You may get a reading, but you don’t know if the reading is accurate. The thermocouple thermometers are extremely accurate. I have four different meters and they all read withing .5 degrees difference without any calibration.
If you are trying to detect a temperature on a relatively small area, you will not be able to accurately focus on a small area with most IR sensors. I tape the thermocouple specifically next to the nozzle under the hot end block and get accurate results. Sometimes reflective surfaces like glass or aluminum does not provide good results due to the emissivity of the material.
A few 3D places stock it, and you can also get it from Amazon. It doesn’t really matter what thickness (thinner is cheaper). You also need a sheet of 3M 468MP adhesive to stick it down. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013HQ7B0/ref=biss\_dp\_t\_asn
I was exactly in your shoes - printing PLA and ABS and nothing stuck properly. Then i had to disassemble the print bed for an unrelated reason, and discovered that the power cable for the heated bed was being kinked and was clinging on only a few strands. I re-stripped the wire and resoldered it. Now it works with no problems whatsoever.
my two bits: test your bed temperature, check your PCB connectors and wire connections
If that’s not your problem, get a PEI surface. PEI is absolutely amazing for ABS.
If you have a heated bed, look into getting a PEI sheet and stick it onto the glass. No more glues, no more fuss with cleaning surface. The parts stick down to the bed and will not let go. Only way to have it release is to let the bed cool down and the part pops right off. I literally wipe the surface with isopropyl alcohol and I’m ready to print. When its done, I turn on a small fan to blow on the part and wait until the bed cools down and the part comes off easily. You can speed it up by spraying some alcohol to help cool it down quicker. I used to take the print out and put into freezer. Now, I spray, wait about 5 minutes to let it soak in and the part comes out like butter. The excess alcohol on the bed, I just use it to clean the surface and I’m ready for next print.
I don’t know how big your printer bed is, but here is a link to a 12" x 24" x 0.032" thick sheet of PEI. You don’t want it too thick since the thicker sheets are more expensive and its not flat. The .032 thick sheets are perfect since you get decent thermal transfer and its thick enough to be durable. You can cut the material to fit a round bed with a sheet metal shear or a heavy duty scissor. Note, the size of the sheet is usually about 1/4 smaller than the stated size. My sheets came in at around 11.75" x 23.75".
Just use the 3M double sided tape to mount it down. I find it easier to put the sheet on the PEI first and carefully lay it down on the bed starting from one corner. Work slowly since if you screw up, the 3M tape is a pain to remove. It will change how you print parts on a 3D printer forever.
No more worries about glue or print bed tape. One thing you do have to watch out is the sheet is soft. You have to make sure the bed height is set right or if you go too deep, you can gouge the surface or leave an imprint. All my prints have a faint outline of 20mm cube on the bottom now (LOL). I had a bad day and didn’t pay attention when I started the print. At least now I have a reference point under the part to know the part size.
Thanks, I’ll check it out. I have been holding off due to cost since hair spray works pretty good overall. Just trying glue on ABS for the first time. First print was promising until a power blip killed the print!! Go figure!
Its actually not that bad in terms of cost. For me it was under $45 and it completely changed how I print. I used hair spray before and now I have two full cans collecting dust. The only thing I buy now is 90% pure isopropyl Alcohol from Walmart. I use it to clean the surface and to cool the part after a print. I can’t imagine a better surface. I tried FR4 based solution like PrintBite, but I was not impressed with the holding power. It holds well at temperature and the part comes off when the bed cools down. However, I still had issues with lifting on corners on small and large parts. I don’t trust it to hold my parts especially for long prints. I have full trust in PEI since there is no way for me to take the part off without damaging the bed when its heated. Once it cools down, you can pop the part right off with no effort. The only issue I have with PEI is that its transparent to IR light, so I have to coat it with black paint in order to use my IR height sensor. Other than that, its awesome.
