Best Painter's Tape for Printing?

[Rizzice]

Right now I'm trying to print a fairly large box on my Makerbot Replicator 2x. I'm having problems where the 3M painter's tape I've been using on the base plate will lift up with the print while printing, and this problem will occur regardless of how hard I try initially tamping the painter's tape. Also after every print the tape is needing replacement..

I'm currently using the 3" 3M green edgelock painter's tape, so I've been thinking of investing in the 6" ($50/roll), and have also been looking at the full sheets of painter's tape paper especially for 3d printers ($2 a sheet). Either solution doesn't seem economically efficient, but if it will fix these constantly warping prints I will definitely go for it! Any recommendations?

[old man emu]

Wrong tape! Have a look at this. It is the 3M's Australian site, but the info is international.

http://www.scotchblue.com.au/wps/por...esources/Five/

I think that the factor which makes the painter's tape work for our purposes is the rough surface of the tape which provides a good surface for the extruded material to adhere to.

I see that this is your first post. Welcome to the nightmare of lifting edges. There's a Nobel prize in it for the person who discovers a universal cure for the problem which plagues all Mankind, regardless of the FDM type printer used.

Old Man Emu

[Area69]

Has anyone tried the plain masking tape. I would think the two surfaces are the same. And since it's made to stay stuck down, it shouldn't leave the build plate.

A partially believe that if the temperature conditions in the build area are right, you could print on a cocktail napkin.

[3dkarma]

Yellow frog tape. Beats other types of masking tape hands down. The yellow works a treat; I've yet to try the green. http://www.frogtape.co.uk/frogtape-p.../Products.html

[old man emu]

Has anyone tried the plain masking tape. I would think the two surfaces are the same. And since it's made to stay stuck down, it shouldn't leave the build plate.

Yeah, I've used it, and you are correct. The differences between the various colours of tape relates to the length of time that the tape will continue to stick. Plain buff coloured tape usually has the shortest clean removal time time. I use purple coloured tape made by the French company Saint-Gobain's subsidiary Norton Abrasives. I think its clean removal time is 8 days, but that relates to its use in painting. I've got tape on my printer bed that has been down for a few weeks and it still is stuck down. Perhaps those who do a lot of printing would have to replace it more frequently.

In all this, make sure that you buy from a reputable Western manufacturer. The stuff from the East is cheap and nasty. And don't use the special tape made for pin-striping. It sticks really well, but does not let stuff stick to it. For our purposes, it is not satisfactory.

Old Man Emu

[Rizzice]

Thanks everyone for the response. I had a feeling I was using the wrong tape, but I've been able to sneak through some successful prints with it nonetheless... it's just incredibly inefficient and inconsistent.

Has anyone tried this kind of tape? http://www.amazon.com/3M-ScotchBlue-.../dp/B00BG9SUGK

I really feel like the tape peels off the baseboard because of how many strips I need to use to cover the entire base, and as the print gets carved the individual tape dislodges. With a 6 inch reel of tape, I'd probably only need 1-2 pieces max. Just a bit hesitant of spending $50+ on tape if it might not work. The reviews seem to say it's decent for 3d printing, I just can't afford to buy more tape that doesn't work, I probably bought 3 different reels last week.

[ssayer]

Pretty expensive link... how about this one?

http://www.amazon.com/Gizmo-Dorks-Bl.../dp/B00LAJNM7S

[Rizzice]

Nice, thanks for the link. Definitely an alternative that looks pretty good too, just hope it doesn't get wrinkly as one reviewer says. I never thought I'd spend so much money on tape :| I'm really hoping my next choice is the right one! I'll definitely report back when I decide what to go for..

[GOC]

Also check your bed and air environment temperatures. If your printer is not in an enclosure or in a printing room, a slight draft or a cool room can be your worst enemy. In my experience with Flex EcoPLA (which is the worst for lifting) it took a lot of tuning to keep it down & adhered to the bed. I'm using regular blue painters tape with an Elmer's glue stick coating, I have a short article detailing my methods HERE.