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Procedia Engineering 177 (2017) 455 – 461

XXI International Polish-Slovak Conference “Machine Modeling and Simulations 2016”

Selected mechanical properties of PETG 3-D prints

Ksawery Szykiedans*, Wojciech Credo, Dymitr Osiński
Faculty Of Mechatronics, Warsaw University of Technology, ul. Boboli 8, 02-525 Warszawa, Poland

Abstract

The 3D printing is a way of additive manufacturing that allows the creation of sophisticatedly shaped bodies at relatively low
cost and in short time span. It is especially useful for rapid manufacturing, including engineering applications such as rapid
prototyping. The commonly used fused deposition modelling (FDM) method dispenses filament from heated nozzle positioned in
three axes that hardens after exiting the nozzle. This article presents the research focused on the mechanical properties (mainly
the basic tensile strength and elastic modulus) of elements printed using the FDM method, made of two distinctive materials:
polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) without additions and glass-fiber reinforced PETG. The paper outlines strengths and
weaknesses of the materials described and compares the properties of PETG with and without the addition of glass fiber. The
gathered data helps to quantify the mechanical properties of parts made of PETG and may also be used for modelling the
properties of 3D printed elements.
© 2017
© 2017TheTheAuthors.
Authors. Published
Published by Elsevier
by Elsevier Ltd. is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
Ltd. This
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of MMS 2016.
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of MMS 2016
Keywords: 3-D prints; tensile modulus; Zortrax filaments; FDM mechanical properties;

1. Introduction

The following paper continues the research started in 2015 [1], focusing on the mechanical properties of
elements/parts printed using the FDM method. As it was stated before producers are publishing data about the
materials they use in their printers, but in most cases the data-sheets are incomplete or sometimes they are not
available. That fact and strong anisotropy of 3D prints causes a need of experimental verification of mechanical
properties of the prints especially when new material is introduced in market. It is very important for the authors
because of the fact of supervising 3D printing laboratory used by students. Presented paper consist a first try-out of
authors to measure mechanical properties of polyethylene terephthalate glycol used as FDM filament (Z-PETG

* Corresponding author. Tel.:+48 22 234 8333; fax: +48 22 234 8602.

E-mail address: k.szykiedans@mchtr.pw.edu.pl

1877-7058 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of MMS 2016
doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2017.02.245
456 Ksawery Szykiedans et al. / Procedia Engineering 177 (2017) 455 – 461

produced by Zortrax company). Previously this kind of material was used only with addition of glass fiber and being
used as filament named Z-GLASS due to its translucence.

2. Specimens

Test procedure described in ISO 527 standard was selected for preparation of specimens used in testing of
mechanical properties of 3D prints and test procedure itself. ISO 527-2 defines specimen types to be used for tensile
tests. They are; types 1A (A1) and 1B (A2) are standard specimen for comparable data, types 1BA (A22) and 1BB
(A25) for reduced-scale specimen, types 5A and 5B which are proportional to ISO 37, types 2 and 3 (only
informative annex), types CW and CP as small tensile specimen for heat ageing tests.
Type 1A was used as main specimen type and prints of different thickness (1 and 5 mm) made of Z-PETG were
made. Due to limited ability of Zortrax M200 to print very high and slender specimens type 5A was chosen to
prepare flat and upright printed specimens.
S.-H. Ahn at al. [2] as well as C.Wendt at al. [3] have pointed that dumbbell specimen designs are unsuitable for
mechanical testing, as the nonparallel fused beads may cause stress concentrations away from the specimens’ gauge
area. That statement is true in a case when printing head track is a spiral-like or labyrinth-like line or any other
contour style tool-path [4]. Zortrax postprocessor used by authors generates raster type print infill in a form of
crossed lines (Fig. 1). Due to this feature, it is plausible that breaking lines will cover filament beads and an air gaps
between filament beads will cause stress concentration.

Fig. 1. 3D models of 1A and 5A type specimens post-processed in Zortrax printer software.

Six series of specimens were prepared (Table 1), they were printed with use of Z-PETG filament – the new
material and as reference with use of Z-GLASS filament. Prints were prepared in 1A and 5A type having thickness
of 5 millimetres. One series (P3) was prepared as 1 millimetre thick and series P4 was printed in upright direction.
 Ksawery Szykiedans et al. / Procedia Engineering 177 (2017) 455 – 461 457

Table. 1. Specimens series descripcions and specifications

Series code Specimen type Specimen material Print direction

G1 5A 5 mm thick Z-GLASS flat

G2 1A 5 mm thick Z-GLASS flat
P1 5A 5 mm thick Z-PETG flat
P2 1A 5 mm thick Z-PETG flat
P3 1A 1 mm thick Z-PETG flat

P4 5A 5 mm thick Z-PETG upright

3. Test procedure

As well as in specimen design there is no standardized test procedure intended to be used with Additive
Manufacturing parts yet. Specific standards are being prepared by both ISO and ASTM [5]. Author decided to
follow well known procedure so test procedure was also adopted from ISO527-2 standard. For the measurement of
value of modulus of elasticity, the speed of testing was set as 1 mm/min ad it was held until relative extension
reached 0,25%. Then speed was increased to 50 mm/min to get a specimen break (Fig. 2.).

Fig. 2. Change of elongation speed during testing.

4. Test results

Experimental data have been obtained from MTS Bionix 270 test rig. The tensile modulus was calculated
between 0.05% and 0.25% strain. It was calculated by a linear regression calculation. Then mean value and median
was calculated for every of specimen series.
458 Ksawery Szykiedans et al. / Procedia Engineering 177 (2017) 455 – 461

Fig. 3. Z-Glass specimens series G1 test results.

Fig. 4. Z-Glass specimens series G2 test results.

Fig. 5. Z-PETG specimens series P1 test results.

 Ksawery Szykiedans et al. / Procedia Engineering 177 (2017) 455 – 461 459

Fig. 6. Z-PETG specimens series P2 test results.

Fig. 7. Z-PETG specimens series P3 test results.

Fig. 8. Z-PETG specimens series P4 test results.

Specimens behavior in general was similar to known in literature [6] but there are some aberrations. Specimens
P1-5 and P1-7 had lowest values of Young’s modulus but they load capability was larger. Series P3 was printed 1
mm thick. This series shows widest range of results. This is typical or low thickness prints were even single
disturbance in structure can cause heavy concertation of stress. Last series P4 was printed upright and it was very
460 Ksawery Szykiedans et al. / Procedia Engineering 177 (2017) 455 – 461

vulnerable especially for normal and bending forces. Only 3 of 10 specimens were tested properly, other broke
during printing or when were clamped in testing rig.

4. Summary

Conducted test have showed that 3D prints are anisotropic and all series have different values of tensile modulus
(Table 2). Values are even different between specimens made of the same material G1,G2 and P1, P2, P3,P4.
Table. 2. Tensile modulus of a tested 3-D printers materials Z-GLASS and Z-PETG.
Material Mean value Experimental values of tensile modulus
Specimen of tensile modulus
(MPa)
minimum (MPa) maximum (MPa)
Z-GLASS, Flat printed [1] 734 721 764
Z-GLASS, Upright printed [1] 1436 1378 1477

G1 series Z-GLASS, Flat printed 665 619 682

G2 series Z-GLASS, Flat printed 368 358 389

P1 series Z-PETG, Flat printed 594 392 688

P2 series Z-PETG, Flat printed 458 434 468

P3 series Z-PETG, Flat printed 650 539 728

P4 series Z-PETG, Upright printed 910 862 942

Received differences between Young’s modulus value are effect of presence of air gaps in print structure and
stress concentration along filaments beads. These two phenomena cause crack surface area being different than
calculated as area of gauge cross-section (Fig. 9).

Fig. 9. Z-PETG specimens crack area – series P1 left, P2 right.

The only specimens that cracked perpendicularly to its four walls was series P4. In that case cracking, can be
analyzed as delamination of two fused layers (Fig.10)
 Ksawery Szykiedans et al. / Procedia Engineering 177 (2017) 455 – 461 461

Fig.10. Z-PETG specimens crack areas – Series P4 printed upright – clear flush crack.

Conducted works and tests proved specimen break area location is hard to be precisely pointed before a test. On
the other hand, FDM printed specimens are more product samples than material specimens in the meaning of i.e.
ISO 527 standard. That fact and presented difficulties of upright prints testing forced author to start development of
new kind of specimen intended to test upright prints – mainly to determine delamination force and Young’s modulus
in direction perpendicular to printing base in FDM printers.

References

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Prototyping Journal, 8(4), 2 (2002) 48-257.
[3] C. Wendt, M. Batista, E. Moreno, A. P. Valerga Fernández-Vidal, S. R., O. Droste, M. Marcos, Preliminary design and analysis of tensile test
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