Printing on acrylic glass permanently
Hi,
my project requires to print on an acrylic glass with the print being permanently stuck to the acrylic. It is required for the print to adhere to the acrylic as much as possible, as it will be worked with a lot.
So far I tried to put the acrylic on the heatbed and print on it (with PLA). This works fine, but I am able to peel the print easily of the acrylic.
So my questions is, is it even possible to print on the acrylic and make the print adhere to it permanently? And if so, what would be the recommended technique? (materials, settings)
Thank you,
Domi
Re: Printing on acrylic glass permanently
Sanding the acrylic beforehand and wiping it with IPA should help increase the bond with the printed material, however it really depends on what material you are using. In any case, I believe it should be a higher temp material like Poly-carbonate or PETG, but don't take my word for granted.
Alternatively, can you not just glue the print to the Acrylic? I guess that would be the strongest bond that's relatively easy to achieve. Unless there is a specific filament material that would fuse well when melted on Acrylic.
Re: Printing on acrylic glass permanently
Acrylic is a thermal insulator, so there will be a temperature differential between the top and bottom surface,
Considder bumping the bed temperature up, to improve the adhesion between filament and acrylic
similarly consider making the first layer hotter than normal for the same reason
regards Joan
I try to make safe suggestions,You should understand the context and ensure you are happy that they are safe before attempting to apply my suggestions, what you do, is YOUR responsibility. Location Halifax UK
Re: Printing on acrylic glass permanently
Use a solvent based glue to stick the parts onto the acrylic, the solvent softens the acrylic, something like Floplast Solvent Cement for plumbing.
Using solvent-based glues on laser-cut extruded acrylic can cause cracking due to the internal stresses from temperature differences in the acrylic. To guard against cracking, place the acrylic on a flat sheet of glass in an oven (not the one in your kitchen!) at about 180ºF (82ºC) for about 1 hour per mm thickness, then let them air cool. This will anneal the acrylic and relieve the built up stress.
Just found this: https://hackaday.com/2018/02/07/locally-sourced-pla-adhesive/
Normal people believe that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain’t broke, it doesn’t have enough features yet.
RE: Printing on acrylic glass permanently
Keep testing and adjusting until you find that sweet spot for a strong, lasting bond.