Polycarbonate build plate…. No bed heat Success!!!
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Hi there!
Long time since my last report here… I've great success with PLA using the PC surface, even with quite big parts. I'm still having little beding as mentioned before even if the part don't warp at all, but is barely noticeable and doesn't happen for all prints, so I'm really happy, so I tried the next step... ABS!
Yesterday I tried to print for the first time with ABS, and I started to test the distance to the bed. I'm using 0'13mm offset for PLA (no warp, stick perfect and no elephant foot), but in order to get the ABS I had to use baby steps and get it 0'2mm closer to the surface, which doesn't make any sense... Anyway, my first print was a failure, as one of the parts stick too much (I couldn't remove it, I will need to use a sharp today and probably resand a bit) and the other warped a lot after 5 layers, so I had to stop the print...
@Whitewolf, what do you recommend as offset for printing successfully ABS? I will continue making tests during the weekend…
BTW, I bought some PETG and ASA from rigid.ink, but I wasn't able to test it yet...
Regards!
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As POM seems to stick on PC, what about making the bed with a POM sheet? Do you think PLA/ABS can stick on it?
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FMA, pretty much nothing sticks to POM in my limited experience. Also POM is pricey and releases nasty gases when it is overheated.
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Ok. It was just a thought…
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Yeah it's good that we keep trying different options though. I have some PC now based on whitewolf's recommendations so hope to try it later this week
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Any suggestion where to get PC in the UK? All my searches turn up the clear stuff but no opaque white.
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Is opaque better?
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I think that it depends on the sensor you're using. If you use an optic one, you can have issues with the transparent one… for a capacitive or a piezoelectric, I don't think there is any difference, and in terms of adhesion, I cannot think in a reason why it should be different.
Regards
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Well, I guess opaque PC have some additional stuff, so they can change a little bit the behaviour…
BTW, clear PC is nice, because you can put leds all arround (if thick enough), which illuminates the printing part!
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Anyone has had success with ABS? I have tried white opaque PC (sanded according to instructions Whitewolf) but it sticks too well.
The print is fused to the bed and no way to get it off without destroying it. Could it be that the Nozzle temp I am using for ABS is too high (250°C) for PC? -
That does seem high to me. I get stellar prints out of ABS at 220°.
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I tried ABS just once @ 245°, and it didn't stick, although I think my offset to the bed is the problem. I hadn't had problems to remove the one I f***ked with a re-sanding of the PC sheet, is like before the ABS test xD.
Regards
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I think that it depends on the sensor you're using. If you use an optic one, you can have issues with the transparent one… for a capacitive or a piezoelectric, I don't think there is any difference, and in terms of adhesion, I cannot think in a reason why it should be different.
Regards
Has anyone tested the clear PC?
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Do you want to know about adhesion or IR sensor, or… ?
I made some printing tests with Clear PC, and it works fine. PLA is easy to stick/remove, and as others said, ABS is tricky, because it sticks too much. I think the first layer should be printed at a lower temp (the minimum so filament extrudes).
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@fma:
Do you want to know about adhesion or IR sensor, or… ?
I made some printing tests with Clear PC, and it works fine. PLA is easy to stick/remove, and as others said, ABS is tricky, because it sticks too much. I think the first layer should be printed at a lower temp (the minimum so filament extrudes).
Printing, I don't have an IR sensor will be using the Smart Effector as my probe. As it works I may pick up a sheet and give it a shot.
thanks
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Anyone has had success with ABS? I have tried white opaque PC (sanded according to instructions Whitewolf) but it sticks too well.
The print is fused to the bed and no way to get it off without destroying it. Could it be that the Nozzle temp I am using for ABS is too high (250°C) for PC?I found that by heating my bed to 110C+ (the glass transition temperature of ABS) the parts becomes easier to remove.
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I found that by heating my bed to 110C+ (the glass transition temperature of ABS) the parts becomes easier to remove.
you mean after the print has finished?
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I found that by heating my bed to 110C+ (the glass transition temperature of ABS) the parts becomes easier to remove.
you mean after the print has finished?
Yes, you may destroy the print, but it requires much less force to remove it.
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I found that by heating my bed to 110C+ (the glass transition temperature of ABS) the parts becomes easier to remove.
you mean after the print has finished?
Yes, you may destroy the print, but it requires much less force to remove it.
I don't think is a good idea, depending on the temperature, you can also damage the PC sheet…
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Just signed up to say thanks for this idea. I didn't quite use it as planned but it really helped me.
I bought a sheet of PEI which I just couldn't get success with. It worked great for the first two weeks, then the shine went away and none of my parts would stick, even a 20mm PLA hollow calibration cube would warp up. Wiping with 99% isopropyl didn't make a difference. Hand sanding with 1200 grit then 400 grit didn't make a difference.
I'd given up and gone back to BuildTak then I saw this thread. At the same time I read there are fake PEI sheets getting around which are a dyed polycarbonate or resin blend, apparently it's difficult to get the raw material which Sabic use to make Ultem 1000, so suppliers just get any old thing and call it PEI. Reading the behaviours described in this thread, what I have sounds almost exactly like polycarbonate.
I applied the orbital sander to my sheet at 80 grit. It got a "furry" surface but parts stuck, too well, I could barely get PLA prints off. I then sanded at 240 grit which allowed warping again. Sanding at 120 grit proved to be the sweet spot. PLA sticks and removes effortlessly. PETG stays down yet pops off with minimal force, sometimes even pops off on its own as it cools. As stated earlier it does need a re-sand when it gets smooth after a few weeks but that's no problem. I'm still using bed heat but otherwise this is the best print surface I've found yet. If only this PEI sheet I found wasn't so expensive.
I've also got a 2mm of Bayer extruded makrolon (their general purpose polycarbonate) which I've wet-sanded at 80 grit. I think that's the same material as featured in the first post here. I'm going to finish up a project I'm printing now then experiment with that makrolon sheet without bed heat. I've read the thread above and I'm trying to remove as many variables from Whitewolf's successful results. I don't have 60 grit orbital sander discs, only 40 or 80. I don't have bed probing to make the grid measurements and images (I manually level and I'm a peasant still running Marlin on 8-bit) but I'll clamp it to my glass plate and give it a try.
Anyhow, even if the PC doesn't work for me in future, sanding this sheet of whatever-I-have worked really well so thanks again!
