Experimental investigation on transparency properties of PETG material produced by MEX

Glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate (PETG) materials are among the polymers that can be produced by additive manufacturing. The properties of PETG, such as transparency, hardness, and impact resistance, make this material preferable in the production of lighting covers. This study investigated the production of transparent material using the material extrusion-based additive manufacturing (MEX) method and the effects of MEX production parameters on visual light (VL) and ultraviolet light (UV) transmittance. Thermal analyses were performed to determine the production parameter ranges. In addition, the effects of the production parameters on the hardness properties were determined, and a contribution was made to the literature to determine the usage areas. The parameters affecting transparency and hardness were interpreted according to the results obtained and compared with similar studies in the literature. The highest light transmittance was measured in the sample produced at 235°C nozzle temperature, 0.04 mm layer thickness, 40 m/sec production speed, and horizontally positioned. The study presents exciting results as it is one of the few in the literature to examine the transparency properties of MEX-produced samples against transparency standards.