I have just begun printing from a brand new roll of PETG filament on my Da Vinci 1.0. Several reviews suggest that PETG is almost a hybrid of ABS and PLA.
I’ve used ABS for the vast majority of prints and whilst I have my printer printing ABS well, some of its properties frustrate me. They are; smell, poor bed adherence and warping.
PETG is meant to address the issues of warping and bed adherence.
My first print with PETG has been somewhat successful. Bed adherence was excellent; the filament printed straight to a clean glass surface that was heated to 80°C (the nozzle to bed clearance is 0.25mm). There was no warping or lifting of the print at the edges and the smell was not noticeable (I’m sure just because I can’t smell anything doesn’t meant there are emissions that are not good to be breathing).
As the print progressed, PETG does exhibit stringing of the filament (a problem I’ve never had with ABS). Reviews I have read suggest retraction may need to be modified and the use of a cooling fan is recommended. I have not done either of these, so I can’t make any harsh judgments yet.
About 75% of the way through the print, the nozzle jammed. I do not know why yet. Reviewing the temperature plot in Simplfiy3D shows that the nozzle temperature was maintaining a steady 245°C when the jam began. My print speed was 1850mm/min (30.8mm/s) which may be too fast.
Surface finish is different and similar to ABS. The bottom layer on the bed has a smooth glassy finish that I can achieve with ABS. However the layer finish is very different to ABS, it is almost a speckled, matte appearance rather than distinct shiny banding at each layer. I really like the PETG layer finish.
Stiffness and flexibility of the material feel slightly different to ABS. PETG feels slightly more flexible than ABS and the material feels more willing to flex than ABS. Improved flexibility compared to ABS is one of the properties that is reported in the reviews I have read.
Provided that the nozzle jam issue is not an ongoing problem, I can see myself making the switch to PETG.
SteelCity Electronics 
Are you using the stock XYZ slicer, or have you modded your DaVinci 1.0 to use a different slicer? Are you using the ABS material setting, or is there finally a PETG setting? I’ve been looking to use PETG, but I’m still a bit skiddish about using a new material in a printer that is so unconfigurable (since I cannot set nozzle/bed temps myself).
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Hey,
No, I am using the stock DaVinci firmware. But I was originally using Slic3r and I found a script online that can convert the gcode into the XYZ format. However, I found Slic3r to be unstable at times. I now use Simplify3D (S3D) because it supports the DaVinci 1.0 and it can send the gcode file direct to the printer. In S3D you can control bed and nozzle temperatures.
I hope this helps
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