ABS Not Sticking to Bed

[sdtag]

I get better results with abs than with pla
but
with abs I get the corner lifting
with pla I get strings
To resolve my abs corner lifting I add a custom brim to my print, about 5 to 10mm wide, depending on the size of the print, and 0.5mm thick. That does the trick for me. Then I trim off post print. I think the secret formula has something to do with how tall the print is. The taller the print, the more time it has on the hot bed, and a wider brim is needed. It's proportional I think.
to make abs or pla stick to my bed I use http://www.geckotek3d.com/
I love it. no tape no glue no muss no fuss
But always remember Levelness is next to Godliness

...and the almighty z offset

[Firepower]

Thanks for the information. A mate also said he only uses ABS.

I have not eventuated into doing changes for extra brim as yet. I have not worked that out yet but I have loaded a couple of programs to make changes. I guess I was not printing the easiest thing with ABS being roughly five inches long and 1.5 inches wide and very thin sides. Nice GeckoTec plate you are using. There is no trouble with the Kapton and diluted PVA glue as it takes over 5 minutes for me to pry off say a 2 inch by 2 inch base even when it is cold. But I will try the ABS and thinners mixture next time with ABS. With the ABS lifting on the ends on the above print I do not think it was from lack of grip to the bed but really excessive force from the bending.

I have been getting the strings with the ABS but not a problem so far but after doing as much as you have printed I suppose it becomes a pain.

Lowering the temperature for the first few rows like what was mentioned here to help stop the ends curling up seemed to help and will get back to the ABS soon.

[adrianq]

Sorry if I am hijacking the thread, but wanted to ask you about your geckoTek.

The idea of not having to use anything special (tape, glue, abs juice, etc) in order to print pla/abs/etc sounds REALLY appealing to me. Geckotek however isn't cheap and the return on investment seems as if it would take awhile.

I have been considering getting one, but am curious about its longevity. Any idea how long before you would have to replace it? Are there any downsides that you have experienced?

[sdtag]

When I first installed it I forgot to adjust my z offset and dug a nice grove into my plate. Now I just try to avoid that area with my print orientation. I will buy another one eventually. I have had mine for a few months now and it seems to be holding up ok. Once in a while I still get the print that lets go, but 95% of the time it is bullet proof. I wipe it with alcohol or acetone about every couple of weeks or so. I have taken some grief for this plate by folks who print on glass. Granted, glass is flat as flat can be and will not warp. This plate will warp if you are not careful. But I am very impatient. It takes long enough for a print to finish then I have to wait 15 more minutes for the build plate to cool? No way! Not an issue with this plate. I can remove my print immediately. I stopped taking the plate off and flexing it to get the part to pop off. That works very well but it didn't seem right to be taking the plate off and on, when levelness is so important. I slip a razor blade under a corner of my print, then slide a scraper under the blade and the print will pop off.
I got a little discouraged because it seems I have to keep re-adjusting my z offset about every week or so. I thought it was this plate. Now I think it's my printer.
Bottom line - I am very happy with this plate and would do it again.

[curious aardvark]

printbite works as well and is cheaper than the gecko system.

That said at sometime in the near future I'll be making my own magnetic bed with printbite sheets instead of gecko sheets.

[sdtag]

I haven't tried printbite but I have tried buildtak.
I had a very hard time getting the print off so I went back to my gecko plate.

[Firepower]

When I first installed it I forgot to adjust my z offset and dug a nice grove into my plate. Now I just try to avoid that area with my print orientation. I will buy another one eventually. I have had mine for a few months now and it seems to be holding up ok. Once in a while I still get the print that lets go, but 95% of the time it is bullet proof. I wipe it with alcohol or acetone about every couple of weeks or so. I have taken some grief for this plate by folks who print on glass. Granted, glass is flat as flat can be and will not warp. This plate will warp if you are not careful. But I am very impatient. It takes long enough for a print to finish then I have to wait 15 more minutes for the build plate to cool? No way! Not an issue with this plate. I can remove my print immediately. I stopped taking the plate off and flexing it to get the part to pop off. That works very well but it didn't seem right to be taking the plate off and on, when levelness is so important. I slip a razor blade under a corner of my print, then slide a scraper under the blade and the print will pop off.
I got a little discouraged because it seems I have to keep re-adjusting my z offset about every week or so. I thought it was this plate. Now I think it's my printer.
Bottom line - I am very happy with this plate and would do it again.

I noticed on my printer if I press on the bed the adjusting screws immediately turn. It is a pain. I do not think mine turn without pushing down on it but will keep an eye on it.

Occasionally you need to push on the bed a bit to get an item off the bed then the adjusting screws just turn. I might have to look at getting locking wing nuts.

[noiseboy72]

Pritt Stick Power is an excellent glue for ABS. It sticks to most beds and is easy to clean up as it is water soluble.

Apply a little to your nuts as screw lock to stop them spinning as well.





(The nuts on the machine, not any other nuts you may own, I am not medically trained to make such a comment)

[harryinhbg]

I got some Kapton Tape and the ABS temperature is 245 degrees and 90 degrees on my Cocoon Printer (Wanhao Duplicator i3) http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...mm_x_33m_.html

I just printed the following orange skirt for the quadcopter but only got 2.7mm/.11inch and the ABS curled up at the ends and came unstuck.

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1223867

I have printed it in PLA and it worked great.

Anyone know what I am doing wrong?

If you don't have anything to check the temperature of your bed and nozzle with, other than what came with your printer (I assume thermistors), I suggest that you purchase a digital multimeter with thermocouple measurement capabilities.

I purchased an Extech M36 Auto-ranging Multimeter, which came complete with a Type K themocouple, good for -20 to +750 deg C. Cost was about $40, and the non-auto-ranging version would have been even less. First thing I did was check the readings with the thermocouple submerged in a pan of boiling water (100 Deg C.) on the kitchen stove. I found the readings with the thermocouple and digital meter to be dead on.

Then I began checking my thermistors and the readings I get with nozzle and bed temperatures against the thermocouple readings and found some interesting things as I progressed.

I had purchased extra ones from the start, figuring they are cheap and a good item to have on hand. I found readings differed as much as 20 Deg C. (37 Deg F) from the thermocouple. Also, I made the mistake of using some of the Silver heat transfer paste that came with my printer kit on a thermistor in the hot head, and the resistance went from 100K to almost a dead short. These thermistors are not hermetically sealed and the paste had apparently shorted out the thermistor.

I no longer use any heat transfer paste on thermisiors. Now I check my thermistors against the thermocouple method before installing a new one, and my results have been much better. The adhesion is so good that often I need to knock off the finished models from the Kapton film with a light blow from a solid object at the end of a run.

I suggest that anyone doing 3D printing check their temperatures to make sure they are getting what they expect. This can save a lot of time and headaches in the long run.

I began by printing ABS, and have no experience with PLA. Using a delta style printer I built from a kit, with heated aluminum bed with Kapton film as the interface between the bed and the part.