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    Polycarbonate build plate…. No bed heat Success!!!

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    • DADIYundefined
      DADIY
      last edited by

      Any suggestion where to get PC in the UK? All my searches turn up the clear stuff but no opaque white.

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      • fmaundefined
        fma
        last edited by

        Is opaque better?

        Frédéric

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        • okerchoundefined
          okercho
          last edited by

          I think that it depends on the sensor you're using. If you use an optic one, you can have issues with the transparent one… for a capacitive or a piezoelectric, I don't think there is any difference, and in terms of adhesion, I cannot think in a reason why it should be different.

          Regards

          Okercho
          Custom Prusa i3 Hephestos with Duet Wi-Fi
          E3d V6 with Bondtech BMG DirectDrive and PrecisionPiezo Sensor
          Rebuilding Hypercube Evolution

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          • fmaundefined
            fma
            last edited by

            Well, I guess opaque PC have some additional stuff, so they can change a little bit the behaviour…

            BTW, clear PC is nice, because you can put leds all arround (if thick enough), which illuminates the printing part!

            Frédéric

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            • whosrdaddyundefined
              whosrdaddy
              last edited by

              Anyone has had success with ABS? I have tried white opaque PC (sanded according to instructions Whitewolf) but it sticks too well.
              The print is fused to the bed and no way to get it off without destroying it. Could it be that the Nozzle temp I am using for ABS is too high (250°C) for PC?

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              • number40fanundefined
                number40fan
                last edited by

                That does seem high to me. I get stellar prints out of ABS at 220°.

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                • okerchoundefined
                  okercho
                  last edited by

                  I tried ABS just once @ 245°, and it didn't stick, although I think my offset to the bed is the problem. I hadn't had problems to remove the one I f***ked with a re-sanding of the PC sheet, is like before the ABS test xD.

                  Regards

                  Okercho
                  Custom Prusa i3 Hephestos with Duet Wi-Fi
                  E3d V6 with Bondtech BMG DirectDrive and PrecisionPiezo Sensor
                  Rebuilding Hypercube Evolution

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                  • DADIYundefined
                    DADIY
                    last edited by

                    @okercho:

                    I think that it depends on the sensor you're using. If you use an optic one, you can have issues with the transparent one… for a capacitive or a piezoelectric, I don't think there is any difference, and in terms of adhesion, I cannot think in a reason why it should be different.

                    Regards

                    Has anyone tested the clear PC?

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                    • fmaundefined
                      fma
                      last edited by

                      Do you want to know about adhesion or IR sensor, or… ?

                      I made some printing tests with Clear PC, and it works fine. PLA is easy to stick/remove, and as others said, ABS is tricky, because it sticks too much. I think the first layer should be printed at a lower temp (the minimum so filament extrudes).

                      Frédéric

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                      • DADIYundefined
                        DADIY
                        last edited by

                        @fma:

                        Do you want to know about adhesion or IR sensor, or… ?

                        I made some printing tests with Clear PC, and it works fine. PLA is easy to stick/remove, and as others said, ABS is tricky, because it sticks too much. I think the first layer should be printed at a lower temp (the minimum so filament extrudes).

                        Printing, I don't have an IR sensor will be using the Smart Effector as my probe. As it works I may pick up a sheet and give it a shot.

                        thanks

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                        • andreduplessisundefined
                          andreduplessis
                          last edited by

                          @whosrdaddy:

                          Anyone has had success with ABS? I have tried white opaque PC (sanded according to instructions Whitewolf) but it sticks too well.
                          The print is fused to the bed and no way to get it off without destroying it. Could it be that the Nozzle temp I am using for ABS is too high (250°C) for PC?

                          I found that by heating my bed to 110C+ (the glass transition temperature of ABS) the parts becomes easier to remove.

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                          • whosrdaddyundefined
                            whosrdaddy
                            last edited by

                            @andreduplessis:

                            I found that by heating my bed to 110C+ (the glass transition temperature of ABS) the parts becomes easier to remove.

                            you mean after the print has finished?

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                            • andreduplessisundefined
                              andreduplessis
                              last edited by

                              @whosrdaddy:

                              @andreduplessis:

                              I found that by heating my bed to 110C+ (the glass transition temperature of ABS) the parts becomes easier to remove.

                              you mean after the print has finished?

                              Yes, you may destroy the print, but it requires much less force to remove it.

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                              • okerchoundefined
                                okercho
                                last edited by

                                @andreduplessis:

                                @whosrdaddy:

                                @andreduplessis:

                                I found that by heating my bed to 110C+ (the glass transition temperature of ABS) the parts becomes easier to remove.

                                you mean after the print has finished?

                                Yes, you may destroy the print, but it requires much less force to remove it.

                                I don't think is a good idea, depending on the temperature, you can also damage the PC sheet…

                                Okercho
                                Custom Prusa i3 Hephestos with Duet Wi-Fi
                                E3d V6 with Bondtech BMG DirectDrive and PrecisionPiezo Sensor
                                Rebuilding Hypercube Evolution

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                                • superjamieundefined
                                  superjamie
                                  last edited by

                                  Just signed up to say thanks for this idea. I didn't quite use it as planned but it really helped me.

                                  I bought a sheet of PEI which I just couldn't get success with. It worked great for the first two weeks, then the shine went away and none of my parts would stick, even a 20mm PLA hollow calibration cube would warp up. Wiping with 99% isopropyl didn't make a difference. Hand sanding with 1200 grit then 400 grit didn't make a difference.

                                  I'd given up and gone back to BuildTak then I saw this thread. At the same time I read there are fake PEI sheets getting around which are a dyed polycarbonate or resin blend, apparently it's difficult to get the raw material which Sabic use to make Ultem 1000, so suppliers just get any old thing and call it PEI. Reading the behaviours described in this thread, what I have sounds almost exactly like polycarbonate.

                                  I applied the orbital sander to my sheet at 80 grit. It got a "furry" surface but parts stuck, too well, I could barely get PLA prints off. I then sanded at 240 grit which allowed warping again. Sanding at 120 grit proved to be the sweet spot. PLA sticks and removes effortlessly. PETG stays down yet pops off with minimal force, sometimes even pops off on its own as it cools. As stated earlier it does need a re-sand when it gets smooth after a few weeks but that's no problem. I'm still using bed heat but otherwise this is the best print surface I've found yet. If only this PEI sheet I found wasn't so expensive.

                                  I've also got a 2mm of Bayer extruded makrolon (their general purpose polycarbonate) which I've wet-sanded at 80 grit. I think that's the same material as featured in the first post here. I'm going to finish up a project I'm printing now then experiment with that makrolon sheet without bed heat. I've read the thread above and I'm trying to remove as many variables from Whitewolf's successful results. I don't have 60 grit orbital sander discs, only 40 or 80. I don't have bed probing to make the grid measurements and images (I manually level and I'm a peasant still running Marlin on 8-bit) but I'll clamp it to my glass plate and give it a try.

                                  Anyhow, even if the PC doesn't work for me in future, sanding this sheet of whatever-I-have worked really well so thanks again!

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                                  • pogo1213undefined
                                    pogo1213
                                    last edited by

                                    Not sure if I missed it, but has anyone printed PC on a PC sheet? Did it weld itself? How was warping?

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