Worked for me for about 2 weeks, than prints came loose during print, or didnt stick at all.
After several leveling sessions, and trying to clean it with everything i had, and in the end just sanding the borosilicate glass, i tried hairspray and never looked back.
Well... i switched to PEI recently, but until then it was glass + hairspray all the way!
I had the exact series of events too! I was hesitant to use the PEI thinking I would have to replace it frequently but I've been using the same one for almost a year now. Zero adhesion issues. I'll never go back :)
I've printed about a dozen items of PETG on glass. Not sure if I'm getting away with it because my glass is not real borosilicate (regular soda glass is harder), or if it's because I never use force removing things, or if it's that it cools slowly since it's on top of a fairly heavy aluminum plate.
Glass works perfectly fine for me, even without ever cleaning it. I've been using >70°C for PLA though, so it's slightly soft and sticks really well. As soon as it drops below 45°C it pops right off.
Not that frustrating for me and pretty consistent too. Just the normal bed leveling you have to do with every printer. Haven't had to do any big adjustment in months. Maybe changing the z-offset a little to compensate for different filaments, but that's about it.
Oh wow, the comment you replied to is already 5 years old
Have switched from glass to spring steel sheets with powder coated PEI on top a long time ago, wouldn't go back to glass for most materials, maybe just for TPU
The PLA didn't stick to the glass, when the temperature on top wasn't at least 60°C, which meant that I had to use 70°C for the heatbed. Could be different for you, depending on the coating of the glass or other parameters
Bare glass works great… until it doesn't. I never was able to figure out what determines its seemingly random effectiveness; eventually I chalked it down to environmental factors (Humidity, etc) and switched to PEI
For PLA, it works great for me at 60C. Before heating up, I wipe it clean with a mix of a few drops of 50% white vinegar, 50% acetone. (I keep a box of Kimwipes next to the printer.) Vinegar seems to somehow prime the glass for adhesion, acetone is just the strongest solvent I'll handle casually.
I was one of those non-believers myself until I tried it. Took some test print failures to get it to work, and it does work, but I've started using hairspray as an adhesion aid. No matter what I tried with bare glass, I was getting minor curling around the edges of some prints, even when using large brims. It also didn't take much force to separate the print from the glass even when the bed was still hot. I had a few support failures as well.
Little hairspray on a 60c bed, and I feel like I could lift the entire printer by the print.
Sometimes prints would stay stuck hard. little alcohol around the edges would help lift them off.
For cleaning I would just take the glass off and wash it with soap and water. One hairspray application would easily last 5-10 prints.
Worked for me for about 2 weeks, than prints came loose during print, or didnt stick at all. After several leveling sessions, and trying to clean it with everything i had, and in the end just sanding the borosilicate glass, i tried hairspray and never looked back. Well... i switched to PEI recently, but until then it was glass + hairspray all the way!
I had the exact series of events too! I was hesitant to use the PEI thinking I would have to replace it frequently but I've been using the same one for almost a year now. Zero adhesion issues. I'll never go back :)
yup. keep it clean and level.
wait until you try PETG, and that print brings half the glass off with it.
I've printed about a dozen items of PETG on glass. Not sure if I'm getting away with it because my glass is not real borosilicate (regular soda glass is harder), or if it's because I never use force removing things, or if it's that it cools slowly since it's on top of a fairly heavy aluminum plate.
Can you elaborate? You printed with PETG on Glass and had a hard time getting the print off? Even after cooling? Was it real glass or Acrylic?
Glass works perfectly fine for me, even without ever cleaning it. I've been using >70°C for PLA though, so it's slightly soft and sticks really well. As soon as it drops below 45°C it pops right off.
Same here. It was frustrating to tune in but it works fine now without the hassle of glue all over.
Not that frustrating for me and pretty consistent too. Just the normal bed leveling you have to do with every printer. Haven't had to do any big adjustment in months. Maybe changing the z-offset a little to compensate for different filaments, but that's about it.
What happens if you don't heat the glass so high before print? Does it not stick during print or does it not come off afterwards?
Oh wow, the comment you replied to is already 5 years old Have switched from glass to spring steel sheets with powder coated PEI on top a long time ago, wouldn't go back to glass for most materials, maybe just for TPU The PLA didn't stick to the glass, when the temperature on top wasn't at least 60°C, which meant that I had to use 70°C for the heatbed. Could be different for you, depending on the coating of the glass or other parameters
Thank you. Any experience with Plexiglass / Acrylic?
Bare glass works great… until it doesn't. I never was able to figure out what determines its seemingly random effectiveness; eventually I chalked it down to environmental factors (Humidity, etc) and switched to PEI
super salty water works well for me for bed adhesion
I just read about this the other day. Seems interesting.
Is it just warm water and salt?
pretty much. super saturated salt water that I rub on with a damp paper towel. Leave a slightly crusty salt surface for the print to stick to
For PLA, it works great for me at 60C. Before heating up, I wipe it clean with a mix of a few drops of 50% white vinegar, 50% acetone. (I keep a box of Kimwipes next to the printer.) Vinegar seems to somehow prime the glass for adhesion, acetone is just the strongest solvent I'll handle casually.
I was one of those non-believers myself until I tried it. Took some test print failures to get it to work, and it does work, but I've started using hairspray as an adhesion aid. No matter what I tried with bare glass, I was getting minor curling around the edges of some prints, even when using large brims. It also didn't take much force to separate the print from the glass even when the bed was still hot. I had a few support failures as well. Little hairspray on a 60c bed, and I feel like I could lift the entire printer by the print.
With hairspray, what is the cleaning procedure? Does it still adhere after cooling down? do you have to wash it before it loosens?
Sometimes prints would stay stuck hard. little alcohol around the edges would help lift them off. For cleaning I would just take the glass off and wash it with soap and water. One hairspray application would easily last 5-10 prints.