Beginner Question: Bed Adherance
I have an i3 mk3 with the steel bed thing that I had to wait until January to get.
What's the best way to prepare this?
I tried to use it out of the box but things kept falling off it. I tried isopropyl alcohol but it didn't really seem to make a difference by itself. I think I may have touched it a few times peeling things off of it.
Then I came across a video on YouTube about someone stating washing their bed (not prusa model) with soap and water and then drying it with a paper towel works best. I figured it was worth a shot. So I did that and accidentally printed another 'buddy' the dog model off the SD card. I say accidentally because I had already previously printed a complete dog. I wanted to try one of the other models that have failed every time.
Is it safe to wash this bed with soap and water? Is doing that and NEVER touching it with your hand the best and only way to prepare the bed?
I need to make sure I'm doing this right before I move on to the next question...z axis.
Re: Beginner Question: Bed Adherance
Hi Aro,
I assume you are using the supplied PLA filament!
However you manage it, the bed needs to be clean,
I normally use isopropyl alcohol for this task,
note in the picture below there are two types of Isopropyl alcohol, I use the 99.9% pure version,
the 91% is likely to contain contaminants that may prevent bonding of the filament later, for example rubbing alcohol, may contain castor oil and scent... if you used this on your buildplate, the alcohol would evaporate leaving the oil behind...
Joe Prusa also reccommends using a clean paper coffee filter as the medium to rub the isopropyl alcohol into the heatbed surface, as the paper has a mild abrasive action
once the bed is prepared you need to confirm your live 'Z' adjustment, Prusa have included 'First Layer Cal. under the calibration menu,
this little G code, heats the extruder and bed to suitable tempratures for PLA, then executes 9 point bed leveling, and begins to extrude a line of filament that traverses back and forth across the build plate, whilst this is running, if the filament is not sticking, you should adjust the Live Z value in a negative value, until the filament begins to stick.
initially, the filament will look stringy, round and loose... as you approach the correct Live Z value, the filament on the build plate will begin to look oval, as if it is squashed into the heat bed surface, a little... if you scrape across the filament, gently with your finger nail, it should not detatch from the heat bed.
an alternative method is described in Jeff Jordan's 'Life adjust Z - My way' thread , see the link below.
https://shop.prusa3d.com/forum/prusa-i3-kit-building-calibrating-first-print-main-f6/life-adjust-z-my-way-t2981.html#p61482
once these tasks are completed satisfactorily, you should be good to go...
warning... PETG and TPU stick to the heatbed too well... four ways to prepare for these materials are
1, wipe your hand across your forehead and then wipe your hand across the heat bed.
2, lightly dust the heatbed with talcum powder, and polish the powder off with a tissue
3, wipe the heatbed with a tissue and 'Windex' window cleaner
4, use the gluestick that prusa supplied with your kit, as a barrier on the heatbed
I have used methods 1 & 2...
other filaments may have different issues, but I have not used them to date!
I hope this helps, 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