Hi everyone, I’m new here (and to 3D printing in general) and have bought a FlashForge Finder, intending for general hobby use and personal projects.
I have a couple (of probably very obvious) questions as I don’t want to break it early on! as follows:
• The bed has the blue, rough surface which I applied the purple glue to - everything is working fine and adhering well. Should I clean this down each time and start again with new glue?
• When I need to replace this surface - does it just peel off and replace?
• Can anyone recommend either good replacement surfaces or whether getting either some heatproof glass or stainless steel cut would provide good results?
Also, how long do the nozzles tend to last and are uprated ones worth it?
It’s hard to give you a precise answer regarding cleaning. When I used the purple glue I didn’t clean with each print, but it depends on how much glue you put on it.
As you guessed, the surface is really easy to replace. I had to do it after around 8 months, because of a mistake on my side (made a hole on it when removing a print a bit brutally). Otherwise it still sticked really well and I was happy with it.
Regarding calibration, on my Finder I use to adjust the result a bit manually, by playing with the screws to put the bed a bit higher than the result of the automatic calibration.
This way I achieved a better first layer finish, and lately I noticed that it was not even necessary anymore to use glue on my PLA prints. I honestly think that it’s not necessary to search for an alternative, but it’s my personal opinion.
I’m still using the nozzle that was provided with the printer, after around 800h printing. It’s ok as long as you don’t use abrasive material (metal filaments, carbon …), for which you should switch to a steel nozzle.
Glass bed is a worthwhile upgrade I strongly recommend it. Just print yourself a shim prior to installing . I upgraded my nozzles recently because they became so clogged and was tired of replacing teflon tubes. Microswiss makes a good stainless nozzle
It’s also good to note that behind that blue build tape is a glass plate. It pops out of the carrier tray if you really need to clean it up and to replace the tape. We sell the tape for 16 bucks for a pack of 3 so they aren’t very expensive to replace.
Id just like to add, you can actually take the glass plate out if you’re careful and flip it around so the blue surface is on the bottom and a glass surface facing upwards.
On certain prints I’d always have the corners lift even with using glue on the blue surface. Decided to flip the bed and use blue masking tape with a little glue. Works perfectly although it is a pain to replace the blue tape and re glue after a few prints.
Ive had some success with the Lokbuild surface on my i3, it’s similar to the blue flashforge surface and just sticks on. I’m going to try that next see what happens.
