First layer adhesion

[Ray Scheufler]

My printer is printing now. I gave it to a high school student since he had more free time than me.

He is reporting that the first layer doesn't want to stick. I am using pla on blue painters tape. This is on top of a heated bed pcb.

How do I get better first layer adhesion? Should I be using something other than painters tape?

If I want to use my heated bed, should I have something between the pcb and the plastic? I have seen lots of emails about using glass. Is that important if I have a pcb bed compared to another form of heating?

Ray Scheufler

[Sharon Mehl]

When mine was printing (rebuilding with new parts) ... I had a glass nulls platform and used Aquanet hair spray.

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[Edward Mcqueen]

I have an aluminum build platform. I currently have a single sheet of transparency film taped down to it. At 65c it pla sticks perfectly and if I do notice it starting to lift I hit it with a blast of aquanet. Honestly though I haven't needed the aquanet in probably 6 months or more. It may be less of a material issue and more of a temperature or starting height issue. Usually the blue painters tape sticks to pla Too good in my experience. Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

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From: Sharon Mehl <sharon...@gmail.com>;
To: <kc-fabr...@googlegroups.com>;
Subject: Re: [kc-fabricators] First layer adhesion
Sent: Sat, May 18, 2013 2:20:15 PM

[tim middleton]

one layer of blue painters tape on a sheet of glass is good. Try a fat roll of 2inch blue tape. . .  it is great amd it's simpler to put on the platform that way. 

Get a little of the extrafine grit around 400 grit sandpaper and give it a light scrub on the tape to scuff it up.  The fibers stand up and the pla will hold onto that really well.  

Get the bed to about 55c temp wise and the pla will stick like glue.  The tape is a sacrificial layer because it will end up sticking so well the tape comes off with the part some times. socking the part in cool water will help the tape come off.

That's why you will want the glass.  The glass is easier to replace than the heat bed getting scuffed up. Also the glass has good thermal capacity for the purpose.  Glass really won't scratch as easily. 

If not glass consider a .05 thickness aluminum plate clipped (bull dog clips or binder clips) onto the heat bed.  if you use aluminum they are easier to get than the glass cut to size. Then you can bulldog clip the aluminum plates on the heat bed and have several ready to print and replace the the hot plate and go on to print more while one printed plate/part cools off.

 

 

[Ray Scheufler]

We have good layer adhesion. Now we are having issues with a gap between the infil and the perimeter. Picture attached.

Ray Scheufler