Using PETG for 3d printed tank builds...

[davepriddy14]

Hello again,
Does anybody know or has an opinion on using PETG filament over PLA or PLA+. I have been reading up on using it instead of PLA, or PLA+ for 1/16 scale radio-controlled tanks. I am starting to work on an M551 Sheridan rhat I found on Cults3d. I am completely new to this and any help or information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Dave Priddy
davepriddy14

[Kaczor]

I advise against using PLA in RC models that you intend to drive outdoors (in the sun). My friends from the Polish club print only in PETG and ABS.

[john1970]

PETG is stronger than PLA and is also a bit more tricky to print. It's more about finding the right settings for your printer when using as it can blob up on the extruder and leave them all over the print it's also very stringy. I use pritt stick for bed adhesion and to protect the build surface as it can rip chucks out of your build plate.
There's a whole section on 3d printing you might find something useful in there viewforum.php?f=33 failing that it's youtube research.

[tankme]

I've had PLA warp in the sun so I don't print tanks in PLA. There are no standards as to what is the make up of PLA+ so it could be more heat resistant, or less depending on what material the manufacturer mixes the PLA with. I only print in PETG or ASA/ABS for anything exposed to any kind of heat. You might say, well it's not that hot here. One guy printed a Leo 2A5, cleaned it up, and primed it. He left it in his garage to dry. It got hot enough in his garage to warp so he had to reprint it again. My 3D printed SU-152 conversion warped. If you want to know all about heat resistance of various materials there is a YouTube site called "CNC Kitchen". He does all kinds of real world materials testing. His testing of PLA+ had worse heat resistance than normal PLA. It doesn't have to melt, it just has to get hot enough to deform or shrink. At this point I've printed like 50kg in PETG. I rarely even print PLA. I've been getting Sunlu PETG cheaper or as cheap as PLA. You should dry PETG before printing with it. That helps make the results much more consistent, but do what you want. It's your time and your money.