i do PLA only, i did have ABS on my hub but it was troublesome for larger prints, it warped even with abs juice on the bed. it was a shame as it one material that gave super nice prints. and then there was the stink and fumes… even if it was in the livingroom i could smell it all over the flat
and it was in a chamber so it was not cold air getting to it.
so yeah… either glass or another surface…
i have seen a few recommend using a can of air and turning it upside down to use it as a freeze spray, maybe that could do the trick. of course only a very short burst is needed, but if the PEI will crack i dont know
I gave up on ABS about 8 months ago, just too many failures, warping, splitting, etc. I use PETG mostly now for parts where PLA isn’t suitable, and Filamentum CPE is a nice product as well.
I’ve just ordered a Printbite surface for my FF Pro, it’ll be a week or so before it arrives (and I have time to fit it), but I’ll let you know how that works out!
My major problem with PEI is that it’s such a pain to remove a sheet. Freezing the bed (which, on a Prusa, means partial disassembly), then soaking in D-Limonene (everything smells of oranges for days) and the whole gooey mess that needs to be scraped away.
I got mine from Amazon UK, the orange smell is OK (there are a lot worse scents) but it’s darn powerful. It’s the goo that’s the worst, as you say. A year or so ago I fitted a new sheet then immediately destroyed it (screwed up the z calibration and burned a hole right in the centre) so had to go through the whole process again the same day. Not happy.
It’s really quite amazing that after so many years now of domestic 3D printing that there’s no absolute best print bed solution. I like the idea of magnetic attachment, but that’s not easy to find for all printers, and there’s dozens of print surface providers. Hopefully one day soon someone will invent something that is just the total answer and we’ll all end up using it.
Changing the PEI sheet on a MK2 is a breeze. Heat it and peel it off. For the glue that remains I fold paper towels and moisten with acetone and let sit on the bed a few minutes and scrap off (plastic spatula of course) repeat.
I have tried printbite a few times, on the MK2 and on a Creator Pro, and never got it to work ok. Finally got to where I could get PLA or ABS first layer to actually lay down and print but even PLA would start to lift at the corners after time.
Once support got to the point of things like add corner ears to the print, use ABS slurry etc. to get the plastic to stick and not warp I was like why? What’s the point? Buy your expensive product just so I can use the traditional methods of adhesion anyway.
On the creator Pro’s I am working with the BuildTak Flex system. So far it is pretty good. Great for PLA and ABS works well but messes with the BuildTak sheet. They are addressing this.
I have applied a PEI sheet to their spring steel flex plate and this is working nicely.
After the ABS part cools I can flex it and it really help the release.
Personally on a MK42 for a Mk2(s) printer with the PINDA I’d stick with PEI, pun intended!
Learn how it works and what temps etc. it likes for your situation (not implying you don’t know your stuff) and it will serve you well as a straight forward bed material.
I ran PEI on glass on my Creator Pro style printers and it worked great.
I have converted 3 of them to the BuildTak flex system and I am using PEI now on one mainly with ABS and the results have been very good.
Being able to flex it a bit to help the ABS print release has been a joy!
i dont have a problem with PEI as such, its more getting the parts off without making marks or scratches on the surface
I print PLA only, no ABS, its stinks, gives me a day long hangover etc.
PETG for some reason covers the silicone sock rather quickly, not sure why. and i have to clean it off after each print… But yes its an alternative
My first test for getting parts off without making marks etc will be to get a frezze spray and give it an ultra short burst, its said that it should be enough to release without the need for tools
if that does not work i will try printbite… some might not be lucky but well it might be that i’m lucky
I never have issues with PLA on PEI and getting the prints off. It is pretty easy to mark up the sheet though if not really careful.
One thing is that the live Z could be just a bit low and squishing the first layer a little too much.
If PETG is accumulating on the nozzle while printing then that is usually that the extrusion multiplier is a tad to high. Example … go from 0.97 to 0.96 and see how it does.
Hi @Odense3DPrint no, it’s not arrived yet, annoyingly. Their website did say there’d be some delay, but it’s been a couple of weeks now. I’ll chase them!
Hi @Odense3DPrint hurrah! It arrived Tuesday afternoon (not sure if my email hurried things along or not), and I fitted it yesterday morning. “Installation” was straightforward, much like laying down a PEI sheet, the only issue being my impatience waiting for the “baking” periods to finish! Took a while to dial in the settings for Fillamentum CPE (I only use this machine for PETG and am now using CPE as it’s much nicer in my opinion), the first attempt the nozzle was too high, the second attempt the bed temp was too low, but I’m now 3 prints down the line and, so far, it’s working as it says on the tin.
The base of the prints are glossy smooth - as good as you get printing directly onto glass - and once the bed temperature drops 20C or so, the models can be removed with just a tiny effort, really you can just pull the model free with your fingers. I have tried any other materials yet, unfortunately (or fortunately, from a business point of view) I got a large customer order about 5 minutes after I’d finished fitting the sheet, so the machine will be tied up printing CPE until next week. I will try other materials, but this machine is really only used for PETG/CPE so even if I can’t get PLA working, it won’t be a big deal for me.
The “release” temperature is a lot higher than I expected, my second failed print used a bed temp of 70C, dropping to 65C on the third layer, and the part came free right at the end of the print, so I upped both temps by 10C. This does suggest to me the surface may not work as well in open machines so I’ll have to consider whether getting one for my Prusa.
So far then, very happy. No more tape, no more glue residue, nice shiny bottom surface and a quick turn around for prints. It really is a surprisingly big relief not to have to mess about removing models - it’s even easier than PLA on PEI.
