Having trouble with prints not sticking to the bed?

Having trouble with prints not sticking to the bed? Solve that once and for all by using ABS slurry. However, a bit of warning, try not to put too much. For once, not enough is actually better then too much. Too much, and the tape (or whatever you use on your bed) will stick to the bottom of your prints.

To make it, it only takes a few cups of Acetone, and a few of your failed prints (ABS only, though). The prints pretty much break down into liquid plastic, which mixes with the Acetone. And a big feature of Acetone is that is it evaporates quickly when you thin it out. This leaves behind the liquid ABS, which solidifies and molds onto wherever you put the ABS slurry.

When putting it on your bed (heat bed works fine with it too), the prints will mold onto it and the ABS slurry works like a giant raft. However, it sometimes works so well that a small layer of it will make taking your prints off the bed very difficult.

Also, you can use it as a glue to put two 3D printed parts together. Since it is plastic itself, it becomes one piece instead of using normal glue which would just hold it together.

And the best part is, I don’t have to feel guilty about the plastic being wasted on failed prints. Put the mixture into a spray bottle, and you got a replacement to hair spray (and it’s even cheaper!)

I would use pei on the bed. It adheres to most plastics.

PEI?

ABS slurry only works on ABS. Hairspray works on everything and is removable with rubbing alcohol :slight_smile:

That’s true, but I also feel a lot better when I know my failed prints aren’t going to waste.

I’m starting to organize my scraps for when I inevitably get a filament recycler.

Oh, I never thought of that. You get tons of scraps when using rafts, I almost wish I kept them :slight_smile:

Why do you print rafts?

I don’t anymore, but I used to.

I still print rafts when I use my cupcake. I got the heated bed very nearly flat, but the copper sheet on top has a tiny bow in it. Eventually the poor thing will die, but until then it still produces simple prints.

Works well
I use it with kapton sheets and it works great

PEI: http://reprap.org/wiki/PEI_build_surface
I’ve been using it for a year now. Once applies, no glues, sprays, etc should be needed. It seems to be the most resilient build surface that I’ve used so far, and the least maintenance. It works for a lot of plastics, but I know it doesn’t work for nylon.