Window Tint Print Surface on the cheap!

[johnoly99]

So guys, another trick I've been using for a while to make sure it works well is,

Cheap window tint from the auto parts store as a 'tape' or build surface treatment. I use the cheapest stuff they have. Put it on with a bottle of water and a few drops of baby oil or palmolive to let it slide around and let you work the air bubbles out, then go print!

Here's some pics. The first is on an Orion printing ABS parts that are appx. 4" diameter, with no warping at all on the bottom layers at 100c
The second pic is on a Rostock MAX printing PLA with the bed at 60c

Enjoy!

[brent]

brb going to autozone

[Holy1]

Damn, just ordered some PEI film.

[johnoly99]

Check out the super flat large ABS parts! I'm really impressed how well it works actually!

[Eaglezsoar]

Some of went out and bought expensive PEI sheets, then you come up with this.
AARRGG!!!

[bubbasnow]

Some of went out and bought expensive PEI sheets, then you come up with this.
AARRGG!!!

you can easily return items to amazon

[Holy1]

Some of went out and bought expensive PEI sheets, then you come up with this.
AARRGG!!!

you can easily return items to amazon

Not so easy from Canada.

[Eaglezsoar]

I'm not going to pay even more money for return shipping. It's been proven that PEI works also and has to be much more durable than window tint.
Window tint has been proven to work also for a tenth of the cost of PEI. Someone hold me while I have a good cry.
Seriously I'm glad that we now have two methods of preventing that obnoxious curling. Stratysys stick your patent where it is dark and short hairs grow.
Here's to open source innovation!

[bubbasnow]

I'm not going to pay even more money for return shipping. It's been proven that PEI works also and has to be much more durable than window tint.
Window tint has been proven to work also for a tenth of the cost of PEI. Someone hold me while I have a good cry.
Seriously I'm glad that we now have two methods of preventing that obnoxious curling. Stratysys stick your patent where it is dark and short hairs grow.
Here's to open source innovation!

amazon pays for returns, just go to account, order, return, select a reason, and print out the prepaid label.

[Eaglezsoar]

Thanks BubbaSnow but I have decided to keep what I have ordered. I want the experience of playing with this stuff.
I seriously thank PartDaddy for coming up with the idea to use window tint so we have more options but for now I am
trying the PEI plastic. If after using it I find there are to many problems at least there is something I can fall back on.

[johnoly99]

Thanks BubbaSnow but I have decided to keep what I have ordered. I want the experience of playing with this stuff.
I seriously thank PartDaddy for coming up with the idea to use window tint so we have more options but for now I am
trying the PEI plastic. If after using it I find there are to many problems at least there is something I can fall back on.

*couhg*
oly
*cough*

LOL, it's ok eagle, you'll have great luck with either i hope.

[Eaglezsoar]

Thanks BubbaSnow but I have decided to keep what I have ordered. I want the experience of playing with this stuff.
I seriously thank PartDaddy for coming up with the idea to use window tint so we have more options but for now I am
trying the PEI plastic. If after using it I find there are to many problems at least there is something I can fall back on.

*couhg*
oly
*cough*

LOL, it's ok eagle, you'll have great luck with either i hope.

Sorry John, I didn't mean to insult you by giving PartDaddy credit for writing this.
TO ALL READERS, IT WAS JOHN OLY THAT GAVE US THE WINDOW TINT IDEA.
I hope that helps, John.

[lordbinky]

Good find partdaddy....

[Eaglezsoar]

Good find partdaddy....

You're just mean!

[bubbasnow]

note to self, when calibrating z height/printer radius dont leave the hot nozzle against the bed for too long

[bubbasnow]

so i went to autoparts store and picked up Gila window film, i am having a hell of a time getting abs to stick at 95, 100,105 and even 110....When i think its working, i come back down to a melted blob/ball on my nozzle. seems at least with this brand too risky to try anything big. i threw on a quick mist of aquanet and boom works like a charm.... but if i still have to use HSpray why trouble with the film in the first place. Soon i will test this brand with my pla and see if i get any improvements.

[gestalt73]

Any tips on how you're getting it to stick?

I've been trying for a bit to get ABS prints to stick to the window tint film, and it behaves more or less like a non-stick surface.

I wonder, window tint has a tint side, and a removable adhesive back. Are you guys printing on the peel away side, or on the window tint side?

I'm going to try printing on the peelaway side next.

EDIT: Nope. doesn't work on that side either. Are there different types of window tint? Does the surface need to be cleaned or prepared or something?

EDIT2: I'm having relative success with tint + glue stick, but for others it seems to be unnecessary. I wonder why?

[lordbinky]

I haven't tried this yet so these are just inquiries.

Have you cleaned the surface with acetone?

Does lowering the bed temp help?

Do you think giving it a light buffing with some fine (2,000 grit?) sand paper would give the plastic something to grab on but not change the finish on the parts?

[gestalt73]

Yeah, I tried acetone, and it didn't have much of an effect. It was just like printing on bare glass.

Bed temps are kept around 100c, and my first layer temp is currently 270c.

I can say, however, that tint + elmers gluestick works really well so far. I had strong bed adhesion on a 4 inch diameter test puck, and it was dead easy to remove from the build plate afterwards. It takes maybe 2 minutes to reset the plate between prints this way.

The bottom of the part looked good, much better than when I do gluestick + abs slurry.

A $10.00 roll yields 24 8" by 8" sheets, so I've been treating them as disposable for actual print jobs, although they seem to be reusable.

I'm actually trying this out on a 30 hour full plate print job right now, let's see how it goes.

[Prozac]

Its funny how all things we try work great for some , but others struggle to get the same results , I think the main factor is the z calibration / z axis height and temp of course. I have been now printing ABS and PLA pretty solid not for over 50 hours , using bluetape - PLA and Bluetape/Elmer Multi-purpose Spray adhesive - ABS , no more curling , no more z calibration when changing from PLA to ABS.

When printing PLA(Justpla-Transpurp) I bring the bed temp up to 50c , half way through the first layer I kill bed temp and the bed shrinks slowly (while printing with no bed heat applied, just from the extruder printing pla raises the bed temp to roughly 37c ) and maintains roughly 40c throughout the print.

Abs I heat the bed to roughly 80c and keep it there throughout the print. Though maybe dropping the temp will reduced non print travel scaping from accuring , dont seem to get it much with the abs , Again I dont use a PLA layer fan I just open the printer up to allow air flow in the room , which the printer is in the near corner of my room and gets a good breeze all around.

Still testing and Learning.

[gestalt73]

Yeah, I just tried the tint + gluestick on a larger, tall print, and the tint peeled away from the glass. I'm back to bluestick + abs slurry for now, until I have time to play some more.

For those that have gotten window tint to work, can you share the exact manufacturer, type, etc that you're using?

Black Magic Tint Film Select seems to be a no-go.

[joecnc2006]

I use a coat of glue stick then a light spray of hairspray on it, you can not pull it free without a hammer, until it cools down then it just pops off.

[JohnStack]

The cool part about using the window tint is that you are also cross-training for a job in the automotive industry.