3D printer bed adhesion:MOST
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Experience with Bed Adhesion Agents
Adhesion scale:
- Hopeless - didn't adhere at all
- Evidence of adhesion, but parts come loose too easily
- Blue tape-like adhesion - sticks well but some issues with warping and/or occasional parts coming loose from bed
- Superior to blue tape - stays flat, very few issues with parts loosening
- Kryptonite bond - parts almost never come loose
Finish scale:
- Blue tape-like mottled finish or adhesion agent sticks to part on removal from platform
- Intermediate - glassy and mottled or some adhesion agent comes off with part
- Glassy smooth
Ambient bed temperature indicates the bed was unheated.
PLA Adhesion
| Platform Material | Bed T, °C | Adhesive | Adhesive UPC | Adhesion | Finish | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glass mirror | 50 | None | NA | 3-4 | 3 | First layer distance from nozzle to bed is critical. |
| Glass mirror | Ambient | None | NA | 2-4 | 3 | First layer distance from nozzle to bed is critical. |
| Glass mirror | Ambient | Scotch® purple glue stick Cat. 6115 | 5113159109 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| PET tape | Ambient | Scholastic® glue stick | TBD | 4 | 2 | Required occasional reapplication, gentle wipe with wet towel refreshed surface nicely. |
| Glass mirror | Ambient | Scholastic® glue stick | TBD | 4 | 2 | More frequent reapplication than with PET tape, didn't respond as well to wet towel. |
| Window glass | Ambient | Elmers® spray adhesive | TBD | 5 | 1 | Sharpened putty knife needed for removal and readily stuck to part. |
| Glass mirror | Ambient | Scotch® purple glue stick Cat. 6115 | 5113159109 | 4 | 2 | |
| Glass mirror | Ambient | Elmers® Washable Disappearing Purple School Glue Stick E523 | 2600000523 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Glass mirror | Ambient | Suave® extreme hold hairspray | 7940018158 | 2 | 3 | Unreliable adhesion |
| Window glass | Ambient | Tresemme® TBD hairspray | TBD | 1 | NA | No evidence of adhesion. |
| Window glass | Ambient | Pritt Stick | 96010242 | 4 | 2 | |
| Granite Tile | Ambient | School Smart Purple Glue Stick | 078692 | 4 | 2 | Light application each time, remove buildup with razor blade, no wet towel |
ABS Adhesion
| Platform Material | Bed T, °C | Adhesive | Adhesive UPC | Adhesion | Finish | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window glass | 100 | Blue tape | TBD | 4 | 2 | Required occasional reapplication, gentle wipe with wet towel refreshed surface nicely. |
| Window glass | Ambient | PLA raft on blue tape | NA | 3 | 1 | Worked well with small part, need testing with larger parts. |
| Window glass | 110 | ABS and acetone slurry | NA | 4 | 1 | Part comes off easily when bed returns to room temp |
Silicone Adhesion
Silicone sticks to almost everything, so adhesion can actually be a problem when it comes to separating the part from the print surface. The following table follows the same format as previous tables, but in this case poor adhesion is a good outcome.
| Platform Material | Bed T, °C | Adhesive | Adhesive UPC | Adhesion | Finish | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window glass | ambient | Wax paper | NA | 5 | NA | Once cured, there is no separating the part from the wax paper. If attended to before completely cured, it can be separated. |
| Window glass | ambient | HDPE | NA | 1 | NA | The HDPE was cut from a milk jug and was not flat, which presents a different problem. The cured part separated beautifully. |