Metal Plate Surface distortion after first long print
HI, I'm in need of some assistance please...
While a newbie to PRUSA printers (New i3MK3S KIT) I am not new to 3Dprinting...
I have recently built my kit and it tests out fine, prints the stock items with no issues etc., I have also upgraded to firmware 3.7 etc., and calibrations all look clean - using 7x7 leveling too..
I however have experienced an annoying issue with one quarter of the print surface having a tendency to warp/lift, and now following a longer overnight (successful) print - the surface of the hotbed plate is now holding a slightly raised imprint of the edges of the items, and there also looks to be some surface lifting of the materials of the plate (like gold flakes visible at the edges of the imprint). This is the flat surface plate, not the new rough surface variant.
Is this a hotbed temperature issue? Is this a temperature sensor issue in my new printer? - is it too hot? (Sorry I have no way to check the actual temperature on the bed at this time). The bed plate does not want to return to its original flat state either 🙁
Material used is PRUSA originally supplied silver PLA at 0.15 height, Print parameters set to 215C and hotbed temp set at 60C (printing from SDCARD Image).
This is printing a foot clamp for MPCNC with 35% infill from an original STL file that is working on my other older printer etc. (Image file attached).
Re: Metal Plate Surface distortion after first long print
Log into the Prusa online store and contact support via chat. They are very good and will ship replacements for any defective parts, as well as help with troubleshooting.
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: Metal Plate Surface distortion after first long print
Hi! Did you get this resolved? I seem to have the same issue. Im quite new to 3D printing but seemed to be doing quite alright at the start. Im on i3MK3S KIT with the latest firmware (3.7.1.) flashed before the issue. I clean with 90%+ IPA. After about 25 meters of Prusa PLA (1d 7h print time) the right side of my prints (about 1/3 of a 80mm part) started to loose grip of the print plate resulting in compression of the right edge and it looked like a layer was "squeezed out" creating a tiny brim. When examining the print plate I noticed bulging around those sparkly little marks at the edge of my prints. People on the forum seem to agree that the sparkly markings are normal, but what about the bulging? Its not severe, but definately palpable with fingers. Both the markings and the bulging occur only on the left side of my print - which didnt loose adhesion. Im thinking ill get better adhesion with just lowering my nozzle a tiny bit, but at the same time a bit nervous to do so because it seems as if the bulging only occured where the adhesion was better.
RE: Metal Plate Surface distortion after first long print
I have found that I get this less if I do not let the plat cool completely before I remove the print. I let it cool to 45 degrees.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: Metal Plate Surface distortion after first long print
The bulging is, unfortunately, normal. And it's a sign of good adhesion. It's a property of the smooth PEI steel sheet, where the glue underneath gets stretched by the part, as it shrinks during cooling. Fortunately, though, the glue (3M 200MP or similar) will regenerate itself under heat and pressure. So the easiest way is to flip the sheet and use the other side for a while. The heat bed will provide the heat and the magnets the pressure.
So, as @charles-h13 says, a way to limit the bulging is to not let the heatbed cool entirely before removing the part, so the part shrinks less. But to get rid of it entirely, you'd need to get the powder-coated textured PEI steel sheet. It doesn't have a glue layer, and so there is nothing to stretch.
Regarding the bad adhesion on the right side: 1) Get a better IPA. Purity matters. 99.9% IPA is available in most electronics part stores. 2) Wash the sheet with kitchen soap and lots of hot water. When adhesion is failing, it's almost always due to contamination of the sheet with oils, silicones, or similar. Soap will remove what low-percentage IPA doesn't.
RE: Metal Plate Surface distortion after first long print
Thanks to you both!!! At least that cooled med to the proper temprature 🙂