I printed a model in PETG shortly after a PLA print, which was fine, and it damaged the plate as shown. What’s odd is I’ve printed this same model with this same filament on this printer and it was fine. The temps in the gcode are the same between those prints.
Is this a Z-offset issue? Would PLA and PETG require different Z-offsets on the same printer?
Edit for more details: Creality Ender 3 V3 SE, stock plate.
What would you recommend instead?
I’d not heard anything negative about Ender, and until now have not had issues. I even printed this giant-ass computer case and fan shrouds with good success: https://www.printables.com/model/1616167-amd-bc-250-case-atx-psu-fan-duct
I think the problem in this case is my inexperience, and unearned confidence due to previous success.
I went straight to Prusa, which mostly protects me from my own ignorance and gives me way more confidence to actually learn and experiment with different materials, it’s worth every penny, haven’t looked back. YMMV. I too destroyed my Ender’s bed with inexperience. More than once. Being cheap, I suppose that’s why it isn’t such a tragedy. The other option is to just replace the print bed and carry on. I went through about 3 before I gave up on Ender. Still on my first Prusa Satin sheet 3 years later. I flip it occasionally just to even out any wear and tear.
I really like my U1. I also have an Anycubic S1 and have destroyed many build plates. The U1’s heated bed is a big plate of machined steel with magnets embedded. My S1 is heated bed is plastic with a soft magnetic plate. I’ve done a lot of petg and pctg on my U1 with auto level every time and it hasn’t failed yet.