Favorite Print Surface?

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wmgeorge
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Re: Favorite Print Surface?

Post by wmgeorge » Sat Oct 17, 2015 1:19 pm

Stainless was going to be to heavy, and they are using a aluminum flat tooling plate. Do a quick search it will get you a better answer.
Retired Master Electrician, Commercial HVAC/R,CNC Router

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helifrek
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Re: Favorite Print Surface?

Post by helifrek » Sun Oct 18, 2015 4:57 am

Stock glass plate with some aquanet hairspray with PLA. the most important factor for making sure something sticks is making sure the bed it level and the Z-height is correct. So maybe include some better instructions on those two things as well as calibrations.

I have used Buildtak in the past with ABS and PLA, it worked great for a few weeks but lost its magical abilities shortly after those few weeks. I would say to make different build plates an additional option at checkout with glass being the stock option, you could sell different build plates to suit different materials.

My stock M2 is still running like a champ after almost 1 year, can't say that I have had a single problem or had to replace anything! not even a clogged nozzle! even making myself a little money here and there! Thanks again for the great product!

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pyronaught
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Re: Favorite Print Surface?

Post by pyronaught » Mon Oct 19, 2015 4:04 pm

About the only thing I haven't tried is the tool plate that Jim uses, so I can't compare that method. On everything else, it's 5 mil kapton sheet with ABS slurry hands down. Prep between prints takes only seconds, no need to ever scrape or wipe off previous mess, no aggravation screwing around with fragile tapes that leave tape lines in your prints, you never have to scrap the surface because something gets permanently stuck as with BuildTak when you don't have the Z-stop to within .00001 of it's magic requirement, no hair spray mist gumming up your machine and a gallon of acetone for making the slurry will last years. ABS slurry leaves no trace on you print, you get a smooth mirror finish every time with nothing to wash off like glue sticks leave behind. I've never had an ABS or PETG print get knocked off even when doing things I shouldn't be doing that result in an excessively rough surface that the print head has to drag across, yet still pops of easily once the plate cools. There's no guessing if there is still enough stick left on your plate from glue stick or hairspray to handle the next print-- you get the same consistent, predictable results every time. You have to seriously abuse it to put a ding or nick in the surface, it's way tougher than the regular kapton tape that rips when the wind blows. You seriously can't beat this method. I haven't tried PLA on it, since I have no use for PLA, but you could always flip the plate and print on the glass if you wanted to use PLA (if for some reason PLA didn't just work on the kapton).
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

mharter
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Re: Favorite Print Surface?

Post by mharter » Wed Oct 21, 2015 4:48 pm

Ship it with a can of hairspray. Of all of the solutions that I have tried, the trusty ole can of hairspray has by far worked the best for me. And if you are a single guy, shopping for hairspray is a great ice breaker, albeit odd, if you see a lass that catches your eye.

DrRobot
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Re: Favorite Print Surface?

Post by DrRobot » Wed May 25, 2016 10:29 pm

I just broke my Zebra plate with some thin and tall ABS+ prints. The bonding is too well and when removing the model, it broke off the surface of Zebra plate. I also think the thickness of the plate is not uniform, which caused an uneven build surface. That means for a large model, some part will be smooshed more and cause too much adhesion.
Jules wrote:I switch around. :P

The Zebra plate is good for PLA & PETG, but it's a no-go for tall ABS prints, so that kind of limits its use, and it does have some issues with not being perfectly flat all the time. It is fantastic for removing large surface area prints because it can be flexed just a little bit to break the seal. It has to be initially clamped down due to the heat warping effect, but after the temperature normalizes on it, mine straightens back out and lays down flat. It would be a good candidate for the auto-level; it has two embedded copper plates in it underneath the surfaces. It heats the bed up quicker and distributes the heat better than the glass.

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Jules
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Re: Favorite Print Surface?

Post by Jules » Wed May 25, 2016 11:18 pm

DrRobot wrote:I just broke my Zebra plate with some thin and tall ABS+ prints. The bonding is too well and when removing the model, it broke off the surface of Zebra plate. I also think the thickness of the plate is not uniform, which caused an uneven build surface. That means for a large model, some part will be smooshed more and cause too much adhesion.
Jules wrote:I switch around. :P

The Zebra plate is good for PLA & PETG, but it's a no-go for tall ABS prints, so that kind of limits its use, and it does have some issues with not being perfectly flat all the time. It is fantastic for removing large surface area prints because it can be flexed just a little bit to break the seal. It has to be initially clamped down due to the heat warping effect, but after the temperature normalizes on it, mine straightens back out and lays down flat. It would be a good candidate for the auto-level; it has two embedded copper plates in it underneath the surfaces. It heats the bed up quicker and distributes the heat better than the glass.
Oh ouch! That blows! :?

dklassen
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Re: Favorite Print Surface?

Post by dklassen » Thu May 26, 2016 12:34 am

Mic 6 plate and 5mil Kapton tape.

DrRobot
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Re: Favorite Print Surface?

Post by DrRobot » Fri May 27, 2016 4:43 pm

I just ordered a Mic-6 plate :D Could you point me to the tape you got? Thanks!
dklassen wrote:Mic 6 plate and 5mil Kapton tape.

dklassen
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Re: Favorite Print Surface?

Post by dklassen » Sun May 29, 2016 11:29 pm

I normally get it here but looks like they are out of stock for the moment. They usually have it.

http://www.eckertech.com/kapton-tape-8-x-10-sheet/

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pyronaught
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Re: Favorite Print Surface?

Post by pyronaught » Fri Jun 03, 2016 2:36 pm

I've had the same sheet of 5 mil kapton on my glass for over a year now. That stuff just lasts forever!
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

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