Hello,

I want to share my experience with a Polypropylene build surface, because when I was looking into buying one I couldn't find much information in the form of reviews.

The build plate is a 235mm x 235mm x 3mm sheet designed for an Ender 3, installed on my DIY machine.

Performance with different materials:

• PLA - the hardest to get good adhesion but possible if you have a flat bed/good compensation, 55 Celcius bed, <20mm/s first layer

• PETG - outstanding performance with a range of filaments including ColourFabb XT, 70 Celsius bed, <30mm/s first layer parts stick very well then pop off with ease once the temperature drops below 60.

• Polycarbonate (Polymaker Polymax PC) - Outstanding performance. At 100 Celsius bed I can print without rafts and brims for most parts, one or two awkward models have needed small brims.

• Polypropylene - testing soon but should be the ideal build surface.

• Nylon - testing soon and will update.

If like me, you want to move away from using PLA filament and don't want to faff around with tape, hairspray, glue or any other magic potions, PP buildplates are a good option.

Performance with the Duet IR sensor is flawless.

Build plate can easily be scratched, but if you can wait a few minutes for it to cool, parts pop right off.

Wipe with IPA between prints.

Sorry to revive an old thread again but I have an additional theory on this.

Is it possible that these tiny waves on the surface of the extruded material are a result of the deformation of the filament due to the hobbed gear?

If the teeth of the extruder bite into the filament enough to deform it, then the volumetric flow of filament will pulse with the amplitude of the volume difference between a thin section and thick section.

I see this surface affect when using softer (more deformation) and glossier (more visible) filaments.

Might be nonsense but its just a thought.

Wanted to update this post because i have solved my issue.

I did design and print a new extruder bracket which brought the inductive probe and nozzle closer together, and brought everything closer to the X axis rails. It didn't make much difference.

I found that the probe points on my heatbed (Mk42 from Orballo printing) didn't actually seem to be dead centered in the marked positions on the PCB heatbed, and also suspected that my Amazon probe might not be all that good.

The solution?

• Buy the IR probe by DC42

• Design a neat bracket for the sensor that sits nicely alongside the heaterblock (tested positions until the heat no longer softened a PLA bracket, then printed it in XT-CF20)

• Remove my PEI print surface clamp on a polypropylene build surface.

• Quick and easy setup and calibration following the online guides

And the result is absolutely beautiful first layers across the entire print area!

@arhi thanks, really appreciate your reply!

I think that settles it. In the morning I'll flick through the links you shared but looks like I'll be trying Ideamaker.

Also thanks for the heads up on the label printers, its a minefield trying to choose one

@Corexy Thanks for replying!

I know there are plenty of forum threads on this topic all over the Web but I wanted to set the context of my particular case, knowing from experience its wise to trust the suggestions of many people on this forum.

I have recently been frustrated with Cura because of a few bugs, its useful to know that S3D has some of its own too.

This is a topic that, when Google searched, yields dozens of inconclusive, borderline clickbait articles but... is Simplify3D better than Cura, ignoring the cost.

Most of my printing is for profit, for prototypes that need to be in the hands of designers quickly, or batches of end-products to be sold to consumers.

If Simplify3D can improve my print quality in any way, for example; less noticeable seams, better top surfaces, or alternatively improve my work flow, for example by better management of material profiles then it is probably worth it to me.

Does anyone in a similar or relevant position to me use Simplify3D and are glad you paid for it? If so why?

To share the rather strange context of this, im either going to buy a new thermal label printer or Simplify3D... The winner will be the one that makes my life easiest, and I have already quantified the label printer.

Sorry to revive an old thread again but I have an additional theory on this.

Is it possible that these tiny waves on the surface of the extruded material are a result of the deformation of the filament due to the hobbed gear?

If the teeth of the extruder bite into the filament enough to deform it, then the volumetric flow of filament will pulse with the amplitude of the volume difference between a thin section and thick section.

I see this surface affect when using softer (more deformation) and glossier (more visible) filaments.

Might be nonsense but its just a thought.

@arhi I must admit I was expecting the PP build plate to be poor at best for most materials but I think its brilliant, and cheap enough that I don't mind replacing it if I damage it.

Thanks for the tips, I'll do the usual tuning to dial in the PP but be sure to start on the side of not sticking enough.

I do a lot of prototyping both through my day job and on the side, I'm sure PP will come in handy at some point (living hinges for example). Im basically just trying to add as many materials options as I can, and to do this without the need for multiple different build plates or to have to use adhesives, tapes, hairspray etc.

@arhi I have noticed the sensitivity to nozzle height, but using the IR height sensor thats not been a problem.

I looked into surfaces like print bite and saw people struggling with IR height sensor accuracy. For me PP was the best combination of materials compatibility and compatibility with the height sensor.

Thanks for the heads up on PP filament adhesion. Do you know if I can reduce the adhesion to acceptable levels by lowering or turning off the heatbed?

Hello,

I want to share my experience with a Polypropylene build surface, because when I was looking into buying one I couldn't find much information in the form of reviews.

The build plate is a 235mm x 235mm x 3mm sheet designed for an Ender 3, installed on my DIY machine.

Performance with different materials:

• PLA - the hardest to get good adhesion but possible if you have a flat bed/good compensation, 55 Celcius bed, <20mm/s first layer

• PETG - outstanding performance with a range of filaments including ColourFabb XT, 70 Celsius bed, <30mm/s first layer parts stick very well then pop off with ease once the temperature drops below 60.

• Polycarbonate (Polymaker Polymax PC) - Outstanding performance. At 100 Celsius bed I can print without rafts and brims for most parts, one or two awkward models have needed small brims.

• Polypropylene - testing soon but should be the ideal build surface.

• Nylon - testing soon and will update.

If like me, you want to move away from using PLA filament and don't want to faff around with tape, hairspray, glue or any other magic potions, PP buildplates are a good option.

Performance with the Duet IR sensor is flawless.

Build plate can easily be scratched, but if you can wait a few minutes for it to cool, parts pop right off.

Wipe with IPA between prints.

@JoergS5 Interesting, I'll have a look in to those, currently the only additional safety I have is a smoke detector above the printer.

@jens55 thank you, I plan to order from RS Components so whatever I buy will be legitimate. I'm not looking to cut costs in any way, rather get the best performance i can.

From what you've said, and everything else I've read, I won't see a benefit from buying one of the very expensive models so I think I'll stay in the sensible price range from a trusted brand.

@JoergS5 No worries. I have also trusted MeanWell in the past. Thanks for taking the time to reply