Smoothing and gluing PETG ???

[ksor 1]

When you print with PLA you can smooth your printed object with ACETONE and TOO you can use ACETONE for gluing PLA parts together.

Anyone know of some 'stuff' to use for same purposes when printing with PETG ?

[geert_2 557]

You can use dichloromethane, for both PLA and PET, and probably for ABS too. For PLA, this works much better than acetone, because acetone only works on the additives in the PLA, not on the pure PLA itself.

 

Chloroforme should work too, but in most countries this requires special permissions from the authorities.

 

Some time ago, I did a whole thread on this, with lots of photos of the results. Search for "PLA and PET smoothing with dichloromethane" (or something similar, I don't remember the exact wording).

 

Just one photo here, a PET model smoothed and not-smoothed:

 

 

[ksor 1]

I mostly is concerned how to GLUE PETG part together ...

 

I wonder if I can get dichloromethane here in Denmark without special licence 😞

 

But thx anyway !

 

[geert_2 557]

Yes, you can glue PET parts with dichloromethane, on the condition that they are touching each other. Dichloromethane dissolves the outer layers and makes them bond. But since it is a very thin liquid, it has no "filler" properties, contrary to epoxy glues. So the parts have to mate almost perfectly. I mate them first, and then let dichloromethane drip and seep inbetween both surfaces, using a brush. Bonding strength is comparable to contact glues: not very strong, by far not like composites, but in most cases good enough. Smoothing/bonding also helps to seal tiny holes and makes it water-tight.

 

Concerning licenses: in Belgium it can be bought without special license, contrary to chloroforme. At least for companies and universities, I am not sure about personal buying. Ask a chemical company.

 

Use it outside, or in very well ventilated rooms with fume extraction (I have a fume extraction cabinet in my lab). It is not healthy. And wear eye-protection: it whitens the skin just like acetone, so we don't want it in our eyes.

 

This part is smoothed and bonded with dichloromethane. You see how both colors blend around the bonding surface. This is PLA, but for PET it works the same, I just don't have photos of it.