Problem SOLVED : Corners lifting on parts while printing

General Hardware
21

Ok so after talking with customer support (Gaylon), a simple fix cured my corner lifting issues.

  1. Mixup a 10% solution of isopropal alcohol and water.
  2. Sprinkle some on the PEI print table
  3. Take some ultra fine grain sandpaper (2000) and lightly scrub the PEI print surface. Just the weight of the scrub block should be enough. Careful not to scrub too much or your part will adhere to the bed too aggressively.
  4. Repeat as necessary

So far this has cured my corner lifting woes.

Hope this helps!

22

Thanks for sharing. I’ve noticed a huge reduction in lifting even with my make-shift enclosure. I’m still working out building a proper enclosure, but will have to give this a try to see if it can get rid of the issue all together.

23

Interestingly enough, an enclosure didn’t help me. It some respects it made things worse. But this fixed it. Try it first before you put a lot of effort in your enclosure. Hopefully this will help. Good luck!

24

what’s PIE… :slight_smile:

25

Thanks for the catch! Edited! :slight_smile:

26

I’ve FINALLY solved my problem with lifting prints using HIPS.

After messing around with brims and rafts and enclosures with what seems to be endless changes with marginal improvements I’ve hit on the solution… and this solution is proving to work EVERY time for me.

The problem that I found in the end was obviously adhesion. HIPS simply does not adhere well, certainly not as well as PLA for example to the PEI surface we find on our beloved TAZ printers. I had read somewhere about scuffing up the PEI with 3000 grit sandpaper, but I found it wasn’t enough. I found that 3000 and even 2000 grit has no effect for HIPS. In a fit of frustration I went out to the garage and grabbed a sheet of 220 grit sandpaper and went over the PEI film “GENTLY” in a diagonal motion across the entire surface of the PEI. I didn’t cross-hatch or randomly sand. I just sanded diagonally, as I wanted to maintain a consistent finish on the final prints. IF you plan on following my path, make sure not to apply too much pressure or you’ll really grove up your PEI. Gentle pressure and thoroughly covering the entire surface.

THEN… I clean the PEI after EVERY PRINT with isopropyl alcohol (I don’t know if the alcohol makes any difference, but the print surface is always nice and clean for every print I do). EVERY print comes out perfect now. Perfect adhesion, every single time. Short prints, long duration prints, small pices, large pieces… nothing lifts anymore. The printer is running in the basement of my air conditioned house, and it’s freakin cold down there. The environment temperature is having ZERO effect on the adhesion of my prints.

In my solution it was all about giving the HIPS a bit more to grab onto. I’m printing at 240 degree hot end, and 110 degree bed. The abraded surface is all that it needed in the end.

True, the “scratches” do show through on the final print, but it’s very subtle. Looks more like a very light brushed aluminum effect. Personally I’m ok with it, given that I can now print with complete confidence of success using HIPS once more.

If you do try my solution, please take care to gently sand your PEI. You can always sand a bit more if you find you need to, but you can’t “un-sand” the surface if you were to aggressive to start.

CWAVE6K

P.S. Reading the previous posts, you seem to have also discovered the same thing… Sanding and Alcohol…

P.P.S. I have also found this solution works well for lifting when printing with PLA. I’ve never tried ABS, where retraction might be more of a concern, but I’m sure it would certainly help if you can get any material to get a better bond to the print bed during printing.