alt PEI for lulzbot found

well i have had to order a second pei for 25 cause of parts sticking and ripping it off. well it happened again. so i finally went and did a real search for an alt. and i found one. CS Hyde co. has several sizes of pei. i got the right temps for both head and bed so everything is coming off great now. but im done doing 25 each time it rips. i have photos to show. head temp = 250, bed = 90, removal temp = 60. it was around 38 with shipping for 5 of the 6x6 sheets. they are just a bit smaller then the glass for the mini. but ill live with it for the price.
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If you email them, they will cut the right size for you. I had them make a 40mil sheet for my mini and it’s held up really well. The down side was I had to use a couple washers under the leveling washers to make them fit… :slight_smile:

yup i cracked the glass. i forgot to place the extra washers . another learning curve. even tho its cracked still seems to be working well. bed glue and the glue from the pei holding all together… thats another 95 for the mini heating kit. sigh

Bummer about the glass… I bought one from ITW…

https://itworks3d.com/product/lulzbot-mini-bed-heater-glass/

I went with the blemished with PEI and it works well. My original PEI was damaged and I wanted to have a replacement bed on hand while I worked on the other one. It was $49. They have the bed glass and heater for $39.

I’ve been pleased with the thicker PEI. It seems to hold up better to high heat and the occasional rough print removal. I haven’t seen any bubbling at all with it.

thanks i went and bought one myself… yup 49 was the price.

One thing to note, it appears you are printing PETG. This is very similar to the Inova filament we carry, which requires a glue stuck for the bed to allow for proper part release. It should help prevent your bubbles in the future.

If you want to remove petg don’t allow it to cool down. If you do, go back to 50 C, get a razor blade and really carefully pry under the print. Be extra careful not to go into pei sheet. After going a little bit in put your knife under the razor and pull of the print. If it doesn’t go in easily after I went under the print a little bit, I hit the back side of the razor with a hammer to get it under the print. NOW! NOW! BE VERY VERY CAREFUL! These razors can break and little pieces can fly off and they can go where they shouldn’t and cause substantial harm “Cough! your eyes Cough!” So I just cover the razor with my hand whenever I feel like I’m doing something it can break. (Ex… hammering it down or lifting print with my knife while razor is still under the print.) It’s not for the faint of heart but it works wonderfully. You just have to be careful.

I have found that helps a LOT. I use Elmer’s glue stick. It starts out purple and turns clear when dry. It holds down the print great, but when you try to get under it, it’s like removing PLA. Pops loose with very little work. It does leave a light film on the part, but it cleans up with water, so just wipe with a wet cloth if you want it gone. I do the same on the bed every few prints and re-apply to make sure I have a consistent surface.

Glue stick should be used for PETG, XT, HT, and Ninjaflex. Part removal is easy!

For XT and HT, I have the bed hold at 45°-50° C and pour a little 70% Isopropyl alcohol around the edge of the part and let it seep under just a bit. Then I start to slide the clam knife under an edge and the part will usually just pop right off. Be careful to catch any alcohol with a rag before it runs off the bed.