Back Through The Looking Glass

3d Printing / Slicers / Setup / Problems
1

For the past 6 to 8 months I have been happily printing on a PEI coated, spring steel sheet. It has worked very well, but a few days ago I ran into a major flaw with it. Have a look:

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When I went to check on this print, I found something I had never seen before: the print was so well stuck to the spring steel sheet (by Dimafix) that the desire of the print to warp actually pulled the spring steel sheet off the corners of the magnetic underpad, turning the steel sheet into a shallow bowl. Not surprisingly, this led to the steel sheet being rotated by the action of the hotend. The rotation is quite visible in the photos, especially in the closeup of the corner.

What to do. I had a borosilicate glass printbed in the drawer from my early days of experimenting with glass beds. It was undersized for the Ender 5 (220mm X 220mm instead of 235mm X 235mm) but still large enough to hold the print. This meant I had to go back to using binder clips, which I hate because they can interfere with movements of the printhead.

I installed the glass plate, coated it with Dimafix, and re-started the print. This time it worked perfectly. With that success, I ordered a genuine 235mm X 235mm Creality borosilicate glass plate. I also ordered some much lower profile bed clips. With it installed, and again coated with Dimafix, I printed another tray, which came out perfectly.

The only issue I had with using the glass bed is that the prints are sticking too well. They were fairly hard to remove. My plan is to gradually reduce the bed temperature, in hopes of finding a temperature that will prevent warping but also release easily.

Bottom line: I’m once again printing on a glass bed. Everything old is new again??

[SIZE=48px]?‍♂️[/SIZE]

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2

For some reason I can’t see your photos.

I’m still happy with my Creality borosilicate glass plate which was supposed to be removable but decided to glue itself down on my build plate and will require a hapmmer and chisel to remove some day.

3

I have seen several videos/pictures where people put their glass plates in freezer/frig to get them to turn lose. I have not had to do that yet. Usually for me a little water works. By the way, I love my glass beds. They are just harder to level!

4

yes. @Irv_Shapiro has been doing that recently. I tried it with the 2nd Nintendo tray. Not sure whether it helped or not.

5

I have taken a minute to understand your problem, I have had this problem on my Geeetech. It did it twice in a row, The print was fast attached to the glass bed so I ruled it out. What I did find was some filament dust collected in the drive gear teeth and allowed the belt to slip. I now look quite often at these gears. I also bought a battery operated blower just the right size to use on the printers and my computer keyboard. I believe it was about $30. I will look to see if it is still listed on my Amazon purchases and update this thread with location.

The one I ordered is way past the purchase list that Amazon keeps available for me. I did do a search and found this locaation.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=electronic+blower&i=electronics&crid=1VBHEUX4DXC6P&sprefix=electronic+blower%2Celectronics%2C102&ref=nb_sb_ss_c_2_17_ts-doa-p

6

I have found with the Creality glass beds that water is the best cleaner. I used to use alcohol on mine but found I get better adhesion using just water. Every 10 prints or so I wash it with dawn and water. If I need added adhesion I use Elmer’s glue stick. The glass plate on my PoweSpec I3 has chips in hit from prying off a PETG print.

Side note my Creality glass bed has a black perforated coating on one side. The coated side is the one that doesn’t like alcohol never printed on the glass side with the Ender 3 v2

7

My issue isn’t a lack of adhesion; if anything the prints stick too well. I am printing on the black side.

8

For both PLA and PETG, I use a plain glass bed with no additives. I run the bed temps above the glass temp of the filament and then let it cool to room temp after the print. Always releases easily for me. I have found that as the time of year changes, I might have to adjust the bed temp a bit for optimal stick/release.

9

If you need to stick your plate in the sink or in the fridge to release it then in my humble opinion it is time to try a new system Besides my Ender 3 pro won’t fit into either. My glass plate is completely bonded to the base plate for reasons known only to the evil spirits that dwell within FDM printers.

10

That is as great mystery because I started out removing it and clamping it down and for some reason after a few times the glass just bonded like only glass can bond to a flat surface and there is no way to get it off without breaking it but I sort of like it as it is. I hate those clamps anyway. As far as I know I had nothing adhesive on the base plate or on the glass but oh man is it stuck.

11

I tried printing on the plain glass side of the new Creality borosilicate glass bed. Success. When I cleaned the glass with plain water (and dried it with paper towel), then added Dimafix and upped the temp from the 50C I had been trying on the silkscreened side to 70C I got good results. The model stuck well, but released on its own when the bed cooled down. Now, I haven’t tried anything with a large bottom suface area yet, so the jury is still awaiting further evidence.

12

Large flat surfaces have doomed a few glass build plates I have heard and experienced. I have broken more than one print trying to get it off. Some people accidentally break the glass.

13

I’ve done that. Mind you, the glass was not 4mm thick, nor was it borosilicate.