PEI print bed surface experiments

tjb1 · Post by **tjb1** » Mon Feb 02, 2015 10:31 pm

mhackney wrote:You can but it will no longer be shiny. That's the only downside.

Prints similar to the matte surface from the Amazon PEI after sanding I assume? I have PEI on the way from McMaster but I would prefer the matte finish.

mhackney · Post by **mhackney** » Mon Feb 02, 2015 10:33 pm

Yes, I don't see any difference. I sand my McMaster sheet on my mini kossel to get the matte finish (1500 grit) and it works fine.

Renha · Post by **Renha** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 4:34 am

PVA filament doesn't sticks well enough to hold down. Any other experience?

JFettig · Post by **JFettig** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 8:25 am

I was trying HIPS yesterday with no luck sticking at 80c. It could be the material, its not sticking to abs very well either. I will order a different brand to try.

mhackney · Post by **mhackney** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 8:38 am

I've only tested and use PEI for ABS and PLA. I don't know of anyone using it for HIPS or PVA so it very well may not be good for those materials.

JFettig · Post by **JFettig** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 10:16 am

I recently sanded my bed and have been trying lower temperatures, and with dual extruders tried HIPS - it is hit or miss for sticking, I printed 2 parts on rafts last night, one stuck, the other didn't. I had to print rafts because it was using a lot of support that just wouldn't stay stuck to the bed.

For PVA, I'd be tempted to add PVA glue stick.... seems logical right?

mhackney · Post by **mhackney** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 12:00 pm

Yes, that does seem logical! Give it a shot and tell us how it goes.

Renha · Post by **Renha** » Wed Feb 04, 2015 3:07 am

PVA soup =D

mhackney · Post by **mhackney** » Wed Feb 04, 2015 9:15 am

Cryptic! Not sure what it means except maybe "fail"?

jesse · Post by **jesse** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 7:20 pm

mhackney: How's PEI compared to BuildTak? I saw your review: http://www.buildtak.com/product/buildta ... ab-reviews" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

mhackney · Post by **mhackney** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 8:10 pm

BuildTak is great, sticks well. It has a distinctive pattern though. PEI does not. For some things I can incorporate the pattern into my work. Or if its a part that you won't see the first layer. It's good stuff though.

jdurand · Post by **jdurand** » Sat Feb 07, 2015 5:44 pm

I've been using a small piece (5" x 5") of BuildTak to print PLA things on my old printer. I've done about 130 prints on one piece of BuildTak and it's still going strong. Holds tight but when I wedge the sharpened putty knife under a corner the item pops right off.

The sharpened putty knife came with the Afinia printer, stiff blade 0.8mm thick and 51mm wide with a stout molded handle. Sharpened on one side so the edge is flush with one side of the blade. Made by CRISTIN Germany.

Nareikuk · Post by **Nareikuk** » Sun Feb 08, 2015 12:33 pm

Just a quick update. While I had PLA sticking very well, ABS was still not cooperating. Yesterday I tried a 100mm x 40mm rectangle in ABS but I increased the print bed to 115C (had to wrap it in a blanket to get it that high). The ABS stuck very well and didn't even release when the print was complete and the temperature was back down to around 30C. The bed managed to maintain about 112C during the print.

I'll try a lower bed temperature to find a better stick/release set of temperatures for the ABS I'm using.

teoman · Post by **teoman** » Sun Feb 08, 2015 12:42 pm

I just tried 110 (instead of the 115 as indicated by the lcd) but no joy. It let go during the print.

However once i let the bed cool down from 115, it almost completely releases.

I am happy with this setup.

You do need to accurate calibration. It was off and i was barely having success at 120 degs.

Ps. All my measurements are from the lcd. And i do have 4mm aluminium heat spreader between glass and onyx. So surface temperatures are not accurate.

JFettig · Post by **JFettig** » Sun Feb 08, 2015 1:44 pm

Put a hole thru your heat spreader and move the thermister to contact the glass.

After sanding my pei with 1500 o haven't had any issues at 80c

zerb · Post by **zerb** » Sat Feb 14, 2015 9:25 pm

So, I stumbled upon this thread after recently getting my solidoodle press and researching a better surface then glass for abs printing. I read through as much as I could but i m not going to lie I didn't read it all.

I did read somewhere that you mentioned you were going to try to use permatex copper spray gasket to adhere the PEI to the mounting surface. Did that ever work out? I plan to use 18 gauge 6061 aluminum as the base material that I attach the PEI to. I will cut them both to the size I need on the waterjet at my job.

mhackney · Post by **mhackney** » Sat Feb 14, 2015 9:28 pm

Nope, it did not. Please read the companion thread that is pinned: http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=7452" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It has all the details on what DOES work.

zerb · Post by **zerb** » Sat Feb 14, 2015 10:29 pm

Awesome. I did read through that post as well, just wanted to make sure I didn't miss somewhere that the copper spray gasket did end up working out.

When you sand the PEI surface its only by hand and not with say an electric DA?

mhackney · Post by **mhackney** » Sat Feb 14, 2015 10:50 pm

Gently by hand.

dunginhawk · Post by **dunginhawk** » Wed Feb 25, 2015 12:08 pm

PEI w/ ninjaflex

anyone print ninjaflex with PEI? even with ZERO for the bed temp it adheres so well its near impossible to get off.. on the matte side.
I havent tried the smooth side yet

mhackney · Post by **mhackney** » Wed Feb 25, 2015 1:18 pm

Don't do it! NinjaFlex and PEI are not a good combo.

dunginhawk · Post by **dunginhawk** » Wed Feb 25, 2015 3:21 pm

lol.. finding that out

will it work ok on the smooth side? the matte is like GLUE

mhackney · Post by **mhackney** » Wed Feb 25, 2015 7:25 pm

no PEI at all

Nylocke · Post by **Nylocke** » Wed Feb 25, 2015 7:31 pm

I've printed some straight to PEI. I set the Z a bit high though. Was able to separate the part from the bed, though I wouldn't probably recommend it.

dunginhawk · Post by **dunginhawk** » Wed Feb 25, 2015 11:47 pm

so i did get the part off but holy crap it was hard.. i had to pry and peel , rinse repeat for 20 minutes.. came off in 1 piece and looks great. but holy hell it was awful.
even more reason i need detachable plates, or something to change out 2 types of PEI and glass.

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PEI print bed surface experiments

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