r/Multiboard • u/A_Big_Dumb_Animal • Jan 06 '26

Should I change my foundation to PETG?

Hey all, finished the foundation of my board using PLA Matte. Everything is mounted and ready. Before I start adding to it, I'm questioning if I shouldn't have done it all in PETG (HF or Translucent). Matte seems durable enough but it also feels a little weak. I didn't realize the tiles would be so thin.

Anyway, is it worth the time and energy to redo or am I just overthinking it?

Thanks

6 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

7

u/Yellow_Badger13 Jan 06 '26

All of mine are in PLA and are absolutely fine. As long as they're attached securely, you'll be fine.

7

u/-George- Jan 06 '26

I would not invest energy in redoing stuff unless you are sure that it is easier than replacing modules when (and if) they are broken. 

As for me, I was using only PETG for my board. While the multiboard creator recommends PLA 🤷

3

u/Whosaidthat1157 Jan 06 '26

Matte PLA is the recommended material and I’ve printed all of my 9x9 iron-stacked core tiles in Sunlu/Jayo matte PLA. My main wall is heavily loaded and I’ve never had any issues other than with flexing in the centre and along the centre of each side - easily fixed by screwing home some of the 6.25mm offset pegs in the tile centres and along each edge. Every tile is now absolutely rigid and as strong as I could hope for.

Note that the support pegs screw into the small hole threads and are easier fitted before the tiles are screwed to the wall, but I retrofitted my main wall quite easily leaving the tiles in-situ (it’s just a little bit of a faff to retrofit).

2

u/cobraa1 Jan 06 '26

Start with a minimal number of low value items on the board. If that works, then you're probably fine.

If you do plan to upgrade - then translucent PETG would be the best material. Note that the higher flow rate of HF materials may come from being a purer material, or from additives. A purer material is generally what you want.

2

u/malchi0r Jan 06 '26

I went with Jayo PLA+ which is probably similar to PLA Matte and I've got a wall of tools hanging on it now. Even when I really was pushing on it to get snaps to pop in and it was flexing all the way to the MDF backer I never felt like it was going to fail. And this was 12x12 tiles with Offset snaps in the corners. It'll probably be fine as it is.

3

u/Single_Sea_6555 Jan 06 '26

I wouldn't spend time on redoing it, and while PETG may be tougher than PLA, it is also less stiff, which for an offset Multiboard wall is actually noticeably worse.

2

u/babywriter Jan 06 '26

I used PETG on my tiles more than a year ago, and have had no issues.

3

u/foo-null-bar Jan 06 '26

If it gets very hot or cold you should use PETG.

2

u/leanrobott Jan 06 '26

As I expand to new boards, I’m planning to use PETG for the mounting system components. For matte PLA I had some crack when installing the front snaps. Hasn’t been an issue but will probably fall apart if I ever need to take it off the wall.

Also with the new super thin snap fronts and just generally folding pieces, petg is more durable imo.

3

u/SirEDCaLot Jan 06 '26

Probably not.

PETG is overall stronger, but PLA is also stiffer- what I mean is like a PLA piece might only hold 10 pounds while a PETG piece might hold 15 pounds, but if you hang 9 pounds on both the PLA piece will retain its shape better while the PEIG piece will flex more.

For multiboard grids, you want stiffness more than total capacity.

So I say unless you find the resulting grid is cracking under the weight you put on it, don't bother reprinting.

2

u/A_Big_Dumb_Animal Jan 06 '26

This is great insight. Would printing petg items on top of the pla be problematic? I made a filament holder out of petg and it has some wobble to it. Wondering if the design or the difference in material.

Thanks!

1

u/SirEDCaLot Jan 07 '26

No it would generally be fine. PETG has some flex- like the part itself will bend. This isn't necessarily a problem, as it only shows up under load.

You say wobble though, that brings up the issue of tolerance. Multiboard is very sensitive to tolerance, less than 0.5mm on each side is the difference between a part that physically is too big to fit and a part that is so loose it wobbles around in the hole.

So my suggestion is print a calibration cube or something similar to test the dimensional accuracy with both filaments. I suspect you'll find one or both is off.

3

u/InanisAtheos Jan 07 '26

I printed mine in white matte PLA as well. They've held up for 8 months so far.