What is the difference between PCTG and PolyMax™ PETG?
A little bit of Material Science first:
PET is made from terephthalic acid ('TPA') and ethylene glycol ('EG') (CH2OH)2
PCT is made from terephthalic acid ('TPA') and cyclohexanedimethanol (‘CHDM’) C6H10(CH2OH)2
If you react TPA with both EG and CHDM, you get a co-polymer, called PETg or PCTg.
Usually the polymer is called PETg when the major diol is ethylene glycol (>50%) and PCTg when the major diol is CHDM (>50%).
The higher the EG content the stronger and more rigid the material, the higher the CHDM content the more ductile and impact resistant the material.
In summary:
PETG -> Strong and rigid
PCTG -> Ductile and impact resistant
Our PolyMax™ PETG is a modified PETG with enhanced fracture toughness which makes it more ductile and impact resistance.
To conclude, PolyMax™ PETG provides the best of both PETG and PCTG with high strength and rigidity as well as enhanced ductility and impact resistance.
Do I need to use the cooling fan with PolyMax™ PETG?
If you are looking to produce the strongest part (high layer adhesion), we recommend to switch off your part cooling fan.
If you are looking for a high quality surface finish, we recommend to switch on your part cooling fan.
Usually the best of both worlds is to leave the part cooling fan at 20%.
Will the spools work in an AMS?
Yes! We have redesigned the edges of our spools so all Polymaker products will now spin great in the AMS.
Is this material food safe?
Unfortunately we do not have any data whether this material is food safe. As of now, no 3D printing material on the market is FDA food safe compliant. This is because in order to be certified as food safe, the actual object needs to be certified and not the base material. The shape, bed used, environment the object was made, and much more goes into getting a food safety certificate. As of now there is no real certification that the FDA offers for 3D printing.
Do you sell refills?
We are sorry but we do not sell refills at this time
