quite a bit a PLA and PETG CF and it’s noticeable different.
PETG-HF is closer to a UV resistant satin PLA than it is to standard PETG (RIP PETG Basic) it prints like a dream but its mechanical properties are really nothing like PETG so if you need toughness use a different material.
I have now gone through about 7 rolls of PETG-HF and really like it. I have read contradictory reports from reliable sources on which is ‘stronger’, so I sm assuming any difference in strength is negligible. From my experience you can print in ludicrous mode without any degradation in quality (of course depends on the model), and the surface finish, i think, is much nicer than PETG and of course zero stringing.
Also i have bern reading that PETG-HF is not really PETG. Glycol is not used at all. The ethylene glycol is replaced with cyclohexane dimethanol. So it should really just be called PETC or PETD. I am no chemist so I’m not sure how accurate this info is.
Hi there.
im curious - First when we vought the printer it came with some PETG-HF and was recognised as such by the AMS. when it ran out we got 5kilos of the material with no spool. AMS reciognised it as PETG not as PETH-HF anymore. Also noticed first layers are much harder to get perfect now, than they were. and there is alot more time dedicated to monitor 1st layer than before (with the first delivered spools). Filament sticks to the nozzle like crazy and makes blobs, sometimes they get stuck on some infill and it gets run over and its fine, but sometimes thy just get cought on a layer and pull it off the bed - ruining the print. Not to mention the first new spool was not great and got tangled in the AMS which coused the whole thing to grind inside of AMS and print to fail ofc.
Anyone else experiancing diferences between the 2? did material composition change?
It sounds like the filament needs to be dried. PETG-HF is brand new from Bambu so I highly doubt there as been any change in the product yet.