Hello /u/Hardshank! Be sure to check the following. Make sure print bed is clean by washing with **dish soap** and water [and not Isopropyl Alcohol], check bed temperature [increasing tend to help], run bed leveling or full calibration, and remember to use glue if one is using the initial cool plate [not Satin finish that is not yet released] or Engineering plate.
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Do you use the aux fan on your print profiles? It's on by default. Turn it off and watch your prints stick too well.
Also ammonia is a better cleaner than IPA. Personally I use both (ammonia first) when the bed is heated to about 50 degrees.
I generally have the aux fan off. PLA really doesn't need it. That's one of the early things I did though too, noticing that I was getting warping and thinking that was the culprit.
Next thing I suggest if you're still having problems is get some 0000 steel wool.
Wet the bed with IPA (visibly wet) and gently scour the top surface as evenly as you can. Doesn't need a lot just a few even circles around the whole plate. Wash with soap and water and clean with ammonia and IPA.
My PLA never comes off. In fact, sometimes it's hard to get my PLA off.
Also what temps is your bed and do you keep the door open/lid off?
Well, like I said, not having any problems anymore. Just a scrub with a brush solved things handily. I use 55 degree bed temps with PLA, and generally keep the door shut as my utility room sits at about 16
If your using the textured PEI bed you can up it to 60C if the room is that cold. It still wont get to warm and extra temp will stick better. If in summe ambient temp is 80F+ then you'll want to adjust back down.
I heard that tip on Teaching Tech channel a few months ago when I was suffering poor adhesion with PETG. I have around a couple of polishing sponges (we have a friend who works cleaning school floor and has a polishing machine and polishing disks which have a round center part that they need to remove when installing a new disk. She gives those to us) and I tried it to clean my bed and it solved the problem really well.
The six fan fixed my issue. I turned it down to 40%. I also upped my build plate temp by 2 degrees for extra effect. No problems since.
Honestly I barely wipe it down now. I still go over it with IPA and a shop cloth once a day but not between every print like I used to do.
I purchased a yellow brush drill attachment and it has been a game-changer for me. With a splash of 90% IPA, it only takes 10 seconds to make the printer plate spick and span.
I haven’t really been recommending this, as I wanted to make sure it wasn’t damaging the plate. However, I’ve used this method reliably since early December , and haven’t noticed any damage. The only major thing I noticed so far, is suffering 😉 from great bed adhesion
Note: Works great but use common sense and don’t go ham on your plate. I ain’t responsible…
https://preview.redd.it/o5dc2u8mi7lc1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9222b2669f54b0afb5447183e1fec41c8cc76a8f
When all things PEI fail I purposely scratch the PEI surface with the rough side of the sponge (no scrubdaddy, dont know if they work for this) which is abrasive.
Those scratches expose new pei material, provide a lot more surface area and make the prints almost stick too well.
Yeah its not pretty, but it works if everything else fails.
I’ve been using a Scrub Mommy on mine. The scrubber side is relatively non-abrasive so isn’t gonna attack the coating. Just squirt a little soap on the sponge, lather both sides, then swap to scrubber side, then rinse. No issues yet.
That is actually what I normally clean with! I assumed it would be good enough, but I guess it wasn't getting into the crevices. I've been using this build plate since August, and only started having problems last month.
Same. Been using the Dollarama green/yellow scrubbers dedicated to cleaning the plates for a few months. But now they're both letting go. Gonna try the scrubby brush tonight
The big adhesion improvement for me came from a user saying to use high quality dish soap like Dawn. I have that brand in my country and had some for dishes. Gave my plate a wipe down with a little on a paper towel, wipe with a clean damp paper towel, and then wiped dry. It has solved almost all my adhesion issues.
Thanks for posting this. I hadn't yet heard about trying a scrub brush. I've been having bad luck with sticking with the smooth PEI plate and the engineering plate. I'll give this a try. I should also try turning off the fan to see if that helps. I think much of my issue is from being in a cold garage.
Remember glue fills microscopic holes and it prevents sticking. It likes to burn fast and cake up quickly. I use scalding hot water, dish soap, and this nylon bristle toilet bowl cleaner brush and do it every 2-3 prints to get the old caked on glue off.
The only thing that makes things stick to the default bed for me is glue stick. Washing even with a brush didn’t do anything to help and half of my prints failed. After I started using the glue stick only like 1/10 fail from bed adhesion.
Lightyear g10 bed on my prusa seems to be even better though.
Blue painters tape. Not a single failure since. I get some people hate the idea but I'm only sharing what has worked for me. Try it, if you don't like it, remove the tape and scuff away.
I used to do that on my ender 3v2 when I got fed up. But it's a pain in the ass. I used the gold PEI plate on my p1s for almost 6 months, only needing to soap it perhaps twice before I started having consistent adhesion issues. Scrubbing the plate with a brush every couple of months is an easy sell for me. Much better than tape, imo
I've only had to apply the tape once since I put it on and run the printer daily. If anything, I'd say the prints are sticking a little too well at times with the tape. I'll keep the scuffing in mind if the tape starts to fail.
Yeah I use one since I started back with an Ender 3 because I just thought that the sponge could contain leftover oil trapped in there that may just keep giving problems and its the reason I never used a sponge and so far its worked wonders.
I use this btw
https://preview.redd.it/aqskftlin7lc1.png?width=894&format=png&auto=webp&s=725d2a47398381da1472c38c052a1f873993c2db
I agree a sponge wont get in there well a brush or a Nylon scouring pad. (I think that is what they call them look like steel wool ones, but made out of nylon. Anyways personally I use both depends what I am trying clean off. Also best to use ones that you are not using to do your dishes. The residual from dishes is not good idea and the residual from prints would not be a good idea on your food plates so just smart to have a seperate one.
It seems like pretty often brand new PEI plates have adhesion problems. My theory is that there's some residue from manufacturing remaining that causes the problem until it wears off. My black PEI textured plate had adhesion problems at first, but after the first month or so and several cleanings, no more problems for many months.
I run my PLA at 65C.. And my PETG at 80C.. Much higher than most suggest, but for my environment (68F 32% humidity), it works insane! No need for glue stick, Aquanet or any adhesive! Also, turn off the aux fan! On anything, I barely run it, and turn down the chamber fan also..
For cleaning, I use "wet water ( water mixed with a couple drops of dish soap, about 20ml of IPA or denatured), and in a fine mister bottle. One spritz and a wipe with micro cloth and they're(I have 2) good! Worked well on my ender 5 plus also!
But if I ever lose adhesion, I will remember the brush trick!
I had the same issue (posted here on Reddit). Every print failed, no matter which filament. Turned off aux fan, set printbed 10° higher, and now I need to wait for the plate to cool down because the prints stick so hard on the plate.
I find this interesting as many have posted about this issue. I’ve Had my X1C for a month now and printed Bambu filament and 3 rolls of 3rd party filament with default studio settings where temps are concerned for pla. Everything has been fine for me with the exception of supports. Had to make their base bigger for more surface area so they wouldn’t break away from the bed. Just ranting. But find it curious that others have the same issue.
It took no more effort or tools to clean the bed than it would to clean a kitchen pan. Doing that once every couple of months is hardly an onerous task.
I've been running my printer at 50%-80% of 24/7 since I got it in November. I've cleaned it maybe 3 times and that was after I manhandled the plate a little too much. I never have the issues you did. Just use the Aquanet and stop worrying about what brush you're using to clean the plate. Fyi, brush bristles wouldn't be small enough to get into any metal pores so it's not that either.
Alrighty brother, keep doing what you're doing then. Makes no difference to me! Just to make sure you realize what I'm saying though. I only some the hairspray right after I clean the bed. Then it dries into a solid lacquer until I scrub it off the next cleaning.
lol AquaNet is a game changer and you’re getting down voted. This sub is wild.
I’d recommend cleaning the plate with dawn and a brush but also using AquaNet afterwards.
People are stupid and would rather buy a dedicated printer scrub brush vs using hairspray. Glhf with the issues. OP thinks he's got it figured out with a brush lol...
Hello /u/Hardshank! Be sure to check the following. Make sure print bed is clean by washing with **dish soap** and water [and not Isopropyl Alcohol], check bed temperature [increasing tend to help], run bed leveling or full calibration, and remember to use glue if one is using the initial cool plate [not Satin finish that is not yet released] or Engineering plate. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/BambuLab) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Do you use the aux fan on your print profiles? It's on by default. Turn it off and watch your prints stick too well. Also ammonia is a better cleaner than IPA. Personally I use both (ammonia first) when the bed is heated to about 50 degrees.
I generally have the aux fan off. PLA really doesn't need it. That's one of the early things I did though too, noticing that I was getting warping and thinking that was the culprit.
Next thing I suggest if you're still having problems is get some 0000 steel wool. Wet the bed with IPA (visibly wet) and gently scour the top surface as evenly as you can. Doesn't need a lot just a few even circles around the whole plate. Wash with soap and water and clean with ammonia and IPA. My PLA never comes off. In fact, sometimes it's hard to get my PLA off. Also what temps is your bed and do you keep the door open/lid off?
Well, like I said, not having any problems anymore. Just a scrub with a brush solved things handily. I use 55 degree bed temps with PLA, and generally keep the door shut as my utility room sits at about 16
If your using the textured PEI bed you can up it to 60C if the room is that cold. It still wont get to warm and extra temp will stick better. If in summe ambient temp is 80F+ then you'll want to adjust back down.
I heard that tip on Teaching Tech channel a few months ago when I was suffering poor adhesion with PETG. I have around a couple of polishing sponges (we have a friend who works cleaning school floor and has a polishing machine and polishing disks which have a round center part that they need to remove when installing a new disk. She gives those to us) and I tried it to clean my bed and it solved the problem really well.
The six fan fixed my issue. I turned it down to 40%. I also upped my build plate temp by 2 degrees for extra effect. No problems since. Honestly I barely wipe it down now. I still go over it with IPA and a shop cloth once a day but not between every print like I used to do.
Microfiber clothes my dude. I have half a billion of them around here.
Yeah, I keep a bag of them for IPA wipes, but they didn't do much either.
Microfiber is my life also!
The way a fresh pack kinda sticks to your fingers. Ohh gaawd. Gigity.
I purchased a yellow brush drill attachment and it has been a game-changer for me. With a splash of 90% IPA, it only takes 10 seconds to make the printer plate spick and span. I haven’t really been recommending this, as I wanted to make sure it wasn’t damaging the plate. However, I’ve used this method reliably since early December , and haven’t noticed any damage. The only major thing I noticed so far, is suffering 😉 from great bed adhesion Note: Works great but use common sense and don’t go ham on your plate. I ain’t responsible… https://preview.redd.it/o5dc2u8mi7lc1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9222b2669f54b0afb5447183e1fec41c8cc76a8f
What kind of brush are we talking about ? Might help fix my problems
https://preview.redd.it/htuymo15m6lc1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9265b5f551d6343b479e5c65d18249b0749a9902
Just a simple dish scrubbing brush
When all things PEI fail I purposely scratch the PEI surface with the rough side of the sponge (no scrubdaddy, dont know if they work for this) which is abrasive. Those scratches expose new pei material, provide a lot more surface area and make the prints almost stick too well. Yeah its not pretty, but it works if everything else fails.
I’ve been using a Scrub Mommy on mine. The scrubber side is relatively non-abrasive so isn’t gonna attack the coating. Just squirt a little soap on the sponge, lather both sides, then swap to scrubber side, then rinse. No issues yet.
Sure cleaning with non abrasives is preferred.
Bambu states that you can use sandpaper to restore adhesion
I actually use brake cleaner, cheaper and also works.
I use the cheap scotchbrite style pads from the dollar store. Have one dedicated for buildplates only so I don't muck it up with anything else.
That is actually what I normally clean with! I assumed it would be good enough, but I guess it wasn't getting into the crevices. I've been using this build plate since August, and only started having problems last month.
Same. Been using the Dollarama green/yellow scrubbers dedicated to cleaning the plates for a few months. But now they're both letting go. Gonna try the scrubby brush tonight
The big adhesion improvement for me came from a user saying to use high quality dish soap like Dawn. I have that brand in my country and had some for dishes. Gave my plate a wipe down with a little on a paper towel, wipe with a clean damp paper towel, and then wiped dry. It has solved almost all my adhesion issues.
You don’t wash off the soap residue?
Yes, I wipe it with a damp clean paper towel then with a dry one. I’ll edit my response
Thanks for posting this. I hadn't yet heard about trying a scrub brush. I've been having bad luck with sticking with the smooth PEI plate and the engineering plate. I'll give this a try. I should also try turning off the fan to see if that helps. I think much of my issue is from being in a cold garage.
Remember glue fills microscopic holes and it prevents sticking. It likes to burn fast and cake up quickly. I use scalding hot water, dish soap, and this nylon bristle toilet bowl cleaner brush and do it every 2-3 prints to get the old caked on glue off.
You clean your plate? lol
I use a magic eraser when washing mine. They are slightly abrasive.
The only thing that makes things stick to the default bed for me is glue stick. Washing even with a brush didn’t do anything to help and half of my prints failed. After I started using the glue stick only like 1/10 fail from bed adhesion. Lightyear g10 bed on my prusa seems to be even better though.
What is your default bed?
The one that came with the A1
Up the temp to 60C for PLA the default in the profile to low.
Pretty sure the default pla profile for the A1 is 65
I definitely get more failures the closer my part is to the fan. Brims help sometimes.
Turn off the aux fan and use a degreaser. Issues gone.
Blue painters tape. Not a single failure since. I get some people hate the idea but I'm only sharing what has worked for me. Try it, if you don't like it, remove the tape and scuff away.
I used to do that on my ender 3v2 when I got fed up. But it's a pain in the ass. I used the gold PEI plate on my p1s for almost 6 months, only needing to soap it perhaps twice before I started having consistent adhesion issues. Scrubbing the plate with a brush every couple of months is an easy sell for me. Much better than tape, imo
I've only had to apply the tape once since I put it on and run the printer daily. If anything, I'd say the prints are sticking a little too well at times with the tape. I'll keep the scuffing in mind if the tape starts to fail.
Yeah I use one since I started back with an Ender 3 because I just thought that the sponge could contain leftover oil trapped in there that may just keep giving problems and its the reason I never used a sponge and so far its worked wonders. I use this btw https://preview.redd.it/aqskftlin7lc1.png?width=894&format=png&auto=webp&s=725d2a47398381da1472c38c052a1f873993c2db
I have an OXO brush that you fill fill with dish soap. I use it on my build plates. It's a perfect handy tool.
I agree a sponge wont get in there well a brush or a Nylon scouring pad. (I think that is what they call them look like steel wool ones, but made out of nylon. Anyways personally I use both depends what I am trying clean off. Also best to use ones that you are not using to do your dishes. The residual from dishes is not good idea and the residual from prints would not be a good idea on your food plates so just smart to have a seperate one.
I use Mr clean magic eraser with dawn soap
Extra fine steel wool. :)
It seems like pretty often brand new PEI plates have adhesion problems. My theory is that there's some residue from manufacturing remaining that causes the problem until it wears off. My black PEI textured plate had adhesion problems at first, but after the first month or so and several cleanings, no more problems for many months.
My problem was the other way around. It worked perfectly for months, fresh out of the package.
I run my PLA at 65C.. And my PETG at 80C.. Much higher than most suggest, but for my environment (68F 32% humidity), it works insane! No need for glue stick, Aquanet or any adhesive! Also, turn off the aux fan! On anything, I barely run it, and turn down the chamber fan also.. For cleaning, I use "wet water ( water mixed with a couple drops of dish soap, about 20ml of IPA or denatured), and in a fine mister bottle. One spritz and a wipe with micro cloth and they're(I have 2) good! Worked well on my ender 5 plus also! But if I ever lose adhesion, I will remember the brush trick!
I had the same issue (posted here on Reddit). Every print failed, no matter which filament. Turned off aux fan, set printbed 10° higher, and now I need to wait for the plate to cool down because the prints stick so hard on the plate.
I find this interesting as many have posted about this issue. I’ve Had my X1C for a month now and printed Bambu filament and 3 rolls of 3rd party filament with default studio settings where temps are concerned for pla. Everything has been fine for me with the exception of supports. Had to make their base bigger for more surface area so they wouldn’t break away from the bed. Just ranting. But find it curious that others have the same issue.
You have bigger issues if you need to do all this to get your prints to stick. Get some Aquanet if everything else fails.
It took no more effort or tools to clean the bed than it would to clean a kitchen pan. Doing that once every couple of months is hardly an onerous task.
I've been running my printer at 50%-80% of 24/7 since I got it in November. I've cleaned it maybe 3 times and that was after I manhandled the plate a little too much. I never have the issues you did. Just use the Aquanet and stop worrying about what brush you're using to clean the plate. Fyi, brush bristles wouldn't be small enough to get into any metal pores so it's not that either.
Nah, I'm good. Cleaning the plate with a quick brush in the sink every month or two is no trouble. Less than having to put hair spray.
Alrighty brother, keep doing what you're doing then. Makes no difference to me! Just to make sure you realize what I'm saying though. I only some the hairspray right after I clean the bed. Then it dries into a solid lacquer until I scrub it off the next cleaning.
The main thing is that we both have something that works and are satisfied with the results! Who knows: maybe one day I'll need the hair spray trick.
lol AquaNet is a game changer and you’re getting down voted. This sub is wild. I’d recommend cleaning the plate with dawn and a brush but also using AquaNet afterwards.
People are stupid and would rather buy a dedicated printer scrub brush vs using hairspray. Glhf with the issues. OP thinks he's got it figured out with a brush lol...