Clarification question about Flexible filament  

Re: Clarification question about Flexible filament

Flexible filament is no problem if you first apply a glue stick to the PEI sheet.

I tried it myself for the first time last week and it worked perfectly right away.

Re: Clarification question about Flexible filament

i've printed a couple of things on the MK3 with the "Fiberlogy Fiberflex-40D ".

prints turn out very good. (max speed 45mm/s)

i printed directly on the PEI sticker plate, no glue nothing...
absolut no issues.
yes it sticks, but if you heat the bed to 50°C , removing with hand works perfekt.

Re: Clarification question about Flexible filament

I've printed SainSmart TPU on blue tape on top of the PEI sheet, no problems, at least with bed adhesion. Still have a lot to learn about the rest.

Re: Clarification question about Flexible filament

I am not sure if this is the right thread for this question or not.

I just tried printing with flexible filament for the first time this past week. I am having no issues with the print sticking too much or too little to the bed. My issue has been that the filament ends up working out of the extruder between the gears and the tube down to the hot end. It then wraps itself around this mechanism and eventually binds itself up.

I have tried turning off retraction (took me forever to find that setting) and setting the print speeds to 20mm/s. Still ends up jamming in the extruder.

I am using Makergeeks flexible filament.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Joe

Re: Clarification question about Flexible filament

I'm printing with Makergeeks Flex on the PEI sheet very reliable. Following things I had to ensure/setup:
1. Raise the Z-Height , so the filament just lay on the bed. Do not squish it. If you have a large first surface, apply a glue stick so you have protected layer.
2. Lower the speed to 20mm/s or even 10mm/s
3. Deactivate retraction
4. Make sure your speeds are the same for all layers (even flow pressure)
5. Keep the fan on and don't keep it in an enclosure. Otherwise you might get a heat creep.

Once I've done all this steps, I've no issues to print FLEX.

Re: Clarification question about Flexible filament

I also printed with Sainsmart TPU and straight onto PEI sheet after wiping with isopropyl alcohol.

Above poster mentioned heating bed to 50C, another technique is spray the bottom of the completed print with isopropyl alcohol and it will slowly come off, working the alcohol underneath as much as you can.

Re: Clarification question about Flexible filament

nikolai.r,

Thank you for the advice. I am not sure the Z height will help me. I am not having a problem with the print sticking. It sticks well and I have no issues removing it. My problem is the extruder jamming because the filament works out of the tiny gap between the gear and the tube leading to the hot end.

I will try slowing the speed down. I think I have been trying at 20mm/sec already. But I am sure I can slow it down even more.

I think I have also disabled retraction. I will double check.

I think I might have the fan turned off. I will check that and make sure it is enabled.

I also don't have an enclosure.

Thanks,
Joe

Re: Clarification question about Flexible filament

I print directly onto the PEI on both my MK2 and MK3. I don't use glue stick either. All I do to remove it, is pour some IPA on top of the part and let it sit for a few seconds. Peeling it off is really easy after that. And you just wipe the excess with a paper towel on the PEI and its nice and clean for the next print.

Here is a video I just uploaded on this. I made it a while ago, quality is meh... I have a tripod mount for my cell phone now so these will get better. Thanks for watching. This is on my mk3 bed.

Re: Clarification question about Flexible filament

Small edition/correction:
- Fan is actually off
- I'm using a higher temperature: 225C.
- Speed is 10mm/s
Filament is MakerFlex TPEE

Critical part is always the first layer and the initial fat priming. I removed that from the start script.
G1 X60.0 E9.0 F1000.0 ; priming
G1 X100.0 E12.5 F1000.0 ; priming
Instead I'm using two skirt outlines to get a right flow. I'm also not using the "load filament" function and pushing the filament by hand in.

Re: Clarification question about Flexible filament

Thanks Andrew for the video example of removing the print. It seems, in your example, the bottom is basically shredded. Can anyone confirm that using a glue stick or blue tape would be better if I require a smooth bottom on a flexible print? Also, are you guys just using the built in flexible preset?
I'm using the MK3 and just want to know before I accidentally ruin the bed and print. Thank you!

Re: Clarification question about Flexible filament

Hi Jared.

Two other options are talcum powder and forehead grease. I typically sprinkle a tiny amount of talc on the build plate and polish it off with tissue. Then print direct onto the build plate
This gives a print as smooth as the build plate
Regards joan