Temperature Tower steps

What is the current thinking on reward gained vs time spent on fine tuning temperature towers? Are 5ºC steps sufficient or is it worth going to 2ºC or even 1ºC steps?

Thanks!

I use 5°C steps, not so bothered about PLA/PETG/ABS but TPU can be really picky. Flowrate seems to be the one I have to dial in most.

I only printed TPU once…that was on my old ANet A8. It printed ok (slowly, but ok) but the material itself I found didn’t retain its flexibility very long after printing; after only a ew days it was distinctly less pliable.

The question about temp towers is for PETG. I was told PETG was not as good at reproducing fine surface details as PLA. I have a project where I’d like the best detail possible without going to smaller layers (it’s already a multi 30-hour plate project) or finer nozzles.

I’m actually finding PETG gives BETTER detail retention than the PLA (even the matte PLA, which I thought might help by minimising reflections). Have things changed, or was I just originally misinformed?

I think misinformed, I print PETG with small layers and have printed with 0.2 nozzles for some masking projects. Well dried filament is a must, it loves to string, not as bad as TPU though. I print both regularly. Currently printing lots of ABS parts. Not had any TPU parts really lose their pliability, not sure why that should be. Which brand was it do you know?

Maybe it’s just my old eyes…which would you choose as “best”; top or bottom?

(ignoring the horrendous stringing on the bottom one, which was entirely invisible until I lit it for this photo, and of course gives the game away for which is which!!)

Bottom one has crisper details despite the stringing.

Yep and I can fix the stringing. That’s the PETG. And I’ve just done the following temp tower on it…

I’m really struggling to interpret this one…stringing seems consistent, maybe best at 220 tho’? but overhangs…

Suggest maybe 235?

Default (and what the stringy model was printed at) was 250!

Extrudr white PETG - the reel says 210-230. I think I might look at another tower going from 225 to 235…but honestly apart from the drooping of the arch at 250, I’m struggling to see any real problem…they’d all give me a fuzzy warm glow if they were coming from my old ANet A8, and even from my more recent CR 10sPro…I think technology has outrun my ability to discern the difference with these old eyes…

235-240 looks good to me, that’s what I print my Creality PETG at.

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235 it is. I’ll knock off a quick sample, see if the difference is actually visible on the model…

Sunlu PETG I run a little cooler at 220. Quite like Ziro PETG, seems to string less too.

Hmm, just checking…I can create the filament in Creality Print wit ha 210-230 recommended range and an actual print temp of 235, but the K2+/CFS Range seems unalterable from 220-270 Generic PETG.

I assume the Creality Print settings will take priority??

I can change it in Orca and it keeps the settings, not played with Creality Print in a while as it doesn’t like my sonic pad.

Well it’s running at 235, so whatever I did worked…I think Creality could stand to spend some time on communication between their devices; make it clearer which device as the “final say”. Currently it seems possible to define some parameters in multiple places, without a clear indication of which takes precedent.

45 minutes…I may wait up, I may not…long day…and my meds will be wearing off again!

Of course I waited up…new one at the bottom but I actually think it’s worse except for stringing reduction. Only difference was the 15ºC temp drop…