MakerGear Forum

Hi guys,

I'm about to pull the trigger on an assembled M2, and I have some questions while I wait for it. I have zero experience in 3D printing.

1. I need parts that play nice with higher temperatures than PLA is fond of (e.g. retain strength in hot weather/bags). I'm fairly certain I'll be using PETG. Is there any advantage to sticking with PLA to learn the basics, or can I just start with PETG to minimize learning curve duplication?

2. Messing around with glue, hairspray, etc. doesn't sound appealing to me, so I'm planning to buy a Zebra plate. As above, is there any advantage to learning on glass first, or can I just get the Zebra plate immediately?

Thanks for the help!

Matt

Hi Matt, welcome to the group!

I'd highly recommend using PLA to learn the basics - it's the easiest filament to print and once you can print it consistently, it's easier to move on to something like PETG.

PETG is a great filament, but it's harder to set up to print it by about a factor of four - you really need to learn to use PLA first, especially with no 3D printing experience.

(It does not duplicate your learning curve. Every filament is different, you will have a separate learning curve for each one. Start with the easiest.)

As far as the Zebra plate goes - it's nice from a non-adhesive use standpoint, but you do have to modify how you print when you use one. (The bed temps are different). So do not use any settings from someone else that tell you that 70° is fine for PLA, that's going to be way too hot on a Zebra plate. (You will need to start with their suggested temps and do some experimenting to get the temperatures that work best for you.)

If you do use a Zebra from the beginning, you need to use that to set your gap, and be careful not to touch the nozzle to the Zebra while you are setting it. The nozzle is too hot for it and will damage it.

Final thing to keep in mind - the Zebra is a flexible plate. Frequently the plate gets a little warped during shipping. You have to flatten it out completely before using it. (It bends.) The whole thing with 3D printing relies on maintaining an absolutely accurate gap between the bed and the nozzle - any warping of the plate at all has to be corrected or you will have trouble with your prints sticking.

The glass is not going to have that problem. It tends to be much flatter (and stays that way) than the flexible plates. So the decision is up to you, but even if you have to use hairspray for a while, you might find it easier to pick up the basics if you start with the glass. It will probably have you printing well a lot sooner. (One less thing to have to make adjustments for.)

Having said that - by all means plan to switch to the Zebra once you get a little comfortable with printing. i use one and i love it.

thegammaray wrote:1. I need parts that play nice with higher temperatures than PLA is fond of (e.g. retain strength in hot weather/bags). I'm fairly certain I'll be using PETG. Is there any advantage to sticking with PLA to learn the basics, or can I just start with PETG to minimize learning curve duplication?

Well, there is an advantage to learning some of the basics with PLA, which remains the easiest filament to work with, and you will get a spool of top-notch PLA with your printer, so why not use it first? The only downside I can see is that you will probably end up with some PLA residue in the nozzle which is never a particularly good thing for PETg. For that, I would simply advise getting a little bit of cleaning filament to help clear out the residue.

2. Messing around with glue, hairspray, etc. doesn't sound appealing to me, so I'm planning to buy a Zebra plate. As above, is there any advantage to learning on glass first, or can I just get the Zebra plate immediately?

For that, I can't think of any downside. The Zebra plate is a true drop-in replacement for the glass, and it really does work as advertised. I have not touched my bottle of hairspray since I got the Zebra plate. The Zebra plate does like to deform, unlike the glass, and while it's easy to get back to a flat state with some careful un-bending by hand, it's something you need to look out for. Also, its ability to bend means that you will need to hold it down with clips, especially for PETg, because the Zebra plate will bend under the pressure generated by the shrinking plastic. While PETg doesn't shrink very much, it's enough to clearly warp an un-clipped Zebra plate; and if the printed piece covers more than, say, half of the bed area, then it can bend the Zebra plate so much that it lifts above the corner holders, after which it will just slide around at random and totally mess up the print.

For what it's worth, I print PLA and PETG on bare glass and have good experience with it (maybe the only one on this forum?)

PLA will come loose on bare glass if its a delicate part, but PETG is really sticky if the glass is hot enough. when you need that extra bit of adhesion, go for any of the old methods

Blue Painters tape
Kapton Tape
Purple glue stick

or the forum favorite

Hair Spray.

Welcome to the Frey

it is certainly easier to start with PLA and then move on to other materials....this way you can spend more of your efforts on getting experience with all the other aspects of printing before you take on the challenges of more difficult materials.
as Jules said, each material is a new learning curve. so getting to know your machine and toolset first is probably wise. (not that I followed my own advice.. but .. if i had it to do again.. id probably start with PLA.)

my 2 cents on adhesion and bed surfaces...for pla there's absolutely nothing wrong with using blue painters tape etc... but now having used the heck out of a zebra plate I say If you don't want to mess around and just want something you can print on reliably with no fuss with repeatable performance for petg and pla, then Zebra plate is a no brainer, yes go for it. its a solution that simply works well for petg and pla.

stay way from zebra plate with ABS though, I hear it can stick a little too well

Having said that...all surfaces and adhesion solutions have their plus's and minus's and idiosyncrasies, and they all worth trying out and getting familiar with if your going to do a lot of printing.. it is good t have a deep toolbox of solutions at your fingertips when you need it.

and lets face it... curiosity will have you with a hairspray can in your hands in no time