GeckoTek EZ-Stik surface on flexplate for nylon?
Hi All,
A while back I ordered some Taulman Nylon 910 direct from the manufacturer and it came with a free sample of this GeckoTek surface (EZ-Stik Hot). At the time I was printing Nylon on a modified Creality CR-10 and this surface seemed to work about as well as UHU on glass...both worked well.
I've had lots of success so far with my MK3 (kit) printing PLA and PETG (Taulman's Tech-G) on the smooth/sticker build plate. I'm now wanting to print the Taulman 910 again and will probably order another roll and it looks like they're still including the free GeckoTek surface with new orders.
Anyone try printing 910 (or other Nylons) on this GeckoTek surface with a spare build plate?
I don't want to attach the material to my current plate as I'm not sure I can remove it without damaging the PEI (I have the sticker sheet) if it doesn't work out. I thought of maybe getting a bare plate from BuildTak as I don't think Prusa offers a bare plate yet?
Appreciate any thoughts/input from those who have some experience printing Nylon on the MK3...thank you.
Re: GeckoTek EZ-Stik surface on flexplate for nylon?
Well...I ordered the bare BuildTak plate and the new roll of 910 is on the way with the EZ-Stik so I'm going to give this a shot. I will report results here. I guess I could just use purple gluestick on the Prusa plate but I'd like to get away from using it if I can...this might be a neater solution.
I'm assuming the plate+sticker thickness will be different than the Prusa plate. I'm assuming I can I just add a Z-offset in the 910 profile in Slic3r so I don't have to adjust the live-Z when I change plates?
Re: GeckoTek EZ-Stik surface on flexplate for nylon?
I have printed 910 quite a few times on PEI with no damage. I did have to use a glue stick to get the prints to hold down.
Re: GeckoTek EZ-Stik surface on flexplate for nylon?
What size did you order?
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
Re: GeckoTek EZ-Stik surface on flexplate for nylon?
Allen...thank you for the feedback. I had good success with the purple glue stick on glass...wasn't sure how well it would work on the smooth PEI sheet. Taulman actually recommends diluted Elmer's Glue All (PVA)...which worked great (even better than the glue stick) but it's a bit messy and it was harder to get parts to release.
Charles...the BuildTak plate comes sized for the MK3 (241 X 254) and the GeckoTek material they're including in the 910 promotion is the 300 X 300 size so I'll just have to trim to match the plate. Last time I used it was on the CR-10 bed which is 300 X 300 so I didn't need to trim it.
I'm hoping the GeckoTek stuff on the BuildTak plate will work out just as nicely for nylon as the stock PEI sheet works for PLA and PETG. Worst case I will end up with an extra build plate I can use the glue on for the nylon...
Re: GeckoTek EZ-Stik surface on flexplate for nylon?
Any updates on how this worked out for you?
Re: GeckoTek EZ-Stik surface on flexplate for nylon?
Hi Kevin...I have the new plate and the print surface is installed. Should have a chance to try it out in the next day or two and I will report back.
Re: GeckoTek EZ-Stik surface on flexplate for nylon?
Well...so far all I have had time to do is run a few test prints to dial-in my Z-height...but the adhesion of the Taulman 910 to the GeckoTek surface seems to be excellent (I tried this same build surface with the Taulman 910 on the glass bed of a Creality CR-10 and also had good results).
My only concern with this surface is durability. I've already marked the surface after only a few test prints (admittedly the first of which was too low on the Z-height with too much squish and likely caused the marking). Time will tell on that.
I'll report back again after I've had the chance to run some more difficult prints in case anyone is interested...
Re: GeckoTek EZ-Stik surface on flexplate for nylon?
That is a great deal. I could not resist it. Now I have to put on the build plate and try it out.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
Re: GeckoTek EZ-Stik surface on flexplate for nylon?
I have seen a few people bitch about how that plate gets beat up fast.
I have a Prusa,therefore I research.
Re: GeckoTek EZ-Stik surface on flexplate for nylon?
Yeah durability seems like it could be an issue...not sure how significant the marking thing will be. When I was using this surface on my CR-10 is marked fairly easily but kept working...although I wouldn't say I used it enough to form an opinion on long-term durability (probably only 20-30 prints). As long as it keeps working I don't care what it looks like. We'll see...
Re: GeckoTek EZ-Stik surface on flexplate for nylon?
So far I've printed some small parts on this surface....nothing more than about 40mmX40mm on the plate. The adhesion is actually a bit much. I'm following the manufacturer's recommendations for nylon 50 bed / 240 nozzle (1st layer only, then 255 thereafter).
The parts are printing great but they're difficult to remove from the plate. Even after bending the plate in several directions and hearing some popping I still had to give them a wack with a screwdriver handle to get them off. The surface seems to be getting marked-up quickly and some bits of nylon seem to be staying on the surface (and some bits of surface seem to be coming off with the parts).
I may try a bit higher Z-height and/or a lower bed temp to see if I can reduce the level of adhesion. I emailed GeckoTek support a few days ago to see what they suggest...no response so far. Hopefully I can start getting some milder adhesion or I don't think this surface will last very long. That said, it seems like it would be ideal for warp prone parts...I can't imagine anything lifting off of this surface at these settings...
Re: GeckoTek EZ-Stik surface on flexplate for nylon?
try some windex.
I have a Prusa,therefore I research.
Re: GeckoTek EZ-Stik surface on flexplate for nylon?
That's a good idea...I'm going to give that a try. Works well for PETG on the Prusa PEI sheet...maybe it will work on this too.
Would have been nice to get a response from GeckoTek support...no response after several days.