suntorn
January 2, 2017, 10:40pm
49
moejt:
I have come to love PEI. A well maintained and well cleaned/sanded PEI sheet has unparalleled stick.
Recently I have been experimenting with other build plates such as Geckotek. I love the idea of Geckotek and its removable flexible plate but after the first few prints it loses its stick as the coating cures more. (I’ve been in contact with the creator Brad and the plate is working as intended and he is also seeing the adhesion issues that I am experiencing. Hopefully future versions will have the performance I need).
Anyways, So i’m back to PEI because I can obtain better stick. However I hate part removal of the PEI. I make and sell a lot of costume props which are required to look perfect, thus I need perfect bed adhesion. This requires me to often “over stick” a part on the PEI for large prints just so a corner doesnt warp slightly.
This isnt the problem… The problem is when you go to remove the part (yes I use proper procedure, IPA soak, I take my time and the bed is set between 50-60C). But even with the best intentions and being careful, you still end up with bubbling of the PEI sheet as it pulls. Not a major issue but man is it annoying.
All this to say → PEI is the perfect build plate material except for its inability to stick well to its sub plate.
This brings me to my next idea. Why bother with adhesion? Has anyone tried to buy a 1/8" or 1/4" thick PEI sheet and use it as a removable bed? There would be no bubbling as the bed doesn’t need to be “glued” down.
Anyone tried this? What would be the issues that you’d run into? Flatness? I’ve never messed with PEI in its raw form, I assume its pretty rigid? As in a 1/8" sheet would not flex (i’ve seen people talk about scoring and snapping PEI sheets). Why are more people not doing this?
Just get a thicker sheet of PEI. I use an 1/8 thick sheet, stuck down with 3m tape. Never bubbles, still perfect 1 year later. I also use a 3/8" wood chisel to pry parts off the bed, and it works phenomenally! The leverage works the part free, just keep the flat side up and use the bevel to slowly pop the part away. The glass will not break if you have a 1/8" thick PEI sheet!
I print with all materials, and this is the jackpot! !!!pro tip!!!