Printing PETG on steel sheet
On my Mk3 I've been hesitant to print PETG on my PEI build platform, as they bond quite strongly, causing me trouble on other printers where I had PEI sheet clipped onto the print bed. So rather than coat the Mk3's PEI print bed with something (various materials are discussed in the forums), and then have to clean it off afterwards, I did the following:
- Bought a cheap sheet of 28 gauge galvanized steel, 12x12 inches, for a few dollars from the local hardware store. It doesn't rust, and it sticks quite well to magnets. Trimmed to the same size as the print bed (10" by 9 ¾") using an electrical sheet shear.
- Sprayed it with a few coats of extra-strong hairspray - TRESSeme 4, specifically. Let try between coats, for four coats.
- Stuck the steel sheet on the printer.
- Heated to 245 (nozzle) and 80 (bed)
- Ran a "Layer 1 calibration" where I had to use Live Z to lower 0.300 mm to get good adhesion. Not sure whether that's due to the galvanized steel triggering the induction probe at a different height or due to PETG.
- Printed with same settings as PLA, but using the above temperatures.
It works beautifully, and swapping between PLA on PEI and PETG on hairspray is as simple as swapping beds and temperatures. 😀 I've used the same sheets on other printers of mine with magnetic print beds - very handy, but the metal is soft so you need to not bend it too hard or it'll stay bent. Though you can bend it back.
Re: Printing PETG on steel sheet
On my Mk3 I've been hesitant to print PETG on my PEI build platform, as they bond quite strongly, causing me trouble on other printers where I had PEI sheet clipped onto the print bed. So rather than coat the Mk3's PEI print bed with something (various materials are discussed in the forums), and then have to clean it off afterwards, I did the following:
Well, with windex there really isn't much to clean off in any case. It's not messy at all. Don't knock it till you've tried it, as they say 😉
Re: Printing PETG on steel sheet
Well, with windex there really isn't much to clean off in any case. It's not messy at all. Don't knock it till you've tried it, as they say 😉
That's fair. Though I saw a bunch of posts talking about baby powder and glue stick and hairspray, which are a bit more work to apply and clean up. And lot of tales of PEI getting damaged, which I've run into before. So without any PEI in the picture, it seems simpler/safer.
Re: Printing PETG on steel sheet
Not knocking you solution either, of course. But don't want to put ppl off trying PETG because of the mess of applying Windex. I do agree though that say glue for example is a pita to clean afterward.
Re: Printing PETG on steel sheet
With the possibility of bent the sheet and pop part off wouldn't that be enough to remove the part without damage the PEI?
Re: Printing PETG on steel sheet
What I did on my old bed was put lines of glue stick across the whole bed and then wiped it with a cloth and Windex. Prints came off pretty easily after that, and I only had to do it once. I haven't needed any of that for PETG with the spring steel bed. The only things I've sometimes had trouble getting off were the purge line and the skirt. The purge line i fixed by just putting glue stick where that goes down, and I also changed the start gcode so it puts the line down at Z=0.25.
Recently, I've been printing some large corner brackets that warped on the ends so I cleaned the bed with IPA and added a skirt. They haven't warped since, and the parts still come off pretty easily by flexing the sheet. That might not work as well for small parts though.
Re: Printing PETG on steel sheet
On my Mk3 I've been hesitant to print PETG on my PEI build platform, as they bond quite strongly, causing me trouble on other printers where I had PEI sheet clipped onto the print bed. So rather than coat the Mk3's PEI print bed with something (various materials are discussed in the forums), and then have to clean it off afterwards, I did the following:
- Bought a cheap sheet of 28 gauge galvanized steel, 12x12 inches, for a few dollars from the local hardware store. It doesn't rust, and it sticks quite well to magnets. Trimmed to the same size as the print bed (10" by 9 ¾") using an electrical sheet shear.
- Sprayed it with a few coats of extra-strong hairspray - TRESSeme 4, specifically. Let try between coats, for four coats.
- Stuck the steel sheet on the printer.
- Heated to 245 (nozzle) and 80 (bed)
- Ran a "Layer 1 calibration" where I had to use Live Z to lower 0.300 mm to get good adhesion. Not sure whether that's due to the galvanized steel triggering the induction probe at a different height or due to PETG.
- Printed with same settings as PLA, but using the above temperatures.
It works beautifully, and swapping between PLA on PEI and PETG on hairspray is as simple as swapping beds and temperatures. 😀 I've used the same sheets on other printers of mine with magnetic print beds - very handy, but the metal is soft so you need to not bend it too hard or it'll stay bent. Though you can bend it back.
IMG_1242.JPG
Take your steel sheet to a metallurgical workshop and ask them to harden it. They will heat it to the point it gets red hot and then drop it into a backet of cold water. The hardening process makes the steel sheet lose its plasticity and become hard and elastic like a spring!
Re: Printing PETG on steel sheet
Hi Nicolaso
heating and quenching will not harden mild steel.
but it will promote rusting
it's also likely to warp the sheet steel due to uneven temperatures during quenching.
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