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Hi all (Again)

Well after the issue of the top layers it also turn out that my print bed is slightly warped. I ran the bed level and got all 4 corners level (Piece of paper moves between print head nad print bed) however when the print head moves to the center the piece of paper is now wedged between the print head and the print bed.

I am guessing this is not how it’s supposed to be, so I was looking at what options I have. I was looking at getting a piece of glass cut to size, however, I have read you need to apply glue stick to the glass bed to get the PLA to stick, but other sites don’t mention using glue or anything. So can someone who has experience of printing on glass advise please what you have to do and what the results are like.

The other thing I was looing at is other print surfaces other than glass like the PtinrinZ surface. Can anyone advise.

Thanks

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Glue isn’t needed to get PLA to stick to glass. The glass does need to be wiped down with IPA so its extremely clean, and it helps if its heated to 50-70C. Most PLAs will stick to that, the only ones that won’t are high gloss ones that need tape or buildtak to adhere to.

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Can I use any glass or does it have to be treated to withstand the heat from the heated printer bed

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The proper type is borosilicate glass, some other glass types don’t react well to the heat changes. As far as adhesion for PLA, I use cheap max hold hairspray. I never have any problems with the prints sticking. I use the purple glue sticks for ABS, and I’ve never had to use tape for either.

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I bought a sheet of glass at Lowe’s, and had the cut it into pieces that fit my printer’s bed - $2.48 with tax. I notched the corners at home with a hand-held glass cutter, and use small binder clips to hold it in place. I use a glue stick and clean it after each print with warm water. Level is spot on day after day.

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hello I print on glass all the time. what I do is I use hair spray. spay a thin coat to the glass when cool then turn the heat on to 65-70c it will dry on the glass it will look frosted I have had far better luck doing this for pla then using tape. for abs I take a junk abs print (I mean none of my prints fail) and dip it in some asitone and rub it on the glass when cool and turn the heat on let it dry and start printing. also I keep several glass sheets one for abs one for pla etc. it works great also if I’m in a hurry i will use hair spray on the glass for abs too it works good. the nice thing is when you use hair spray on glass once it cools it almost pops of by its self although on large prints lots of contact with the glass i take the glass off the plate and put it in the fridge. works awesome.

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I have just ordered my glass bed and is should be here tomorrow. I am going to hold it in place for now with small binder clips until I can print some clips off thingiverse. Am I right in saying I will need a to add a Z-stop thing at the back on my print bed? something like this one: CTC Glass Bed 3mm by ToolBoxPT - Thingiverse Also is it best to remove the aluminium plate that is on top of the heated bed or just peel off the blue tape I have on there and put the glass onto the Kapton tape?

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Yes, you will have to use a spacer to offset the height of the glass, typically 2-3mm. I suggest leaving the aluminum plate. :slight_smile: Actually, I went to the trouble of putting down nice and clean blue tape, since it would be visible through the glass - also, in case I needed to remove the glass, it would be ready for printing right away.

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Use Aquanet super hold hairspray. Spray a nice layer and let it harden completely by heating the bed. (preheat). It will become invisible on the bed. If you put enough on, it self levels. Aquanet hairspray actually has plastic in it.

Print. Then let the print cool completely before you remove the print.

If you are using cheap glass, not borosilicate, then that is the best you can do.

I use borosilicate, so I take the prints off the bed, let it cool for a few minutes, and put it in the freezer. The parts slide right off. Be careful, even boroslicate glass can crack over time from this. But I can go from print on glass, to freezer, and back to printing in about 10 minutes, so its worth it.