What PEI thickness are you using?
0.010"
Hmmm. Is it a self adhesive sheet? Could you link the source and provide any helpful set up tips or a Slic3r profile?
We get a separate sticker and put it on the sheet then stick it to the bed. We’re looking at getting PEI sheets made that have the adhesive applied already. There’s some configs in here, but they are for the LulzBot Mini:
-Jeff
No worries dude I’m having similar issues but only with larger prints. 
What side of the PEI is everyone using? shiny or dull?
I hear the dull side works well and keeps the bottom from getting that shiny finish.
My sheet was shiny on both sides. After fighting it for a while, I scuffed it with 2500 grit sandpaper. That didn’t really change anything.
My real problems were with the larger prints as well. If I put a small part in the center of the bed, it would come off without issue. Larger parts would either curl or stick so freaking tight I had to destroy them to remove them…
I am back on PET now and happy… for now. So many people rave about this stuff, it has to be better.
iirc my 1/8" sheet had protective film on both sides. both were sides looked the same.
no scuffing
I havent printed any single large part, but have successfuly printed full sheets of parts that ranged from long skinny parts that covered teh bed to small parts the size of a small extruder gear on the same sheet. Only lifting I had was on the extreme left side. and it was after that part had finished and the reset of the sheet finished. Once the sheet cooled, the part had layed back down. It was a long part 250 in the y dir, 30 in the x and only 8mm in the z. it was printed 10mm in from the left side.
I tribute this to X Axis sag. My bed from front to bad is pretty damn level. the dial indicator (I only have one in inches) only varies 2000th of an inch and thats at the center. However, the X axis is another story. from ether side to the center at any point on the Y axis, it can varry as much as 1 mm. if I home at the it slightly worse on the left which I could probably fix by adjusting the y cartage, but its so good I haven’t wanted to touch it.
To compensate for the highness of the center because of this sag, I and others home at the center of the bed which yields very nice prints and easily removed. That is, until the print jobs x/y dimensions approach the edge of the bed and become too distant to adhere well.
To compensate for a large print, I make the center very tight in the center and just outside the height to not adhere on the edge. Its a balancing act, too tight in the center, very hard to impossible to remove prints, too loose and the extreme edges lift.
Couple fixes I been floating around in my mind…
lightening the tool head. I am experimenting with a bowden extruder based on the flexystruder where I basically just move the extruder from one end of the tool head end of the existing tube to the filament spool end. have a couple build but yet to test.
If the bowdens don’t work out or dont give me enough lift, I have some maker slide here and will try a slide type x axis.
anyways I explain all this as it sounds like your both experiencing the same sort of thing but maybe to a greater degree.
have you had any issue with the material bubbling under your print? I’m getting that very badly right now. Im looking to get rid of the PET I really don’t like it.
Im thinking either
or
Thoughts?
I can vouch for the PRINTinZ
http://printinz.com/300mm-x-300mm-printer-plate-taz-4/
The PEI works great with ABS, but I had terrible luck with PLA and could not get it to stick, unless I over squished and then the Filament would clog and make a mess.
The PRINTinZ, on the other hand, works 100% perfectly with PLA, without any heating. I’m using just a glass plate with no heater and the PRINTinZ plate binder clipped to the glass.
Smaller prints are a bit difficult to remove, but larger (taller) ones pop right off. For the smaller ones, I guess you have to do the whole remove the plate and flex it thing, but I’m reluctant to do so for fear I’ll have to re-level. I’ve just been using my thin blade to pry the parts off.
The bottom of the print is left with a textured appearance (it’s not rough, it just looks like it is). I have no problem with this.
Expensive, but well worth the price, in my opinion since it removed all the frustration I was having with PLA.
I guess you could just use Tape and glue, but the PRINTinZ is just so much easier to use.
Kenny
I just put the PEI bed upgrade on my TAZ and I’m thrilled! I am printing ABS and everything sticks great with no other treatment whatsoever. I have the shiny side up on mine because I thought that might work the best. I am cleaning it with Acetone and am noticing some weird pock marks starting to form on the surface. Does PEI react to Acetone like this, or is it my Dust-Off propellant that is causing this? That has Difluorethane in it. Any chemists in the group who can answer this?
I’m certainly not a chemist, but according to this chart:
http://sevierlab.vet.cornell.edu/resources/Chemical-Resistance-Chart-Detail.pdf
acetone might be OK for cleaning PEI at room temperature but maybe not at elevated temperatures. I’ve been wiping my PEI sheet with isopropyl alcohol before each print.
Thanks! That’s great information. I am now using alcohol exclusively to clean the bed and it’s working great. Some of the “stickshun” has returned too.
Well, I’ve been trying this stuff out all day now. I may have to check and see if there’s a protective film on it (maybe I’ve been inadvertently printing on that all day!)
Some thoughts:
I haven’t tried PLA yet, but Matterhackers’ Soft PLA on the PEI is godawful. It sticks SO WELL that it’s impossible to remove without completely destroying the object. I’ve been doing a lot of soft parts lately, so I’ll probably remove the stuff in a couple of days.
ABS is working OK - better than PET, but I’m still having to put down ABS glue. Without the glue, part pops up very very quickly. With the glue… it’s been pretty damned solid, moreso than glue and PET. Possibly because my PEI sheet is pretty thick (.03"? I think) and because of that I’ve upped the bed temp for ABS to 92°.
At some point, I might just make a second bed - glass, heating elements, etc - and keep PEI on one, and PET on the other.
Here’s how I remove parts from PEI:
I have a 0.063 PEI sheet from Zorro. I decided not to glue it down, so I use bulldog binder clips along the edges. I cut off a bit of each corner so the sheet fits between the Taz bed corner holders. I examine the sheet before putting it down. It’s cupped very slightly in one direction, so I put it on the bed so the center makes contact, and the binder clips along the edges pull the edges down.
If a print does not come off easily, I just remove the binder clips, pick up the PEI sheet, and flex it to break the adhesion with the part. That breaks enough of the part loose that I can then either pull it off, or get the clam knife blade under it to further remove it.
I think I may have gotten lucky by choosing this size of sheet. If it was thinner, I suspect I would have to use adhesive to hold it to the bed. If it was thicker, it would not be so flexible, and maybe this method would not work so well.
BTW, my PEI did have protective clear sheet on both sides. Both sides of my sheet seem to be equally glossy.
I have not revisited PEI with ABS but, this past weekend, I printed some PLA on PEI and it worked wonderfully. The first half of my PEI sheet was adhered to the bed with the recommended 3M transfer adhesive when I was trying it with ABS. This half was just clipped to the bed. If I could get ABS to stick and pop off as good as the PLA did, well, that would be fantastic!
I printed some PLA on PEI and it worked wonderfully
Man I sure couldn’t get PLA to stick, at all. ABS works great.
I tried several different brands, lots of different temperatures. No go for me.
Did you heat the bed?
Maybe I’ll try again.
Kenny
Yes. PLA was extruding at 210 and the bed was at 60.
I also had PEI clipped to my glass but after printing a hundred parts or so (both PLA and ABS) I learned how to use it well enough that today I used the adhesive sheet to glue it down. The last issue I was having was I could not keep it 100% flat across the whole glass so this should solve the issue.
A few things I learned that may be helpful to others. You want the nozzle to be a little higher than with other methods or you will have problems removing parts. ABS needs to be a bit lower than PLA.
If you get ABS stuck on it and can’t cleanly remove remains, it’s OK to clean with Acetone but clean it 2-3 times with a clean paper towel because if you leave acetone/ABS on it then your prints will be harder than ever to remove.
It is best to let parts cool to room temperature for easiest removal.
Don’t use a skirt, it’s to hard to remove and with a proper printing machine is not really needed. My nozzle primes just fine in the first 10mm or so of actual printing so it’s a non issue. If you do have an issue, just extrude some plastic in open air right before printing.
I ended up sanding mine with Micro-Mesh sanding pads ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/221557008588?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649 ) I used around around 8,000 grit to finish as I had gouged the surface a little with my removal tool (being to impatient to wait). I actually think it works better now that it’s been sanded. These pads are also great for cleaning up printed parts.
And lastly (this applies to all printing) Make sure the bed is level, level, level…
i purchased a sheet of .010 PEI with adhesive already attached and was wondering what method you guy’s are using when attaching it to the bed. Are you spraying the glass with water then attaching the sheet and using something as a squeegee
to remove water and air bubbles like with the PET sheets?
I used a fairly heavy plastic auto body squeegee. I cleaned the glass with acetone and let it dry. I lined up the edges with about one inch of the protective cover sheet rolled back exposing the glue surface. Then adhered that one inch really well rubbing out the bubbles with the squeegee. From there just slowly rolled off the cover sheet and worked the squeegee across to finish off the install. Surface has worked flawlessly since.
CAUTION: Only use acetone to clean the PEI when it is COLD. Acetone will degrade the surface if it is warm. I have also cleaned with alcohol, but it won’t remove ABS residue like acetone does.
PEI develops its tackiness when it is warm. If you don’t heat the bed, it won’t hold your parts.