# 3D Printing > 3D Printer Parts, Filament & Materials >  Printing with PETG

## ToeCrusher80

Has anyone printed with petg? I wanted to create drinking mugs. I normally print with pla, and wasn't sure if it was safe to drink from.

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## derekbrewsbrew

I'm paranoid, but I don't think I would ever drink from a printed plastic item. That said, you can always look up the material safety sheet for the material. It seems PETG is food safe, with some considerations.

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## ralphzoontjens

Yes most PETT and PETG filaments are food-safe as is PLA. Look for grading for this specific brand as they still may contain some volatiles.
And it's best making sure you deburr the part well of course. With 0.10 layer thickness you have the best chances of it being watertight as well.

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## SamIAm

I've been surprised in the past at how easily prints were watertight, but it occurs to me that water might get trapped inside a print. Is going with 100% infill a good idea? Bad idea?

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## curious aardvark

actually the thicker the layer, the greater chance of it being watertight. Fewer layers = fewer chances for holes. 

Print fairly slowly, no infill (important) and 0.3-0.4 layer thickness. 

I have managed to print water tight pet-g vases,  so it is doable :-)

With pet-g you want the lower end of the printing range for better layer bonding.

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## Dasha

Guys, I want to print this mug, but I'm not sure that PETG is solid enough. Has someone already printed this?

https://www.treatstock.com/3d-printa...or-fathers-day

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## ralphzoontjens

Why not. Make sure the filament is FDA approved though, for example T-glase, Guidel!ne and Nylon 680 are ok. For smoothing you can use a Masterbond food safe epoxy. Let us know how it worked out!

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## TommyDee

Everyone is talking filament material but how clean is your machine?  The FDA also looks at the process by which the food or food container is made.  What if your machine has occasional over-temp conditions that you didn't know about, possibly exposing a disqualifying condition of making the material "food safe".  I remember seeing burned ABS on the outside of my nozzle before.  Those are released toxins... and could continue wafting toxins over every layer of your pristine PETG mug getting excellent dispersion!

No, I'm not seriously suggesting this one mug will kill anyone in the sense that walking outside would probably expose me to 100x that level of toxin depending on where I live.  I'm just saying that when someone calls something FoodSafe, it is a bigger picture than some people realize.  Would you knowingly give your family member (whom you like, of course) a dubious gift that may in some minuscule way contribute negatively to their future health?  Of course not!

Basically, food safe plastics require a solid paper trail.  We're not talking one or two instances or people, we are talking when millions are affected by the oversight of a handful of workers in couple of plants.  These processes are vetted and documented to the degree that the population will not be harmed in huge clusters.  Or the old saying, there'd be hell to pay!  At one time I believed that too.  However, for the most part, the guidelines and accepted processes are followed because liability really is a bear.

You'd do better to mind printing ABS in an enclosed area than worry about your PETG mug.  I know you'll clean that nozzle up nicely before printing it  :Smile:   Post a pic!

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## curious aardvark

for some reason ralph is resurrecting all the old threads about food safe materials. 
personally I think it's just to get his website link on the front page of the forum. 

Not quite a spammer - but rapidly getting there :-)

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## Zorn88

I'm pretty paranoid about it as well.  Is PLA actually food safe?

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## Roberts_Clif

Natural *PLA* is made from corn and is generally considered *safe* to use with *food*.

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## curious aardvark

yep. 
actually so is abs. 
Pretty much the first things I ever desinged and printed were sausage stuffer tubes in abs. 
6 years later, still using them. 
That was in the frustrating months before I discovered that people lied about pla being brittle and weak.

Like everything that's in contact with food - wash it properly after use and it's fine.

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## esteel

High Purity: PETG has low shrinkage rate, high transmittance, even print larger models perform well.

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## Susanne

PLA is food safe but PLA is too soft for hot beverages. The plastic will slowly flow at the normal temperatures. On the other side, The FDA considers PETG to be safe for food contact. PETG is very durable and more flexible than PLA.

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## inov3D

its allways good to refer to the manufacturer guidelines but there is a lot of things to take into mind

Where is the printer
is the printer in a dusty place is there particles flying around all of this can go into your printed part

Print bed 
what is the print bed made out of 

Oil
oil that is on your printer to help lubricate some parts could end up going on to the printed part

there is a lot more to take into consideration
https://www.inov3d.net/petg-3d-printer-filament

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## curious aardvark

> PETG is very durable and more flexible than PLA.


that depends almost entirely on print temperature. 
Print it at 220 - 235 and it's rigid and brittle.

240 and above and it starts to toughen up. 

You still have to print it really slowly - which just annoys me :-)

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## airscapes

PETG likes 245 and you have to have your starting height and extrusion multiplier correct other wise you end up with brittle parts or over stringy parts.  After my normal 2 walled square to check starting height and extrusion multiplier I print a 30x30mm 2 layer high solid square.  There should be no space between the thread of plastic with good bonding between them. and when the extrusion output is correct, it will bend  back and forth without snapping.  I had a part that broke easier than I would have expected  and thought it was a temperature issue.. but it was under extruded even though the 2 walled square measured correctly.  Since that time I always print  at least 1 layer of the 30x30 to make sure the threads are bonded to each other.  For instance the other day, an extrusion multiplier of .90 made a correctly sized  wall but the 2 layer square snap along extrusion lines.. at an extrusion multiplier of .92 the square could not be broken..

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## Icey

3D printing is a kind of rapid prototype technology, which based on the digital model file. It use the powder metal or adhesive materials like plastic to construct the object by the way of step by step printing.

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