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Hi all,

I have been printing with my all my max v2 printers for 2 years and I long time ago I ordered round 4 PEI sheets with the M3 glue on then.

I print a lot with ABS, Polycarbonate and nylon and I want to know if the PEI is really that good.

I now have some time to installed it, any tips?
After ibtalling it dot I need to use something like glue, abs joice on it?


Thanks a lot.

You'll need some sort of juice for Nylon, I think that white woodworking glue (PVA) diluted with water works well. Not sure about polycarbonate.

It does work quite well for PLA, ABS and PETG, no surface prep necessary, except for the odd weekly wipe with acetone on a paper towel.

nebbian wrote:You'll need some sort of juice for Nylon, I think that white woodworking glue (PVA) diluted with water works well. Not sure about polycarbonate.

It does work quite well for PLA, ABS and PETG, no surface prep necessary, except for the odd weekly wipe with acetone on a paper towel.

I wouldn't use acetone if the PEI is still warm, it will degrade its surface. Only use it when it's cold.
A safer approach is to use isopropyl alcohol as I do.

It really is that good. I suggest the following procedure:
If you have a heatspreader that is relatively flat, set the glass aside. You can put it on when you're working with ninjaflex, nylon, or others that don't stick or stick too well to PEI. this way you can eliminate the insulating effect of the glass and have more controlled surface temperatures. if not, install it on the glass.

Clean both surfaces with isopropyl alcohol, and wipe carefully. Prepare the PEI with a high grit (I usually use 600-1200 grit sand paper), and add a little more iso. wipe all this off. Spray both with windex, and wipe. Then saturate one surface with windex, and carefully remove the backing from one side of the PEI. press the adhesive down, starting at an edge. I recommend starting with the glass or heat spreader if they are separate parts (if the glue is pre-attached, use your brain and don't sand it or apply alcohols). use a putty knife, or firm roller to press it down and remove the windex from beneath the adhesive. At this point, leave it at room temperature and allow it to dry for 4-6 hours, or overnight. After it has dried, saturate the other surface (again, if it's not preinstalled), and remove the backer from the opposite side of the tape. repeat the previous process, and weight it carefully, especially if installing on glass.

Once it's dried, I would bring the bed temperature up to 50C and hold it for a bit, just to make sure the windex is mostly gone, before bringing it all the way up to temperature the first time. After that, set the Z height, and if you have adhesion troubles, wipe with iso, and if they persist, sand lightly with 600-1200 grit sandpaper, and wipe again with iso. Avoid touching it with your bare hands.

Wow thanks for the details answers.
Why do I have to sand the PEI?

I had to sand my PEI since my PLA wouldn't stick to it. I sanded it with 00 steel wool, then wiped with iso. Suddenly my PLA was sticking. It's like magic.

Scuffing the surface gives the plastic something to hang on to.

g.

I used what the same method as clear bra for cars and bikes.
First is obvious, clean the glass plate well.
Then two drops dish washing soap in some warm water in a spray bottle.
Spray the glass, then your fingers.
Peel the backing off the sheet and spray the glue side. Lay it down, spray the top to act as a lubricant.
Squeegee the water and air bubbles out.
Let Dry.

Pretty much everything you need to know about how to install, use and repair PEI is in my recap thread: http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=7452 Go at it. Isopropyl alcohol is also the best cleaner in my opinion. Acetone tends to craze the sanding scuffs whereas IPA does not.

Just one thing to add to that. If you intend to use my differential IR sensor with PEI, then clean the underside of the PEI with isopropanol and a paper towel, spray several thin coats of matt black barbecue/stove paint on it, then bake it in an oven at 170C for a few hours to cure the paint. Then attach the adhesive to the black painted side. PEI is transparent to IR, so this step prevents a reflection from the adhesive sheet which would otherwise interfere with the reflection from the top surface.

I didn't sand my PEI, I print directly on the shiny surface.

Thanks for the reminder David, I need to add this to my tTips sticky thread on this forum.

I sand my PEI primarily for aesthetics as the semi matte appearance it imparts to my fly reel parts is perfect. I do believe it helps first layer adhesion too but clean glossy PEI sticks quite well.

Yes it's that good! I've only had it for about 6 months or so and the hairspray and purple glue days are a distant memory. I used to have to clean my acrylic enclosure weekly because of the spray residue. I actually upgraded to it because I pulled up glass with ABS juice. The piece of PEI is so rigid that I applied it over the divots and it bridges the divots with no problems.