MrFex
1
Hi guys,
I’ve been having quite the first layer issues and I bought a BuildTak last week to help me with this problem. Unfortunately the first print I did ruined the mat.
No worries, beginners back luck right? Yesterday I received another one and after some test prints I tried a first print. This was printed with ABS @ 240c and a bed temp of 60c.
After the print it was impossible to remove the print without damaging it and damaging the BuildTak mat. Grrr … does anyone have tips or advice other then discard this product alltogether?
4 Likes
MB3D
2
Increase the space between the buildtak and the nozzle, also you should consider using a raft. Good luck! Cheers, Marius Breuer
2 Likes
And if you ever have problems with prints not coming off the print bed once they’re completed, try sticking the entire thing in the freezer for a couple of minutes. Usually works like a charm with the Ultimaker 2 printbed.
1 Like
MrFex
4
Thanks for all the feedback. I took it up with the company that makes BuildTak and they have offered me a replacement mat. My objective was to give insight in my customer experience and I was very happy to receive an email from their representatives an hour later with the offer to replace the mat.
Third time’s the charm, is what I said. I’m pretty sure my in-experience in 3d printing has causes this. None the less the Ideal Jacobs Corp is a company with great service!!
Thank you BuildTak if you are reading this.
2 Likes
Wow, I actually think this is genius! Never thought of it. Don’t mind me sharing this tip 
We love BuildTak here. But you are right, it takes a bit of getting used to. Along with increasing the distance between bed and nozzle by at least one notch and using a raft, we also take the surface area of the part stuck the the bed into account. A small cylinder about the diameter of a quarter is no problem to release, but as you get larger there’s just too much stickage to pull it free. So we’ll design the “bottom” to have ridges or grooves or cutouts to reduce the area in actual contact with the BuildTak. Without these tips, a 5" cube would be virtually impossible to pull free.
For the Freezer trick we will wrap the part still stuck to the build plate in foam or bubble wrap and then place the whole thing build plate and all in the freezer on an aluminum baking tray (it goes in to the freezer at the same time - don’t pre cool it). The aluminum pulls out the heat from the build surface, it contracts and that overcomes the adhesion from the still warm part. Don’t try this if you have a standard glass build surface. Borosilicate glass is fine though. (a silver tray from your mom’s tea service works even better in place of the cookie sheet - don’t tell mom though!)
