Problems with supports  

RE: Problems with supports

Hi Ramon

Yes, you can print directly from the platform without supports.

I think the problem you're having is that after a few layers printed on your print bed, these first layers adhere to the FEP rather than the print bed. Correct me if I'm wrong?

I've just posted a long post about my testing to overcome this problem, in this same forum you can refer to titled "Resin temperature and adhering to the print bed".

In summary, you need to make your print bed stickier than your FEP. ie

1) Make your FEP less sticky, and/or

2) Make your print bed stickier.

Apparently cleaning your FEP with Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) makes it stickier. Can't confirm this for you, but if you've used IPA, then all you need to do is remove the resin and failed print from your FEP to make it less sticky. Just don't use IPA when you do it. I don't bother using soap and water to clean my FEP. I simply wipe the resin off with paper towel/toilet paper and then remove the failed print from the FEP. The easiest way is to ensure your body casts a shadow on your FEP so resin doesn't harden on it, and wipe away the liquid resin. Then push from underneath the FEP in a circular motion unless the hardened resin parts from the FEP. It is best not to use the plastic scraper to try and lever off the failed print as doing this leaves marks in your FEP. Finish by wiping your FEP clean with paper towel or toilet paper. Don't worry too much about a few really small hardened resin dots on your FEP. So long as your build plate can get close enough to your FEP (say 0.05mm) the first layer will cure on your build plate, picking up those stray dots, so they won't be on your FEP anymore.

I know of two ways to make your print bed stickier, and both of them come courtesy of Charles at Monocure3D:

a) Using a fine sandpaper, such as 'wet and dry', lightly sand your print bed to roughen the surface for the resin to have more pores to grip onto. I suggest you watch https://monocure3d.com.au/product-category/platebond/ before taking this step, or

b) Use Monocure3D Platebond. Its formulated with metal-binding chemicals in what is otherwise normal resin. I used Platebond successfully, but it won't work unless you cure it on the build plate with UV (One CL1 drying cycle) before trying to 3D print.

Please let me know how you go?

RE: Problems with supports

Dear @mbarr,

Many thanks for your message!

Yes, you can print directly from the platform without supports. How can I do it with the Prusa Slicer?

I think the problem you're having is that after a few layers printed on your print bed, these first layers adhere to the FEP rather than the print bed. Correct me if I'm wrong?  First layers with supports adhere to the print bed, but when the object should started to be printed i keeps attached to the FEP. The think is that sometimes the printer prints well, so I was thinking that maybe I was doing something wrong when I put the supports.

I'm also using Isopropyl alcohol to clean the FEP so I think you are right again. I will try to follow your recommendations but I will also wanted to try to print without supports because the object that I'm trying to print has a plain base.

Best regards,

Ramon

RE: Problems with supports

@farimovil

In the dialogue on the right side of the screen there are menus labelled "supports" and "pad". Turn these off and you won't get any additional structures at all.