6 Best PETG Filament For Ender 3
This material offers many benefits, making it the best choice for an Ender 3. PETG filament can be quickly melted using an extruder nozzle at high temperatures. It is also well suited for soluble support materials such as PVA, HIPS, and PLA.
The Ender 3 was designed to be easy to use, but there are some settings you might want to adjust depending on what filament you're using. It’s typically used for 3D printing in place of ABS or PLA because it has better strength and durability.
PETG also has a higher glass transition temperature and melting point than PLA. It’s the ideal material for the Ender 3 printer.
PETG filament is the best choice for 3D printing parts subjected to high-stress use or requiring a more sturdy construction. Below are the six best options for Ender 3.
1. SUNLU PETG Filament
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The SUNLU PETG Filament bundle is the number one choice for Ender 3 because it’s incredibly durable at an affordable price. Each purchase comes with a pack of two rolls with a wide range of color options.
This is a tough, durable filament that can withstand high temperatures. It has a low shrinkage rate and can be used for many applications. Users can expect easier printing and more optimized print quality when using this filament.
This is a great filament choice to avoid clogging or bubbles too. It can easily feed through the extruder, and loading is simplified to improve the smoothness of the Ender 3. No setting adjustments are needed either.
It also requires an increased print speed compared to the typical filament for the Ender 3. Some of the key settings for printing to keep in mind include:
- Nozzle Temperature: 220-250°C
- Bed Temperature: 75-85°C
- Print Speed: 50-100mm/s
2. NovaMaker PETG Filament
The NovaMaker PETG Filament is a good choice for the Ender 3 printer because of the available color variety, suitable print settings, and high-quality materials.
The design of this filament includes a diameter of 1.75mm with a tangle-free setup. This allows the printer to feed the filament without getting clogged because of the size, and the prints come out in better quality.
It’s also one of the most cost-effective filament choices, with packs of one or two available depending on color preference and budget. Every purchase includes 10g of cleaning filament too.
This filament provides excellent layer adhesion and flexibility too. The recommended settings when using this filament are listed below.
- Print Speed: 30~80mm/s
- Nozzle Temperature: 230-260°C
- Bed Temperature: 60-85°C
3. ERYONE PETG Filament
ERYONE PETG is a high-quality filament suitable for use with the Ender 3 3D printer. It has a high melting point and is one of the best choices for this machine compared to PLA, ABS, and other filaments.
This filament has been explicitly designed to be used with the Ender 3, which means that it will work well with this machine without any problems whatsoever.
In addition, it also has a very low shrinkage rate, so you won't have to worry about your prints coming out too small after they have cooled down.
The range of colors available ensures that you can create prints in any color you wish while ensuring they look fantastic. It’s also compatible with other printers, but these are ideal settings.
- Print Temperature: 230-250°C
- Bed Temperature: 50-80°C
- Print Speed: 50-100mm/s
4. OVERTURE PETG Filament
OVERTURE PETG Filament is a reliable filament used with the Ender 3 3D printer. It is compatible with all printers that use 1.75mm filament and has a round shape that can be used to create objects with smooth curves.
It also has been tested for its high quality, ensuring that it does not shrink or warp when printing. It also has a low tendency to curl, making it easy to print and giving users more control over their prints.
This filament should be used for all general purposes, making it an excellent choice for beginners and professionals. It’s on par with other PETG filaments in terms of quality but with more premium pricing.
But there are also benefits like increased tensile strength and smoother feeding with the extruder. It’s versatile for many different printers, but it works exceptionally well with the Ender 3.
5. Polymaker Black PETG Filament
The Polymaker Black PETG Filament is an excellent choice for beginners and professionals who want to print high-quality prints. This material is not as flexible as a PLA alternative but has greater strength and durability.
It's compatible with most printers and has no odor when printing, making it ideal for home or office environments. It has a diameter of 1.75mm and a round tolerance of 0.05mm, which ensures accurate prints every time.
It also has good elasticity and abrasion resistance, which means it will not break easily when used in demanding applications such as printing parts for construction equipment or car parts.
This filament is also available in many colors with a heat resistance of 144 degrees Fahrenheit. Other necessary print settings include a nozzle temperature of 235˚C, bed temperature of 70˚C, and printing speed of 60mm/s.
6. 3DF PETG Printing Filament
The 3DF PETG Filament has several advantages that make it preferable to other filaments. It has high strength and durability, making it perfect for industrial applications where parts must withstand heavy wear and tear.
It also has excellent thermal stability, making it safe to work with without any risk of warping or melting during printing. It is easy to print and compatible with a wide range of printers.
This is a lightweight 1.75mm filament available in a range of colors. Every purchase comes with a three-pack bundle, one of the most affordable PETG options for all 3D printer types.
This filament helps with improved layer adhesion, more precise printing performance, and flexible print tolerance. Final prints with this filament are known for their dimensional accuracy and excellent impact resistance.
Can The Ender 3 Use PETG Filament?
The Ender 3 is a high-quality, fully functional 3D printer with a filament size of 1.75mm. This means you have plenty of PETG filament options, but there are some things to consider.
The best thing about the Ender 3 is no modifications or upgrades are needed to use PETG with this machine. It comes equipped with a BuildTak surface that works perfectly with this type of filament.
PETG prints similarly to PLA but with better elasticity and temperature resistance. The optical clarity of PETG prints is impressive, but the biggest thing to worry about is potential stringing.
Some key steps and settings are required to ensure best printing practices are followed. This includes optimal printer bed, temperature, and layer height settings.
What Ender 3 Settings Should You Use For PETG Filament?
PETG is a new and improved material that is more durable, flexible, and stronger than PLA. It is also less prone to warping and has a higher melting point.
But when using it, some settings need to be in place to get efficient prints. This includes adjustments to the bed temperature, layer height, build surface, printing speed, and more.
Bed Temperature
The first setting to adjust is the bed temperature. This is one of the bed adhesion settings, and PETG filaments should be printed at bed temperatures between 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60°C) and 150 degrees Fahrenheit (70°C).
This temperature range will eliminate the risk of warping the PETG, and it’s not required to use extremely high heat to create prints with this versatile filament.
However, a bed temperature up to 176 degrees Fahrenheit (80°C) works well. Many experts even recommend it because the higher temperature allows for strong bed adhesion.
The best thing to do is experiment with these temperatures to see what works best. If 140 degrees is too low, gradually increase the temperature until the desired strength is reached.
Layer Height
The layer height on a 3D printer is how much of the material used extrude from the hot end nozzle. But the measurement is also made based on the number of layers for the part.
The recommended layer height when printing with a PETG filament on the Ender 3 is 0.2mm. This will create the best first-layer adhesion with enough balance and solid printing speed capabilities.
The 0.2mm recommendation assumes this is between 25% and 75% of the hot end nozzle diameter. If not, then adjust the layer height based on those measurements.
Build Surface
The build surface is also a bed adhesion component that is crucial for all 3D printing needs, especially when using PETG filaments. The Ender 3 comes equipped with a BuilTak build surface area.
No setting adjustment is needed, but we recommend sticking with the BuilTak because it provides a stable printing surface. There are always questions about changing the build surface with a glass bed, but it’s not as reliable with PETG prints.
Print Speed
Next, the print speed needs to be adjusted based on the filament, print size, materials, and many more factors. Luckily, the Ender 3 makes it easy to adjust these settings and provides lots of user versatility.
However, the default Cura settings already in place for print speed on the Ender 3 will work just fine. This print speed is typically set between 30mm/s and 50mm/s.
Slowing the print down is a strategy used to try and improve print quality. In some circumstances, this is effective, but the slower print time can be too costly for some users.
Hot End Temperature
When printing, the hot end temperature will be the highest because this is where the final forming of the print happens. The ideal hot end temperature for the Ender 3 is 220 °C and 250 °C when printing with PETG.
However, the nozzle size and the extruder type will cause this range to fluctuate slightly. For example, the Bowden extruder will need a lower temperature because the tube used has a melting point.
Exceeding the melting point will melt the tube and cause it to get clogged with PETG filament. The range should generally be between 200 °C and 250 °C, though.
Which Filament Type Works Best For Ender 3?
A few different types of filament work well with the 3D printer. This includes PETG filament, PLA filament, and ABS filament.
We have discussed the best PETG filaments, but which is the best? We’ll explain the benefits of each option below.
PETG Filament
PETG is the top choice for the Ender 3 primarily because of its versatility. It provides similar strength and durability to ABS while remaining safe and easy to print with, like PLA.
It basically works as the ultimate filament because it brings the best of both worlds. It’s the most compatible with the Ender 3 with solid heat resistance too.
PLA Filament
PLA is polylactic acid and is generally considered the most commonly used filament in various industries. This type of filament is also biodegradable, so you don't have to worry about it clogging up your local landfill.
PETG is not as environmentally friendly, and PLA is easy to use and doesn't need any special equipment for printing. The downside of this type of filament is that it doesn't have much flexibility, so it can crack or break more easily than ABS does.
We prefer PETG for the Ender 3, but this would be the second best option if the required printing needs to be safe and fast.
ABS Filament
This type of filament has much more flexibility and strength than PLA, but it's not as environmentally friendly as PLA. It requires a heated print bed for printing and may require some post-processing before you can use the final product.
We don’t recommend ABS filament for the Ender 3 because it’s not as easy to feed, and the printing process can get complicated. However, the durability of ABS is unmatched, so it can work if needed.
