We’ve been struggling to get support material to work for many days now. So, I thought I’d query the hive mind of 3D Hubbers to find new things to try.
We print our models mostly in PLA because it doesn’t shrink like ABS and we don’t need the temperature resistance. PVA looks promising because it dissolves quickly in water. HIPS is cheaper but the solvent limonene is more expensive and an irritant. Our dual extruder is the Flashforge Creator Pro.
This is what failed already:
The long times required for HIPS to be dissolved damaged PLA models 85.
HIPS didn’t stick to the glass bed as PLA does.
HIPS printed on PLA raft didn’t stick.
PLA model printed on PVA support didn’t stick.
What else can we try?
BaronWilliams suggest to print PLA support under PETG 109 or vice versa since apparently the 2 don’t bond together like PLA under PLA and can be clipped off more easily.
Airwolf recommend ABS with HIPS 19. Maybe we should change from PLA to ABS because it works better with HIPS. In any case, we had trouble getting HIPS to stick to the glass bed.
Maybe we need to print PVA/HIPS extra slow onto the raft or the glass bed to get it to stick? So far we’ve been using standard settings that work perfectly for PLA.
I really hope we can get that to work since peeling of PLA support under PLA models is a pain in the…
Im interested in hearing how best to print PVA with PLA too. A couple of trials recently werent successful, just lots of oozing and not enough support. Im hoping to try again in the next week, so I will follow this thread with interest. Based on early tests I will likely build an ooze shield!
Hi CR, thanks for getting back to us. We can get PLA to stick to the glass plate using a raft. The problem lies in that PVA and esp. HIPS have been very hard to put down. We’ve gotten the PVA raft to stick but then the actual PLA model on top often doesn’t stick to PLA. HIPS and PLA is the same problem. I’m looking for a detailed description of somebody who’s gotten any of these combinations incl. PETG and PLA to work.
Yup, I use my PVA glue on the glass to print both PLA and PETG with no rafts. It makes a huge difference. I would expect it to work well with PVA filament too. HIPS im not sure about as I havent tried printing it myself, but I would say its definitely worth a shot. I make a mix of 5 parts water to 1 part PVA glue, put a small blob on the center of the bed (maybe 2-3 ml) and then spread it around evenly with a cloth. If you apply it to a hot bed it dries in minutes. I then give the surface a quick wipe with methylated spirits to remove any greasy finger marks before each print. The PVA film lasts for many prints without needing to be reapplied. I also run my bed a lot hotter than you which might be relevant. I print PLA at 80degC (which gives me about 60degC on the surface of my glass) and PETG at 100degC (so about 80degC on the print surface).