How to Get PETG to Stick to the Bed

PETG has a strange relationship with build plates: on a clean, hot PEI surface it grips so hard it can tear chunks out of the coating, yet the same spool on a cold or greasy plate slides around like butter. Getting PETG adhesion right means aiming between those extremes.

The two failure modes

PETG bonds to PEI chemically, and the bond strength is steeply temperature-dependent. Below its comfort window the bond barely forms — prints release mid-way. In the window, on clean plate, adhesion is excellent. And on smooth PEI the bond can overshoot: PETG welds itself to the sheet and removing the part rips the coating. Your job is different depending on which side you are on.

Not sticking?

1. Heat the bed to its PETG window. Bambu’s stock profile sets 70 °C on textured PEI, engineering and smooth plates alike; grip improves noticeably toward 80 °C if you need it. On SuperTack, 60 °C is the ceiling. And check your plate is even allowed: the profile marks PETG on the Cool Plate unsupported (bed temperature 0) — no setting fixes a disallowed pairing.

Filament settings → Filament (bed temperature row for your plate)

2. Wash with dish soap. PETG is more grease-sensitive than PLA. IPA redistributes fingerprint oil; soap removes it. If prints stick on a fresh plate and stopped weeks later, this is it.

3. Slow and warm the first layer. First layer at 20 mm/s (the common default is 50), and nozzle a touch hotter on layer one — the stock profile already runs the first layer at 245 °C and a +5 °C nudge helps stubborn spools bite.

Process → Speed → Initial layer; Filament → Nozzle temperature (initial layer)

4. Keep early cooling off. The profile holds the fan off for the first 3 layers and then stays inside 30–60 %. Aggressive early fan is a classic hidden cause of PETG releases.

Sticking too hard?

Environment and edge cases

PETG prints happily on open machines, but adhesion failures cluster around moving air: drafts chill plate edges by several degrees, and on enclosed CoreXY machines the auxiliary side fan (held at 0 % in the stock PETG profile — verify yours) cools the fan-facing edge. If releases always start on the same side, that side is being cooled. Wet PETG also bonds worse — if the surface looks pitted and stringy too, dry 8 h at 65 °C first. The general playbook, including plate/material pairing for every filament, is in the main bed adhesion guide and the PETG settings guide.

Frequently asked questions

What bed temperature makes PETG stick?

Bambu’s stock profile sets 70 °C for PETG on textured PEI, engineering and smooth plates alike, and grip improves noticeably toward 80 °C if you need it. On SuperTack, 60 °C is the ceiling, and the Cool Plate is marked unsupported (bed temperature 0). Also slow the first layer to 20 mm/s and keep the fan off for the first 3 layers — the profile already runs the first layer at 245 °C.

Why did PETG stop sticking to a plate that used to work?

Grease. PETG is more grease-sensitive than PLA, and an IPA wipe only redistributes fingerprint oil instead of removing it — wash the plate with warm water and dish soap. If releases always start on the same side, moving air is cooling that edge: drafts chill plate edges by several degrees, and the auxiliary side fan should be at 0 % in the stock PETG profile. Wet PETG also bonds worse; dry it 8 h at 65 °C.

Do I need glue stick for PETG?

On smooth PEI and High Temp plates, yes — but as a release agent, not for adhesion. A thin film keeps PETG from welding itself to the sheet and ripping the coating off with the part. Textured PEI doesn’t need it, because the texture limits contact area. Also let the plate cool before removal: a part that fights you at 70 °C pops free at room temperature with a light flex.

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