Powder coated sheets and acetone
I'm confused about the suitability of acetone with powder coated sheets. I read that acetone should never be used with powder coated sheets but in the latest version of the MK3s manual (en_3_12) on page 16 is says "Rejuvenate with acetone from time to time" and on page 17 "For ABS prints, ABS juice can be used and later cleaned with pure acetone. Be very gentle when applying the juice and do so while the bed is cold. Prints will attach very strongly."
Further in the same manual it says "Never clean the textured powder coated sheet with acetone! Doing so will create microfractures in the PEI texture, which will make the surface deteriorate over time."
Perhaps the ban on acetone only apply to textured sheets?
RE: Powder coated sheets and acetone
Answer from help desk is that yes, the prohibition of acetone only applies to textured sheets.
RE: Powder coated sheets and acetone
Prusa has ninja-edited all references to cleaning of the textured sheets as of early 2019. The original instructions were the same between the textured and smooth sheets. If you poke around, you'll still find remnants of the original instructions. Prusa shipped varying numbers and batches of the textured sheet for some 14 months before these changes were made.
Also changed are the instructions for use of the textured sheet. The original claims were that it was a perfect universal surface suited for PLA, PETG, ABS and most consumer-grade filaments. The instructions have been ninja-edited to add guidance to add brims and other ugly work-arounds when printing PLA.
The reality is that the textured surfaces vary widely in quality. Some people love them, other (such as myself) have very little luck with adhesion despite extended efforts. I can't even get PETG to adhere reliably. Prusa refuses to acknowledge this as an issue. More disturbing, they are refusing to treat sheets that are defective out of the box as "consumables", no doubt in violation of EU consumer protection laws. If you're lucky, your sheet just works with everything flawlessly. If not, you don't really have a warranty of any kind, so you might as well try dish soap, acetone and scuffing with a pad to at least make the expensive sheet usable to some degree.
and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
RE: Powder coated sheets and acetone
And to avoid confusion, "Powder coated" and "Textured" refer to the same PEI sheet. The terms are interchangeable.
The "Smooth" PEI sheet is commonly referred to as the Smooth sheet.
Both types are PEI sheets. The difference is in the method of construction. Think of the smooth sheet as a sticker.
RE: Powder coated sheets and acetone
@robert-rmm200
Dumb question, what's a "sticker"?
RE: Powder coated sheets and acetone
A glue coated PEI sheet. On the smooth plates, it is removable and replaceable. Not a fun task though.
RE: Powder coated sheets and acetone
A glue coated PEI sheet. On the smooth plates, it is removable and replaceable. Not a fun task though.
Suggest replacement with BuildTak's PEI sticker. It uses an easy-remove adhesive. Very nice on PrintedSolid spring steel sheets.
and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
RE: Powder coated sheets and acetone
@bobstro & @robert-rmm200
Thanks for taking the time to help a noob. I can get BuildTak stickers thro a distributor in the UK but PrintedSolid don't seem available (and don't ship outside US) this side of the pond.