While working with PETG, achieving successful bridging can pose challenges, mainly due to the inherent nature of the substance. Dive into this article to discover straightforward strategies to enhance the bridging of your PETG 3D creations. A stellar technique to perfect PETG bridging involves reducing the print temperature, amplifying the speed of your cooling fans, and opting for a top-notch fan duct that guides cold air directly onto the filament. Explore both slower print speeds within the range of 10-25mm/s and the brisker paces of 70-80mm/s to discern the optimal choice. You also have the option to activate bridge-specific configurations. While this provides a brief overview, there’s a wealth of information to unpack, so let’s dive deeper!
Mastering PETG Bridging in 3D Crafting:
1. Minimize Your Printing Heat
2. Activate Bridge Preferences – High-Velocity Cooling Fans
3. Tweak the Print Pace Specifically for Bridges
4. Turn on Bridge Flow Configurations
5. Craft with Slender Layers
6. Reorient Your Design
7. Eliminate Dampness in PETG Threads
8. Offer Reinforcements for Extended Bridges
Mastering PETG Bridging in 3D Crafting:
In essence, bridging is the technique of ejecting filament between two elevated junctures separated by a gap, sans any underlying support structures. Even though PLA enjoys the status of the predominant filament in 3D crafting, PETG is steadily carving its niche. It’s reputed for superior bridging capabilities compared to PLA. Nonetheless, finetuning the settings is a must.
Successful bridging, free of droops, distortions, or breakages, can remarkably elevate your printing journey, slashing down on misprints. Here’s a curated list of top solutions to aid you in mastering PETG bridging in 3D crafting:
– Dial down your printing heat
– Maximize cooling fan velocities
– Experiment with bridge printing speeds
– Engage bridge flow controls
– Craft in slimmer layers
– Alter the design’s positioning
– Counteract humidity in PETG spools
– Offer bracing for lengthier bridges
For a visual treat, there’s a video that offers a vivid demo of bridging in action within 3D crafting. Delve into another piece I penned titled “Crafting with PETG Filament Like an Expert” for comprehensive insights and advice on 3D crafting with PETG.
1. Minimize Your Printing Heat:
Temperature plays a pivotal role in the 3D crafting journey, influencing factors like duration, output caliber, success ratio, and setbacks. Aiming for the sweet spot in temperature is crucial to ace bridging with your PETG 3D designs. Typically, PETG operates best between 230-250°C. Your mission is to pinpoint the coolest temperature that seamlessly extrudes the filament. This involves iterative testing, lowering the heat in small 5-10°C segments.
A smart hack is to craft a temperature tower. Essentially, it’s a structure consisting of varied blocks. Pair it with a script that autonomously tweaks the temperature throughout the crafting process. This lets you juxtapose a myriad of temperatures tailored for your PETG filament.
Optimal Print Heat for PETG Bridging: 230-240°C
2. Activate Bridge Preferences – High-Velocity Cooling Fans:
One of the cornerstones of impeccable bridging is ensuring your filament is cool during the ejection process. As PETG cools, it firms up, solidifying the bridge. Insufficient cooling can result in subpar bridging. However, remember that PETG often yields better outcomes when cooling is moderate, hinting at a potential compromise on the final quality.
You can finetune fan speeds especially for bridging in Cura by selecting the “Enable Bridge Settings” option. This is crucial as continuous fan usage might compromise layer cohesion, especially with a substance like PETG.
Test runs with miniature models can help gauge the impact of diverse cooling fan speeds. Some crafting enthusiasts swear by 70-80% cooling fan speeds for PETG, while others vouch for a full 100% thrust.
Bridge Fan Velocity: 70-100%
For optimal results, invest in a high-grade fan duct for your 3D crafter. The Petsfang Duct, available on Thingiverse, is a crowd-favorite and has garnered rave reviews.
3. Tweak the Print Pace Specifically for Bridges:
A crucial parameter to calibrate is the print speed. Speeds that are excessively fast might not allow the filament to cool adequately. Conversely, sluggish speeds might result in the filament sagging before anchoring to the opposite end.
In Cura, specifically for bridges, you can adjust settings like “Bridge Wall Speed” and “Bridge Skin Speed” post enabling “Bridge Settings”.
Many crafters find a sweet spot in speeds ranging from 70-80mm/s, while some veer towards the 10-25mm/s range.
Bridge Print Speed: Low: 10-25mm/s – High: 70-80mm/s
4. Engage Bridge Flow Configurations:
Regulating filament flow is paramount for pristine bridges. An overflow might take longer to cool and solidify, thus compromising bridge quality.
Fine-tuning flow rates is an art. Within the “Enable Bridge Settings”, explore the plethora of flow rate options available:
– Bridge Wall Flow (default 50%)
– Bridge Skin Flow (default 60%)
– Bridge Second Skin Flow (default 100%)
– Bridge Third Skin Flow (default 110%)
While the default configurations generally perform well, don’t hesitate to experiment and see the impact on your PETG bridging.
5. Craft with Slender Layers:
The volume of filament requiring cooling also dictates the bridging success. Crafting your PETG models in finer layers can yield superior bridges. However, striking a balance is essential. Thin layers cool rapidly, offering enhanced structural integrity and finesse to the bridges.
6. Reorient Your Design:
Sometimes, a mere tweak in the model’s orientation can significantly reduce bridging challenges, either eliminating the need for bridging altogether or minimizing the bridging span.
Investing a few moments to determine the ideal orientation can be game-changing. For specific designs, consider crafting bridge components as individual units and subsequently assembling them.
7. Eliminate Dampness in PETG Threads:
PETG is notorious for its moisture-absorbing tendencies. Excess moisture can hamper the bridging process.
If you detect hissing noises or spot bubbles during PETG extrusion, it’s a clear sign of moisture infiltration. Resort to specialized tools like the SUNLU Filament Dryer to effectively dry out your PETG spools. While ovens can be utilized, they might not offer precision at low heats, risking filament degradation.
8. Offer Reinforcements for Extended Bridges:
For bridges that remain challenging despite implementing the above strategies, consider adding supports. Introducing even a singular support at the bridge’s midpoint can be transformative, enhancing the bridging success rate. Cura’s custom supports come highly recommended, allowing strategic placements.