Noob question here. Just getting started and I’ve been printing a bunch of things for my woodshop from MW. One of the models I printed, in PLA and found here if you’re interested, was especially satisfying due to the fact that lifting it from the plate literally left behind the brim and supports perfectly. Now THIS is how things should work!, I thought. But because the part was printed in PLA I quickly found that it was also more brittle and it broke at the predictably weak point in the first use. The designer knew of this weak point and also provided a 2-piece option which I’ll be moving toward I think, but the experience raised a question. I also printed the same part in Translucent PETG thinking it would be more resilient to flexing at that weak point, and I found 2 things: The supports were near impossible to remove, and it wasn’t stronger because it broke at the same point just trying to remove the supports. I read that removing PETG supports is more difficult but I’m not sure why. Is there a support style or strategy to apply when needing supports using PETG? Do I just avoid PETG when supports are needed?
PETG is more resilient in almost every way but its not as simple as PLA. Even with Bambu filament and default settings you may have issues, the key is to dry then calibrate the filament.
The filament comes all neatly packaged like its dry from the factory but it is NOT, you can’t rely on this at least. So investigate proper drying procedure and then calibrate the PETG manually using the calibration tab in bambu studio or orca slicer. Or at least make sure a benchy or similar test print is coming out very well.
From there you should have a better experience with default support settings but may still need to dial things in depending on the complexity of the model / supported areas.
***Note: Translucent PETG is different from normal PETG basic or PETG-HF. It prints slowly by default but i have used it quite a bit with default settings and supports without issue but i always dry it first.
Thanks, I live in Colorado where it’s really dry and so haven’t yet paid much attention to filament drying. I’ll research things to look for which would indicate moist filament.
Warping, curling and poor overhang/bridging performance are pretty good first indicators that drying can help. In particular new rolls.
In addition to what @EnoTheThracian said, when the filament is wet and it is getting heated very quickly in the nozzle and that moisture boils and starts to really upset the flow of filament, this can result in all kinds of issues like supports not being in the precise position required resulting in them being hard to remove.
PETG translucent is a ‘dry before use recommended’ filament so I would flat out expect issues when using it undried. With an A1 I don’t think you have the option to dry on the bed, that would be rather inefficient with no enclosure, so you may have to invest in a dryer. I use the SunLu S4 and really like it but its somewhat large (built for 4 rolls) and over $100, it’s not for everyone, but it will dry most filaments well.
No shortage of discussion on this topic on the forums if you want to search out more info.