Don't use flush cuts or "pliers" as they are called in this video. They are high carbon steel and are NOT meant for prying. The tips will break very easy. #1 Tip, just let the bed cool. As the bed cools it shrinks. The plastic will shrink at a different rate, this will release the print.
@oneredpanda9933 odd because this is how I release ALL my prints and my bed looks almost new after nearly 3 years. I guess in your world all materials cool, expand, and contract all at the same rate. For the rest of us, here in the real world, that is not the case.
take the build plate off the heated bed. the heat bed takes a bit to cool down, but the thin sheet of metal will cool down pretty fast if not heated from below.
1. Touching the bed 2. Not leveling bed properly 3. Printing too fast 4. Wrong material settings 5. Not considering print orientation 6. Not storing filament properly 7. Cleaning with ipa instead of soap+water 8. Using PLA for outdoor parts 9. Adjusting slicer settings too much
I prefer to use Bestine rubber cement thinner (heptane) as an industrial, graphic designer, and illustrator. I've used it for years. It cuts grease and oil and dries instantly. It is flammable, but in more than fifty years, I've never had a problem.
I'd like to add one important aspect that gets neglected often, mostly in private use. Since no private person is forced to do a risk assesment the material choice of the filament needs to considered carefully due to hazardous properties. As I do this stuff at work I cannot understand why on earth anyone without a proper ventilation and filtersystem (just opening a window is not suffcient) would want to print ABS/ASA/Vinyl/HIPS/PPS. ABS/ASA contains styrol which lowers fertility and comes with high regulation at workplace use. It also gets metabolised fast into other toxic substanced in your body after skin contact or respiration. Vinyl straight up releases formaldehyde into the air. So please check the safe datasheet of any filament you want to use and see which chemicals are in there, at what tempreture do they react/disolve and what do they do.
I got made fun of on reddit for putting my printer inside of a grow tent and running ducting out the window through a 3d printed fitting. At least my balls won't shrink!
Counterpoint to using isopropyl alcohol for cleaning: what if you dont use glue because you have a decent build plate that doesn't require it and do it frequently? Every time I start a print, I'll give a few sprays of alcohol and wipe with a microfiber cloth (specifically for this purpose). With this method, I have both rarely had bed adhesion issues (less than 1% of prints) and each wipe down takes about 15 seconds (during which time the bed is heating up, anyway) as opposed to having to take the build plate off and thoroughly wash it during time I could be doing anything else (and during which time it can't be used for printing)
I never use glue, and also wipe down with isopropyl between prints. That said, every month or so I use soap and water, and I get better adhesion from that then when I only have been using IPA. The reason? While soap and IPA both do great in dissolving oil or dirt, the process of using running water makes sure they are completely washed away, while only wiping with a cloth can leave some behind that will remain when the alcohol dries. So if you find that you're typical wipe down isn't working, try rinsing. That said, whatever works is different for each person. There are definitely downsides if you're removing your plate, running it in the sink, and letting it dry Everytime. Edit: I hadn't gotten that far in the video and didn't realize he said the exact same things. Oops.
Also many printers out there don't even have a flexbed or easily removable bed, and you don't want soapy water near your electronics, whereas isopropyl alcohol is fine and forgiving as long as the printer is powered down because it evaporates quickly
*Whatever works best for you, don't fix what isn't broken. Even with the isopropyl and microfiber method, I used to have bed adhesion problems maybe 10% of the time, especially if the object has a small footprint. I ran a glue stick over the plate and noticed when it heats up, it gets tacky. When it cools down, it doesn't feel like there's anything on it. But I don't even bother cleaning my plate now and it's been over a month. Adhesion has been solid for every print. Not conventional, but I'm not fixing what isn't broken.*
The comments on isopropyl alcohol have an image of highlighted text showing ethanol. Ethanol and isopropyl are different chemicals. Additionally, you used 70% isopropyl in your video. I have had bad experience with anything less than 90%.
I use medical grade 99% IPA for my standard cleaning and about once a month I wash it with soap and water to get any debris out of the texture but then use IPA to displace the water. 99% IPA removes grease so much more than 70% and I would argue better than soap and water. Edit: I never use glue
Not trying to be contrarian, but for me, 70% IPA on my Ender 3v2 glass bed with the self-releasing surface works completely fine about 95% of the time. I haven't tried other build surfaces though.
@@3DPrinterAcademy I tried glue-stick once... I'm definitely sticking with Aquanet hair spray. It works amazingly well and far easier to work with than a glue-sick. I occasionally use 99.9% isopropyl to redistribute the film, and if the bed gets too gunked up (takes a while), only then do I remove it to wash with Dawn dishwashing detergent (never soap, it leaves too much of a film).
Both soap and my local tap water leave residue on the build surface that prevents adhesion. The process I have found to give the best results *by far* is to clean left over glue stick, oils, and anything else off using water, either completely avoiding or using an absolute minimum amount of soap, wipe off with paper towel, then follow up with a quick clean with isopropyl to remove the residue from the water (and soap); the isopropyl also helps remove all moisture. Following that I do my glue stick application rituals.
I use IPA on toilet paper. IPA dissolves any grease and paper absorbs it. Any leftover IPA evaporates as soon as I start printing due to bed heating up. One of the advantages of that method is the fact I can do it between the prints without even turning printer off. There are also liquids that combine IPA, some kind of detergent and distilled water to make an universal cleaning solution for printed circuit boards and 2D printers...
Dawn dish soap and water made a huge difference for me when I was having issues with large articulated prints failing. I had been using a paper towel soaked with isopropyl before this. Pick a soap without moisturizer and make sure to dry the build surface real well to prevent rust.
Most metal build surfaces are coated, usually with PEI, so there is pretty much no chance of it rusting and if it does rust it is probably just the edges that rust, not the actual build surface. If you are having your build surfaces rust you are doing something very wrong.
Another thing you must never do with your fdm printer is turning it off too soon. The mistake I made in the begining. If you turn it off, when hotend is still hot, your cooling fan turns off and filament starts melting, where it should not be melted, and when you turn on the next time, your hotend is completely stuck. (sorry if my english is not good)
There is absolutely a beenfit to using isopropyl alcohol. It flashes of almost immediately, and you can clean your built plate easily while in place. Soap and water does work great, but you have to take the build plate to a sink or something and then wait for it to dry before using. Wiping down the plate with IPA takes about 10 seconds and the alcohol is flashed off in less time than that. Just keep a bottle of IPA and a rag by your printer. I do a quick wipe before nearly eveyr print.
While taking the build plate to the sink for washing is a bit of an inconvenience, waiting for the build plate to dry after washing it is a non-issue. Less than 20 seconds with a towel gets the build plate dry enough that I can immediately take it to the printer, install the plate, and start printing. The build plate tends to naturally shrug off water, so it's quick and easy to dry it off. As an added bonus I've just washed my hands as well, so I don't have to worry about greasy fingers when handling the build plate. Cleaning the build plate with isopropyl alcohol definitely is quicker, but cleaning it with soap and water is a reasonably close second place.
Yep. A routine wash with soap and water is a great idea since using strictly IPA can also sometimes make your print wind up having a somewhat invisible swirl mark pattern on the first layer (easily noticable if you use transparent PETG after only cleaning with IPA for a little while), but for the most part, there's more benefits than drawbacks to using IPA as the go-to cleaner.
If you are cleaning after every print that is a bit excessive. Cleaning often with an inferior method isn’t as good as just cleaning less often with a better method. If you properly clean a bed with soap and water then it will last a large number of prints before it needs cleaned again, there is no need to clean it between every print unless you use an adhesive like glue stick or hairspray and if you need that you should just get a better bed anyway. Printing on the bed does not dirty it. Washing the bed doesn’t take long either, just a couple of minutes at most and a wipe with a towel afterwards.
#8 - Yep, learned that after 4 failures on a printer that had been sticking perfectly with the same filament and settings because I was in a rush and just did an Isopropyl wipe down. After 4 failures, I removed the bed plate and washed it with Dial soap and warm water. Next print run succeeded and I'm a soap fan for life.
#1: I actually suggest 3D printing plastic spatulas, there are plenty of patterns online, and if you bought a Prusa Mk4 it's actually one of the files on the USB stick that comes with the printer. Makes removing stubborn prints a lot easier and won't ruin the build plate like a metal one would. Also - I'm a big fan of PEI, especially the gold colored stuff, prints seem to stick well with no glue stick. #5: You know what annoys me? When somebody uploads a print to an online site in the wrong orientation. If you're going to share the print with the world, please make sure it's in the correct orientation to print.
I don't upload anything, but files that I've designed and exported from Fusion 360 get rotated 90 degrees in Cura. And if you really can't figure out which way to print an object to make it stronger and don't understand basic material strength, layer adhesion and forces, maybe 3d printing isn't for you. Even for artistic objects you need to think about how the layers will form.
@@tomclanys I'm not familiar with Fusion 360 (Linux user), but keep in mind that in 3D printing, the +Z axis is up from the bed. That is the most important axis to get right, since it's perpendicular to the layers. X is left/right, Y is front/back. Usually not as important, but something to keep in mind if you're making large prints that will almost fill a plate and you want it to work on printers with a rectangular bed (such as a Prusa). If it doesn't work like that, might want to check settings and export options, can't be specific as again I'm not familiar with the software.
@@logicalfundy Yeah, but when you model something it's nice to have it in an orientation that makes sense. For example if I was modelling bracket for a shelf I'd model it in the orientation that it gets installed, but when I export it I'd need to rotate it away from that in the slicer to whatever orientation prints the best
My Neptune 3 pro had a plastic spatula in the box. Not 3d printed, "real" manufactured. Wrong orientation of models used to annoy me as well, but then I installed Orca Slicer (derived from Bambulab Studio) and there is a nice bit "button" there that automatically reorients the model for you the best way possible. It does have a caveat though, it doesn't know which way force is going to be applied to the object so the results aren't always perfect. You should also consider this: you don't always know the person who made the 3d model. They may be someone with very little to no experience in 3d printing, and thus may not be able to make a good decision about the best orientation to print the object. I prefer to rethink the orientation anyway.
I orient things whichever way I think will make modeling easier. It's not too much work to reorient an STL model once imported into the slicer, and doing so trains you for finding the right orientation for your own models.
#9: On the topic of 3d prints for outdoors.... I feel like the MAIN time you'd have an issue using PLA for something outdoors is if that particular item is meant for in your car (or a shed or somewhere that doesn't have good temperature regulation) or is constantly in direct sunlight. PLA starts to soften at 60C/140F, so in most cases it would be OK, even if it's just something you need to throw together in a pinch until you can get a proper fix or something.
Last July I placed my Ender 3 outside to print ABS. The outside heat was enough to soften almost all mods. But an ashtray printed in PLA still looks the same after a 1.5 years outside in the same spot. I think the issue is load on the printed parts while they're warm, even at 50-55°C. The ashtray has no loads or weight twisting or pressing on it. Meanwhile the mods had belts, z-screws or even the weight of the BLTouch to provide an external force.
@@roderickborg952 Yes, in the absense of external stress we can minimize problems with approaching the temperature limits of that particular plastic. This is why various plastics have heat deflection testing done to test that limit. That being said, gravity is a force, objects can still move and settle with simply heat and nothing else. Add to that the bridges on a part and the non solid infill and you can still find pieces moving out of tolerance, but that probably doesn't matter for 99.99% of 3d printed parts, so I digress.
@@roderickborg952exactly! If there is no real mechanical load or complex Geometrie PLA will work just fine! But as soon as there is a mechanical load involed even Petg starts to deform in a car
Wall thickness is a great point - the technical term is "second moment of area", and a good way to consider it is that lampposts are tubes, not solid steel as almost all of the strength is in the outer skin, not the core, due to how far away it is from the centre point.
First time I used the X1 carbon I accidentally had it set to the p1p settings. It printed fine but it didn’t do any LiDAR calibration and that’s one thing I really like about the printer. Also having auto bed leveling is a dream after leveling beds manually for years.
Bambu is just killing it. The a1 series is amazing. Auto leveling. Auto flow calibration. A camera and multi color for under 500 bones. Makes this hobby much more about orinting and much less about tinkering
FWIW, Grandma's filament clip is the best clip I've found. Stays secured when clipped, and if you use the version with the pass-thru hole, it doesn't come off the filament and keeps it from getting tangled as it feeds off the roll. Print half a dozen white and half a dozen black and you're good forever. IPA is nice for spritzes between warm soapy waters. I live in San Diego, southern california. I've never had a problem with PLA warping. Unless you live where it's literally impossible to stand outside, you're not going to get over 50 degrees outdoors. Of course, don't leave it inside your closed car. Don't use black if you're leaving it in direct sun. etc. But I think the worry about PLA warping due to sun is overblown. And of course PETG and/or UV-opaque paint cures the heat and UV problem.
Due to many reasons, there’ll be a filament residue left on the build plate which won’t go with soap water. Hence, we need to use IPA. Hope this helps with why!
IPA should stil be last resort. After using my printer for 2 years I lost my adhesion completely. A single wash with dishsoap made the adhesion return as good as new afterwards. IPA soaps are also expensive and difficult to get hold of in some countries. In my country it is considered a special medical cleaning agent and you can only get super strong ones in stores that can likely damage the buildplate itself instead.
@@zefnoly9147 For me it's the opposite. Soapy water doesn't completely clean my PEI sheets. Not only that, it doesn't help with adhesion. I use isopropyl alcohol very often (almost between each print) and my prints have great adhesion, I've never had to use glue or anything else whatever the material (PLA/PETG/ASA/PA-CF/TPU/...). If the first layer doesn't hold well: a little alcohol and it's back on. And no problem with any of my sheets that are here for 2 years and are used multiple times a week.
IPA is a good choice to clean the bed before/after each print to remove reside... at least for PEI coated (flat or textured) surfaces. It's not a replacement for a soapy water rinse. That's still necessary every once in a while for the reasons mentioned in the video, but is everyone else really washing their build plate for each print?
I completely disagree that there's "no reason why you'd need to use Isopropyl Alcohol". I use IPA to spread the layer of glue I have on the build plate very thinly. I then might print a small part that doesn't take up the whole bed, and instead of applying more glue, I simply spray a bit of IPA on the bed and use it to respread the remaining glue on the bed. This generally gives me up to 4 or 5 prints before I wash the plate and apply fresh glue. This results in a really consistent thin layer of glue.
@@tsepash a common misconception is that the main reason for using glue in 3D printing is to get prints to stick better. Though it can sometimes help with that, it's far more useful for getting prints to release more easily, which preserves the life of your build plate. I rarely have issues getting prints to stick, but I use glue as a release agent.
@@tehhamstah it isn’t a common misconception at all, the main reason for using a glue stick is to increase adhesion. If you use the correct build surface for your material then it will release fine, you buy a build surface to use, if you always use glue stick then you might as well just use a glass sheet, if you use the build surface properly then you won’t have any problem with its life. If you need a release agent for PLA or other basic materials then there is something wrong.
@@conorstewart2214 It really depends on the type of build plate you're using and even more so, the type of material you're printing. There are a lot of plastics that will cling to a build plate strongly enough to tear off the coating if you don't use a release agent.
@@tehhamstah that comes under using the correct build surface for your material, which I already mentioned. If the material is tearing off the coating you are using the wrong build surface or the wrong settings. Also if you don't let the build surface cool enough then it can remove the coating. So if you use the correct build surface for your material and with certain surfaces if you let it cool enough it won't remove the coating.
Just learned the tip about filaments being different temps today. Had two PLAs that I thought were the same but one prints at 190 and the other (matterhackers) prints at 205. Your video would've saved me some time! Good info about the walls too, wasn't too keen on that one but your visuals helped.
About the buildplate cleaning, we may agree on a disagree. I use both IPA and "soapy" water (water + dish cleaning liquid). It all depends on the context (material to be printed, last printed material). Yet, every few weeks, my buildplates are cleaned using soapy water.
Wish i had known the "Wrong material for outdoor use" sooner. I once printed a phone adapter for my car - and it worked flawlessly. At least until summer hit and i had to leave my car in the most exposed sunny spot on earth. It was.. a mess.
If you have a PEI-coated build plate, the general rule of thumb: PLA - wipe with 99% isopropanol, PETG - wipe with Windex. If you're not using a gluestick, isopropanol wiping without removing the bed from the printer is faster than using soapy water, wipes fingerprints perfectly and leaves very little to no residue. Use 99%, not 70%, as in the video.
"There's really no benefit to using IPA over warm soapy water" Sure there is, I can leave the build plate in place and give it a quick IPA wipe. 5 seconds vs. minutes to pull, rinse, soap, wash, dry, and replace. If you're not using a glue stick, anyway. But then if you're using a glue stick regularly, IMO that's a bit of a band-aid covering up some other deficiency.
I clean build plates with dish soap, warm water, and a veggie brush. Removes glue stick super easy. If you have remnants that wont release from the build surface print a small "coin" over the offending piece and it will come up with the removal of the part. Let cool completely so it is nice and stiff before removing.
Another tip (not really a mistake or sin): If you're modelling to fit onto an object, start with 0.2 mm tolerance. This seems to be the typical tolerance both for plastic printed and metal machined parts. There are some tolerance guides, but those are to fit two printed parts together. Also, check to see if your slicer program allows you to change "wall ordering" > "outside to inside". I haven't had much success with the setting, but it doesn't hurt as the printer will print with better dimensional accuracy.
Potentially of note, wall ordering affects its ability to handle overhangs. Outside-first should be fine up to 45 degrees or so, but inside-first I can manage a hair over 60. (Also somewhat dependent on layer height.)
@@JeronimoStilton14 you generally start with that due to expansion of the printed part, you can tighten the tolerance then if you want. Printers generally need to be calibrated to produce very precise parts.
After 2 years of using my printer on/off with a "decent" avoidance of touching the plate, I eventually lost adhesion. Finding ispropanol in my country is very difficult. The only other option was the even stronger kind of cleaning agents that would likely ruin the plate instead. So I did the dishsoap option in warm water. This worked PERFECTLY! The plate was as good as the day I bought the printer afterwards, no Glue or anything needed. This was with a Prusa MK3S printer anyways... Dishsoap, like green dishsoap and warm water. And some cloth to rub with, will do fine! Or should do fine. Also if you only print with PLA. You can use cotton sticks to clean the nozzle of your printer. When my nozzle gets too dirty, I remove the PLA reels from it and I manually turn on PLA heat on the nozzle. Then I use cotton sticks to gently swab away the molten PLA grease on the nozzle until it is completely clean. This also prevents the nozzle from scratching up with the metallic brushes some printer producers recommend. Although I only recommend cotton sticks for PLA cleaning. Hotter settings might not be good for the cotton. Regardless with PLA only printers cotton sticks can easily absorb and pull the molten PLA away like wax. I even got my Printer head 100% clean once like new after I had a blob appear once...
The biggest mistake is not learning CAD or sculpting! Theres a lot of designs that aren't quite what i want out there, I'm not sure having a printer would be worth it if I couldn't do my own models. When I first learned about orientation I thought the guy who showed us must hve been a super genuis! For removing prints that don't want to go, if the putty knife doesn't work, the best tool is an ultra thin artist pallete knife. I love using glue stick, it works pretty much every time. If I need to clean I wipe with IPA, I don have a removable bed. IMHO auto level isn't really worth it unless you have spare cash, you can save a lot just by not going for autolevel. My black PLA weather vane survived the summer, but it was painted and urethaned, maybe that helped hold its shape?
LOOOOOOOOOL. First part is exactly what my beginner mistake was. And I needed tons of time to figure that out. Once I started rubbing alcohol and the build plate every time my builds where 1000x better
To get stuff of a built plate, if you have a magnetic or otherwise detachable one just take it off and flex it back and forth a couple times until the print either pops off or starts pealing. Don’t do this with smaller prints as you will end up bending the build plate to far and overtime it can weaken the plate in the middle
A comment about your "But you gotta level the bed" bit. -- I run a shop that repairs 3D printers, and I will tell you 90% of the time it isn't anything to do with leveling the bed. Everyone keeps reiterating this, but when it comes to Ender 3's and other kit-in-a-box printers, if you don't build it right, you will NEVER get it level correctly despite how easy it is to do. So I regularly have customers that come in that say "I've been trying to level my bed for 10 hours!"... And Auto Bed Leveling will NOT solve an unlevel (un-trammed) bed if something is mechanically wrong with your printer.
Yeah, working with machine tools has helped me prevent this because I know that a "level" surface won't matter if the axes are not square to each other.
Tip to release a print; Just take off the plate as a whole and put it on something cold, like a tile floor, or even hold it under cold water. The print will release mostly by itself...
PEI build plate, spray it with a tiny travel spray bottle I found in the travel section of a drug store, with 91% (or higher) IPAlcohol and wipe with a clean (only ever used for this) microfiber cloth between prints. Never have adhesion issues, and if I'm patient enough to let it cool completely off, the print literally falls off. No scrapers, no lifts, no glue sticks, no washing with dish liquid.
seriously 😀 there are thousands of How to ...3D printing for beginners....great quality video, but i think there are more than enough of them out there
As far as build plate cleaning, I use alcohol wipes between prints. Soap and water after every few prints. Never use your pliers to pry off the plate. They will break and your a lot more likely to damage the surface.
To get under parts that don't want to let go of the build plate, I usually use "paint knives". (set of them is usually less than ten bucks online) Unlike these normal spatulas they don't have fully sharp edges, are thinner and therefore pose less of a damage risk to the parts and can work themself into thinner gaps.
Thank you very much. You are saying some things that seem to contradict what everybody else says, which can mean either you are wrong or you are saying only what you personally experience - no matter how many people say different. Again and again I tried to "calibrate" my printers according to the common advise and have found myself un-doing everything because it just made the results worse. I never tried the isopropinol advice because I didn't think it made sense (we use soap to clean grease all the time. Why not here?!), but how can I be sure I am not mistaken? glad to see you actually think the same. The fact that washing something with a lot of liquid is more effective then wiping it with a small amount is something I didn't even think of, and it does make a lot of sense.
I use a glue stick for adhesion, but it releases better after the print, too. I used the paper method for leveling the original bed. It crached and scarred the bed. I used a business card to set the reoolacement and brought the bed up after printing bed level tests.
7:02 #8 Many people use ipa because its a lot faster and often unless your print is very wide and flat or tall there wont be almost any noticeable difference.
LOL this first Sin of touching the bed with fingers instantly counteracted with use a sharp metal scrapping tool and pokey plyers to remove stuff, which is sin #0.
Disagree on two points 1. Do adjust slicer settings. Why not? It's your print. 2. Such a sinful image of the spatula with sharp edges! If you've used them and damaged your bed, grind the corners off. I've ruined 4 beds. Then I ground the corner of mine. Never damage a bed since.
6:24 In case of my X1C, the gluestick is intended to be used as a release agent, for the cool plate only. It's there to ensure the prints don't stick too well too the buildplate and rip off the pre-applied film.
I have these isopropyl alcohol wipes that I use to wipe down the build plate before each print. Much easier than taking it off to go to the bathroom to wash it off then dry it. It also cleans it just fine! I never have an issue.
*All* of my speed increases are NOT gained by increasing the mm/s. I increase the size of the internal perimeters/infill/solid infill layers. This makes big thick ugly and STRONG lines on the INSIDE of the print. It's smart, especially for functional parts. Also to isopropyl alcohol is for people who are good for people who aren't touching their print beds. I use dish soap and water every once in a while...but then I use a few sprays (Yes, I use a spray bottle, a single bottle of drug store higher-proof rubbing alcohol will last a year or more if you just use less from the get go, I even re-use the paper towel a few times) It just gets residues from the filament and dust off of the build plate. The alcohol is also really clutch for spraying a bit on the bed and then watching your parts pop off the bed almost instantly (depending on geometry, but it's soooo satisfying) The water/alcohol encourages quicker cooling from the bed.
Also...there's some kind of reaction with PEI and alcohol, alcohol isn't necessary for build-tak or whatever surface you'r using. It's necessary for PEI.
1. Its not that bad to touch the build plate. If you have a pei sheet it would still work. 2. If you use metal tools on the metal printing surfaces you will certainly damage the printing surface coating and the parts wont stick. Wait for the bed to cool if you have troubles taking parts off the build plate. 3. If you use glue with steel sheets you're doing something wrong as these print surfaces are already treated with either a pei foil or the texturing. 4. Use glue/painters tape only if you have a glass bed. And use glue especially if you print PETG on a glass bed as to not damage the glass. 5. FIRST COMES TRAMMING THE PRINTER which is more important(imo) and applies to printers with and without an ABL probe. After you can level the bed. 6. IPA does 90 of the job when cleaning but if it still seems greasy or you actually dropped grease or something like that wash the plate with DISH soap not hand soap as hand soap may cointain moisturising agents such as, what do you know, oil. 7. For outside use the safest choice is petg. ABS and ASA are both harder to print and both contain styrene which releases harmful gasses so you shouldn't print with those in rooms that are either poorly ventilated or in rooms in which you work or stay.
The best scrapers are the ones that use plastic razor blades. Despite being sharper (and thus better able to get under the print), it's a lot harder for the blades to damage the print bed or your hands. Major win.
I use 99% iso right after every print while the bed is warm and then again before a print when the bed is warming. I keep clean microfiber towels at the station and launder them as needed. Currently using a comgrow glass bed. No adhesion problems. I use plastic putty scrapers to avoid damaging parts or the bed coating (3 for $4 at Harbor Freight.)
An advice for beginners: If you ever install a new firmware you have to level the bed again. Especially if it's a printer without an Z-axis end switch and auto leveling. I learned the hard way and ruined my work plate.
Done right, isopropyl is faster and just as clean as warm soapy water. If you just squirt some on your build plate and smear stuff around, then you're absolutely right. But being methodical and using a quality rag goes a long way. MUCH faster than bringing it into the kitchen to clean it like a dish after every build...
I need to pick my printer apart and clean it. It's been collecting dust and grease for 10+ years now and just isn't very happy any more. I still think it's impressive that it has worked flawlessly for about 10 years before giving in to the environment. The kitchen really isn't the kindest environment either.
Just a detail, but it should be mentioned this is focused on FDM/FFF printers. “3D printers/ing” cover a vast number of other processes (FDM/FFF, SLA, EBM, DMLS, Polyjet/multijet, ultrasonic consolidation, MJF, SLS, etc….) where some of these don’t necessarily apply
Overall some great tips! Couple thoughts from my experience, not better, just another perspective. - Imho, IPA has worked well for me as the in-between. At least on PEI plates. Meaning every other print or so I use IPA, in circles starting at the center to push grease to the outside. Then every so often i soap and water it up. - PEI plates in my experience actually don't stick as well as standard, but when they cool down parts are super easy to remove, like you don't need anything in most cases the part just comes off. So having both is really helpful. - For my ender 3's (S1 pro and the V3 SE), in most cases i'm just setting the print speed in the slicer (M220 S300 for 300% speed) to 200% or 300% and it pretty really well, quality is great, and it's much quicker. But if you have a bambu labs you are probably already faster than that at the normal setting :D
I thought the same about PEI, but have you tried sanding it down? I recently did it with 2000 grit, VERY lightly, and as even as possible, and it’s made a huge difference for me personally!
Yeah, I learned some of those the hard, but more memorable, way. Haha Just wanted to add to filament storage that for storing filament I always heard about the importance of keeping humidity below 45% for PLA and below 30% for PETG, TPU, and some others. I have all sorts of 3D-printed desiccant containers with reusable silica beads in weatherproof-seal boxes where I store the filament and monitor them with Govee hygrometers on their app.
There is other important mistake who new do! They dont chose correct BUILD PLATE ADHISION in sliser software! Depens of object to print this settings are different :) NICE VIDEO BUDDY!
Don’t print 100% infill, 90-95% at most, but even then the strength gain past 40% infill gets exponentially less. There’s a few good tests on UA-cam showcasing this.
Correction on #7: Cleaning (For glass beds not PEI sheets) No shade to the author, but I'm guessing the author doesn't use glass print beds you find on printers like the Longer series. Your glass bed is likely bolted down with heavy duty clips and removing/handling the giant glass plate is not ideal. And assuming you don't use a glue stick or tape on your glass bed, there are two types of cleaning you'll need to do. Type 1: basic grease and finger gunk: which you can absolutely use rubbing alcohol for, and polish the plate with a microfiber cloth. Type 2: left over print residue(PLA): Sometimes you'll get a sort of ghost residue in the shape of the contact of your print that prevents adhesion and the alcohol won't completely remove. In this case, a paper towel with a bit of acetone(nail polish remover) applied directly to the paper towel or cloth, will dissolve the left over PLA just rub in circles until its gone, dry with another paper towel and use the alcohol method in type one to get anything leftover. For extra stubborn residue I find warming the print bed helps the acetone wipe it away. I don't know if acetone will work on other material residue, like petg or abs, I've not worked with them personally. And I'm sure it doesn't need to be said, but don't use any abrasive scrubbers on the glass beds, paper towel or similar cloth should do fine. As always, handle the acetone carefully and make sure your area is properly ventilated.
tbh i just used a can of air to release my prints as it rapidly cools the prints without having to wait. also textured beds don't require any glue so is simpler to use and less messy. plus if you want to clean your build plate use isopropyl alcohol spray and some kitchen roll when its fully cooled of and the printer is turned of. also bed levelling probes are super easy to install and are cheap especially for ender printers as they have the creality levelling probe that comes with the brackets ready to just bolt straight on
I really don’t get why you would encourage people to use a basic bed with glue. I have never once used glue for my 3Dprints. I use textured plates almost exclusively, it is much easier,less messy and more convenient than using glue.
IPA is for quick cleaning and soapy water is when IPA doesn't do the trick. I rarely have to weash the build plates, usually IPA does the trick and I get good adhesion. I also have never had to use gluestick as adhesion or release agent. That's why you have different sheets.
"There's no reason why you'd use isoproply alcohol instead of warm, soapy water" aside from proximity to a sink, lol. I have a small squeeze bottle of alcohol on the printer bench.
0:09 *laughs in blue painters tape* 1:05 *laughs in locked leveling wheels and bltouch* 5:00 *laughs in top mounted filament dryer that feeds directly to the hot end* 5:24 *laughs in 100 percent infill for most prints* 6:08 *laughs AGAIN in blue painters tape* 7:14 *laughs in PETG* Technically you only mentioned 7 sins since 1 and 7 are the same thing and so is 4 and 8. You should sin 7 with modifying a printer too much before actually using it, and replace 4 with not considering personal use case when buying a printer.
I don't have to take the buildplate to the IPA, I can take the IPA to the buildplate :) Less risk of breaking the glass too by frequently carrying it around.
I have a glass board and use a ceran cooking field scraper. The ones with the razorblade. The board must be completely cooled off (huge factor, even 30°C sticks like hell, 23°C not anymore). With the razorblade usually thats enough and if not i pry up a corner to make space for the more sturdy standard metal spatula and just shove it under the blade. Buy a ceran field scraper which is supported at the back of the razorblades. With some cheap ones the blades slip over some notch into the device when too mich force is applied.
I still use isopropyl alcohol for the ease of it and I haven’t had build plate adhesion problems. My printers are in the basement and I don’t want to regularly bring my plates upstairs to be cleaned so I just buy isopropyl alcohol wipes and they haven’t failed me.
I sharpen one side of my putty knife blade (then remember which side is "up") as I would a machinist scraper so the thin edge more easily gets under the brim or print edge. I don't print in my regular living space and my shop has excellent air exchange but were that not the case I'd make an AGGESSIVE fume extractor to exhaust fumes out a window (or if using a windowless room, add a common dryer vent through the wall to keep out vermin). Blowing air isn't difficult and no toy is worth respiratory problems.
id argue alcohol is way more convenient and a very quick can-do before every single print compared to soap and water, therefore it's the better goto cleaning method
IPA is much faster. You don't use it instead of soap water, you use it between full washes when your bed isn't that dirty but may have a finger print or two
Nobody should ever have to manually level a printer bed: printers with automatic bed leveling are available as low as around $200 now, so the entire potential price range is covered by printers than can auto-level. Printers without this feature should be ignored in purchasing decisions. As for isopropyl alcohol, it *does* have an advantage: it's way faster to spray some on the bed and wipe it off. If you're not having adhesion issues, I'd suggest that you can get away with just a quick spritz and wipe with isopropyl most of the time, and a full wash with dish soap for an occasional deep clean.
I mean... I very rarely clean my ender 3 pro default printbed, swipe it with my hand sometimes, and never got a problem with it... And if someone has problems with the adhesion, you can still print with a little border to stick it more
But wiping printbed with izopropil alcohol (acetone, regular alcohol, you name it) - is simply faster than bringing buildplate to the sink, wash there and wait til it dry. Wipe the bed in-place and start new print right away, done.
Don't use flush cuts or "pliers" as they are called in this video. They are high carbon steel and are NOT meant for prying. The tips will break very easy. #1 Tip, just let the bed cool. As the bed cools it shrinks. The plastic will shrink at a different rate, this will release the print.
no it dont
@oneredpanda9933 odd because this is how I release ALL my prints and my bed looks almost new after nearly 3 years. I guess in your world all materials cool, expand, and contract all at the same rate. For the rest of us, here in the real world, that is not the case.
take the build plate off the heated bed. the heat bed takes a bit to cool down, but the thin sheet of metal will cool down pretty fast if not heated from below.
@@oneredpanda9933 Yeah it do
@@jamiemacdonald436 my bed dont do that. the parts stick and I have to use something to pull it off
1. Touching the bed
2. Not leveling bed properly
3. Printing too fast
4. Wrong material settings
5. Not considering print orientation
6. Not storing filament properly
7. Cleaning with ipa instead of soap+water
8. Using PLA for outdoor parts
9. Adjusting slicer settings too much
But I wanted to hear him say warm soapy water 30 times to pad the video length!
Thanks u saved me 7:15 min of my life time ^^ ur my hero for today
6.5: wall count/material selection/infill percent
How do I change the print orientation because I haven't used a 3D printer before
I prefer to use Bestine rubber cement thinner (heptane) as an industrial, graphic designer, and illustrator. I've used it for years. It cuts grease and oil and dries instantly. It is flammable, but in more than fifty years, I've never had a problem.
I'd like to add one important aspect that gets neglected often, mostly in private use. Since no private person is forced to do a risk assesment the material choice of the filament needs to considered carefully due to hazardous properties. As I do this stuff at work I cannot understand why on earth anyone without a proper ventilation and filtersystem (just opening a window is not suffcient) would want to print ABS/ASA/Vinyl/HIPS/PPS. ABS/ASA contains styrol which lowers fertility and comes with high regulation at workplace use. It also gets metabolised fast into other toxic substanced in your body after skin contact or respiration. Vinyl straight up releases formaldehyde into the air. So please check the safe datasheet of any filament you want to use and see which chemicals are in there, at what tempreture do they react/disolve and what do they do.
How about just regular PETG or PLA for indoors?
I'd say it's because they simply don't know about it, and/or haven't really researched any of the above consequences
I got made fun of on reddit for putting my printer inside of a grow tent and running ducting out the window through a 3d printed fitting. At least my balls won't shrink!
@@UneducatedEngineer444 bruh wtf, that's literally what you're supposed to do 💀... unless you're doing it for regular PLA, which isn't necessary
@@marcosaguilar8504petg
Counterpoint to using isopropyl alcohol for cleaning: what if you dont use glue because you have a decent build plate that doesn't require it and do it frequently?
Every time I start a print, I'll give a few sprays of alcohol and wipe with a microfiber cloth (specifically for this purpose). With this method, I have both rarely had bed adhesion issues (less than 1% of prints) and each wipe down takes about 15 seconds (during which time the bed is heating up, anyway) as opposed to having to take the build plate off and thoroughly wash it during time I could be doing anything else (and during which time it can't be used for printing)
I never use glue, and also wipe down with isopropyl between prints. That said, every month or so I use soap and water, and I get better adhesion from that then when I only have been using IPA.
The reason? While soap and IPA both do great in dissolving oil or dirt, the process of using running water makes sure they are completely washed away, while only wiping with a cloth can leave some behind that will remain when the alcohol dries. So if you find that you're typical wipe down isn't working, try rinsing.
That said, whatever works is different for each person. There are definitely downsides if you're removing your plate, running it in the sink, and letting it dry Everytime.
Edit: I hadn't gotten that far in the video and didn't realize he said the exact same things. Oops.
Also many printers out there don't even have a flexbed or easily removable bed, and you don't want soapy water near your electronics, whereas isopropyl alcohol is fine and forgiving as long as the printer is powered down because it evaporates quickly
*Whatever works best for you, don't fix what isn't broken. Even with the isopropyl and microfiber method, I used to have bed adhesion problems maybe 10% of the time, especially if the object has a small footprint. I ran a glue stick over the plate and noticed when it heats up, it gets tacky. When it cools down, it doesn't feel like there's anything on it. But I don't even bother cleaning my plate now and it's been over a month. Adhesion has been solid for every print. Not conventional, but I'm not fixing what isn't broken.*
Not every time, but Iso is more likely to smear grease instead of breaking it down like dish soap
I use hair spray as my interface and IPA tends to work better for removing that.
Me 9 seconds after unboxing my first ender 3
Me after my 3rd bed nozzle crash with its belts soul crushing sound
Thats awesome, welcome bro
But you need to build the ender 3...
😂
So true
The comments on isopropyl alcohol have an image of highlighted text showing ethanol. Ethanol and isopropyl are different chemicals. Additionally, you used 70% isopropyl in your video. I have had bad experience with anything less than 90%.
"PVA’s solubility in isopropyl alcohol is even less than in ethanol. So, IPA is generally not a good solvent for PVA."
I use medical grade 99% IPA for my standard cleaning and about once a month I wash it with soap and water to get any debris out of the texture but then use IPA to displace the water.
99% IPA removes grease so much more than 70% and I would argue better than soap and water.
Edit: I never use glue
Not trying to be contrarian, but for me, 70% IPA on my Ender 3v2 glass bed with the self-releasing surface works completely fine about 95% of the time. I haven't tried other build surfaces though.
@@3DPrinterAcademy I tried glue-stick once... I'm definitely sticking with Aquanet hair spray. It works amazingly well and far easier to work with than a glue-sick.
I occasionally use 99.9% isopropyl to redistribute the film, and if the bed gets too gunked up (takes a while), only then do I remove it to wash with Dawn dishwashing detergent (never soap, it leaves too much of a film).
Both soap and my local tap water leave residue on the build surface that prevents adhesion. The process I have found to give the best results *by far* is to clean left over glue stick, oils, and anything else off using water, either completely avoiding or using an absolute minimum amount of soap, wipe off with paper towel, then follow up with a quick clean with isopropyl to remove the residue from the water (and soap); the isopropyl also helps remove all moisture. Following that I do my glue stick application rituals.
I use IPA on toilet paper. IPA dissolves any grease and paper absorbs it. Any leftover IPA evaporates as soon as I start printing due to bed heating up. One of the advantages of that method is the fact I can do it between the prints without even turning printer off.
There are also liquids that combine IPA, some kind of detergent and distilled water to make an universal cleaning solution for printed circuit boards and 2D printers...
You could buy or make distilled water. That doesn't have any minerals in.
Dawn dish soap and water made a huge difference for me when I was having issues with large articulated prints failing. I had been using a paper towel soaked with isopropyl before this.
Pick a soap without moisturizer and make sure to dry the build surface real well to prevent rust.
Most metal build surfaces are coated, usually with PEI, so there is pretty much no chance of it rusting and if it does rust it is probably just the edges that rust, not the actual build surface.
If you are having your build surfaces rust you are doing something very wrong.
Isopropyl alcohol works really well when you need a quick wipe.
Another thing you must never do with your fdm printer is turning it off too soon. The mistake I made in the begining. If you turn it off, when hotend is still hot, your cooling fan turns off and filament starts melting, where it should not be melted, and when you turn on the next time, your hotend is completely stuck. (sorry if my english is not good)
Great point! I can’t believe this wasn’t in the list in this video!
Yep took me years to figure out why my v6 kept clogging and then I realised by cooling fan would shut off at the end of a print.
There is absolutely a beenfit to using isopropyl alcohol. It flashes of almost immediately, and you can clean your built plate easily while in place. Soap and water does work great, but you have to take the build plate to a sink or something and then wait for it to dry before using. Wiping down the plate with IPA takes about 10 seconds and the alcohol is flashed off in less time than that. Just keep a bottle of IPA and a rag by your printer. I do a quick wipe before nearly eveyr print.
While taking the build plate to the sink for washing is a bit of an inconvenience, waiting for the build plate to dry after washing it is a non-issue. Less than 20 seconds with a towel gets the build plate dry enough that I can immediately take it to the printer, install the plate, and start printing. The build plate tends to naturally shrug off water, so it's quick and easy to dry it off. As an added bonus I've just washed my hands as well, so I don't have to worry about greasy fingers when handling the build plate.
Cleaning the build plate with isopropyl alcohol definitely is quicker, but cleaning it with soap and water is a reasonably close second place.
Yep. A routine wash with soap and water is a great idea since using strictly IPA can also sometimes make your print wind up having a somewhat invisible swirl mark pattern on the first layer (easily noticable if you use transparent PETG after only cleaning with IPA for a little while), but for the most part, there's more benefits than drawbacks to using IPA as the go-to cleaner.
If you are cleaning after every print that is a bit excessive. Cleaning often with an inferior method isn’t as good as just cleaning less often with a better method. If you properly clean a bed with soap and water then it will last a large number of prints before it needs cleaned again, there is no need to clean it between every print unless you use an adhesive like glue stick or hairspray and if you need that you should just get a better bed anyway. Printing on the bed does not dirty it.
Washing the bed doesn’t take long either, just a couple of minutes at most and a wipe with a towel afterwards.
#8 - Yep, learned that after 4 failures on a printer that had been sticking perfectly with the same filament and settings because I was in a rush and just did an Isopropyl wipe down. After 4 failures, I removed the bed plate and washed it with Dial soap and warm water. Next print run succeeded and I'm a soap fan for life.
0:27 - scratching your bed visibly with your pliers while telling people that would be better.
#1: I actually suggest 3D printing plastic spatulas, there are plenty of patterns online, and if you bought a Prusa Mk4 it's actually one of the files on the USB stick that comes with the printer. Makes removing stubborn prints a lot easier and won't ruin the build plate like a metal one would. Also - I'm a big fan of PEI, especially the gold colored stuff, prints seem to stick well with no glue stick.
#5: You know what annoys me? When somebody uploads a print to an online site in the wrong orientation. If you're going to share the print with the world, please make sure it's in the correct orientation to print.
I don't upload anything, but files that I've designed and exported from Fusion 360 get rotated 90 degrees in Cura.
And if you really can't figure out which way to print an object to make it stronger and don't understand basic material strength, layer adhesion and forces, maybe 3d printing isn't for you. Even for artistic objects you need to think about how the layers will form.
@@tomclanys I'm not familiar with Fusion 360 (Linux user), but keep in mind that in 3D printing, the +Z axis is up from the bed. That is the most important axis to get right, since it's perpendicular to the layers.
X is left/right, Y is front/back. Usually not as important, but something to keep in mind if you're making large prints that will almost fill a plate and you want it to work on printers with a rectangular bed (such as a Prusa).
If it doesn't work like that, might want to check settings and export options, can't be specific as again I'm not familiar with the software.
@@logicalfundy Yeah, but when you model something it's nice to have it in an orientation that makes sense. For example if I was modelling bracket for a shelf I'd model it in the orientation that it gets installed, but when I export it I'd need to rotate it away from that in the slicer to whatever orientation prints the best
My Neptune 3 pro had a plastic spatula in the box. Not 3d printed, "real" manufactured.
Wrong orientation of models used to annoy me as well, but then I installed Orca Slicer (derived from Bambulab Studio) and there is a nice bit "button" there that automatically reorients the model for you the best way possible. It does have a caveat though, it doesn't know which way force is going to be applied to the object so the results aren't always perfect.
You should also consider this: you don't always know the person who made the 3d model. They may be someone with very little to no experience in 3d printing, and thus may not be able to make a good decision about the best orientation to print the object. I prefer to rethink the orientation anyway.
I orient things whichever way I think will make modeling easier. It's not too much work to reorient an STL model once imported into the slicer, and doing so trains you for finding the right orientation for your own models.
#9: On the topic of 3d prints for outdoors.... I feel like the MAIN time you'd have an issue using PLA for something outdoors is if that particular item is meant for in your car (or a shed or somewhere that doesn't have good temperature regulation) or is constantly in direct sunlight. PLA starts to soften at 60C/140F, so in most cases it would be OK, even if it's just something you need to throw together in a pinch until you can get a proper fix or something.
Last July I placed my Ender 3 outside to print ABS. The outside heat was enough to soften almost all mods. But an ashtray printed in PLA still looks the same after a 1.5 years outside in the same spot.
I think the issue is load on the printed parts while they're warm, even at 50-55°C. The ashtray has no loads or weight twisting or pressing on it. Meanwhile the mods had belts, z-screws or even the weight of the BLTouch to provide an external force.
@@roderickborg952 Yes, in the absense of external stress we can minimize problems with approaching the temperature limits of that particular plastic. This is why various plastics have heat deflection testing done to test that limit.
That being said, gravity is a force, objects can still move and settle with simply heat and nothing else. Add to that the bridges on a part and the non solid infill and you can still find pieces moving out of tolerance, but that probably doesn't matter for 99.99% of 3d printed parts, so I digress.
@@roderickborg952 plus the added heat of the hotend and build plate... Possibly the power supply a bit, too.
Usually it starts to deform at like 40 to 50 degrees depending on the mechanical load
@@roderickborg952exactly! If there is no real mechanical load or complex Geometrie PLA will work just fine! But as soon as there is a mechanical load involed even Petg starts to deform in a car
Wall thickness is a great point - the technical term is "second moment of area", and a good way to consider it is that lampposts are tubes, not solid steel as almost all of the strength is in the outer skin, not the core, due to how far away it is from the centre point.
3:46 the AMS unit uses chips that are nearly exclusively on the Bambu Lab spools to recognize what filament they are.
First time I used the X1 carbon I accidentally had it set to the p1p settings. It printed fine but it didn’t do any LiDAR calibration and that’s one thing I really like about the printer. Also having auto bed leveling is a dream after leveling beds manually for years.
Bambu is just killing it. The a1 series is amazing. Auto leveling. Auto flow calibration. A camera and multi color for under 500 bones. Makes this hobby much more about orinting and much less about tinkering
Just wait till it starts failling. You will and still need to learn to troubleshoot
FWIW, Grandma's filament clip is the best clip I've found. Stays secured when clipped, and if you use the version with the pass-thru hole, it doesn't come off the filament and keeps it from getting tangled as it feeds off the roll. Print half a dozen white and half a dozen black and you're good forever.
IPA is nice for spritzes between warm soapy waters.
I live in San Diego, southern california. I've never had a problem with PLA warping. Unless you live where it's literally impossible to stand outside, you're not going to get over 50 degrees outdoors. Of course, don't leave it inside your closed car. Don't use black if you're leaving it in direct sun. etc. But I think the worry about PLA warping due to sun is overblown. And of course PETG and/or UV-opaque paint cures the heat and UV problem.
Due to many reasons, there’ll be a filament residue left on the build plate which won’t go with soap water. Hence, we need to use IPA. Hope this helps with why!
IPA should stil be last resort. After using my printer for 2 years I lost my adhesion completely. A single wash with dishsoap made the adhesion return as good as new afterwards. IPA soaps are also expensive and difficult to get hold of in some countries. In my country it is considered a special medical cleaning agent and you can only get super strong ones in stores that can likely damage the buildplate itself instead.
@@zefnoly9147 For me it's the opposite. Soapy water doesn't completely clean my PEI sheets. Not only that, it doesn't help with adhesion.
I use isopropyl alcohol very often (almost between each print) and my prints have great adhesion, I've never had to use glue or anything else whatever the material (PLA/PETG/ASA/PA-CF/TPU/...).
If the first layer doesn't hold well: a little alcohol and it's back on.
And no problem with any of my sheets that are here for 2 years and are used multiple times a week.
@@zefnoly9147 Why not buy a new build plate at that point? Depending on the printer they are pretty cheap.
@@DoomSlayer65why buy a new one if cleaning it with soap restores it?
@@geemy9675 I only meant it if they had tried everything, but they said washing with soap and water worked fine, so no need to buy a new one
IPA is a good choice to clean the bed before/after each print to remove reside... at least for PEI coated (flat or textured) surfaces. It's not a replacement for a soapy water rinse. That's still necessary every once in a while for the reasons mentioned in the video, but is everyone else really washing their build plate for each print?
I completely disagree that there's "no reason why you'd need to use Isopropyl Alcohol". I use IPA to spread the layer of glue I have on the build plate very thinly. I then might print a small part that doesn't take up the whole bed, and instead of applying more glue, I simply spray a bit of IPA on the bed and use it to respread the remaining glue on the bed. This generally gives me up to 4 or 5 prints before I wash the plate and apply fresh glue. This results in a really consistent thin layer of glue.
I have never had the need for glue stick except with this stubborn, old, Polaroid PETG that just needs thrown away, but, your method seems very smart.
@@tsepash a common misconception is that the main reason for using glue in 3D printing is to get prints to stick better. Though it can sometimes help with that, it's far more useful for getting prints to release more easily, which preserves the life of your build plate. I rarely have issues getting prints to stick, but I use glue as a release agent.
@@tehhamstah it isn’t a common misconception at all, the main reason for using a glue stick is to increase adhesion. If you use the correct build surface for your material then it will release fine, you buy a build surface to use, if you always use glue stick then you might as well just use a glass sheet, if you use the build surface properly then you won’t have any problem with its life. If you need a release agent for PLA or other basic materials then there is something wrong.
@@conorstewart2214 It really depends on the type of build plate you're using and even more so, the type of material you're printing. There are a lot of plastics that will cling to a build plate strongly enough to tear off the coating if you don't use a release agent.
@@tehhamstah that comes under using the correct build surface for your material, which I already mentioned. If the material is tearing off the coating you are using the wrong build surface or the wrong settings. Also if you don't let the build surface cool enough then it can remove the coating. So if you use the correct build surface for your material and with certain surfaces if you let it cool enough it won't remove the coating.
Just learned the tip about filaments being different temps today. Had two PLAs that I thought were the same but one prints at 190 and the other (matterhackers) prints at 205. Your video would've saved me some time! Good info about the walls too, wasn't too keen on that one but your visuals helped.
About the buildplate cleaning, we may agree on a disagree. I use both IPA and "soapy" water (water + dish cleaning liquid). It all depends on the context (material to be printed, last printed material).
Yet, every few weeks, my buildplates are cleaned using soapy water.
Wish i had known the "Wrong material for outdoor use" sooner.
I once printed a phone adapter for my car - and it worked flawlessly. At least until summer hit and i had to leave my car in the most exposed sunny spot on earth. It was.. a mess.
If you have a PEI-coated build plate, the general rule of thumb: PLA - wipe with 99% isopropanol, PETG - wipe with Windex. If you're not using a gluestick, isopropanol wiping without removing the bed from the printer is faster than using soapy water, wipes fingerprints perfectly and leaves very little to no residue. Use 99%, not 70%, as in the video.
Everytime he said "warm soapy water" I got Uncomfortable
Thant bad huh?
Same with Pet-g
Iv been 3d printing for nearly 6 years now and have heard very few people call it pet-g
It P-E-T-G
Can someone smart explain why?
Yeah, I did a lot of those a few too many times when I first started. Good video!
The greasy fingers on the build plate kills me a bit inside every time I see it 😅
😂
"There's really no benefit to using IPA over warm soapy water"
Sure there is, I can leave the build plate in place and give it a quick IPA wipe. 5 seconds vs. minutes to pull, rinse, soap, wash, dry, and replace. If you're not using a glue stick, anyway. But then if you're using a glue stick regularly, IMO that's a bit of a band-aid covering up some other deficiency.
I clean build plates with dish soap, warm water, and a veggie brush. Removes glue stick super easy. If you have remnants that wont release from the build surface print a small "coin" over the offending piece and it will come up with the removal of the part. Let cool completely so it is nice and stiff before removing.
Another tip (not really a mistake or sin): If you're modelling to fit onto an object, start with 0.2 mm tolerance. This seems to be the typical tolerance both for plastic printed and metal machined parts. There are some tolerance guides, but those are to fit two printed parts together.
Also, check to see if your slicer program allows you to change "wall ordering" > "outside to inside". I haven't had much success with the setting, but it doesn't hurt as the printer will print with better dimensional accuracy.
Potentially of note, wall ordering affects its ability to handle overhangs. Outside-first should be fine up to 45 degrees or so, but inside-first I can manage a hair over 60. (Also somewhat dependent on layer height.)
Also if making mechanical parts with tight tolerances like gears then use a raft to avoid the elephants foot.
0.2mm is 8thou in Customary units, that is very loose for machined parts.
@@JeronimoStilton14 you generally start with that due to expansion of the printed part, you can tighten the tolerance then if you want. Printers generally need to be calibrated to produce very precise parts.
@@conorstewart2214 I am aware, I am just mentioning it’s not a typical starting tolerance for the majority of metal machining.
After 2 years of using my printer on/off with a "decent" avoidance of touching the plate, I eventually lost adhesion. Finding ispropanol in my country is very difficult. The only other option was the even stronger kind of cleaning agents that would likely ruin the plate instead.
So I did the dishsoap option in warm water. This worked PERFECTLY! The plate was as good as the day I bought the printer afterwards, no Glue or anything needed. This was with a Prusa MK3S printer anyways...
Dishsoap, like green dishsoap and warm water. And some cloth to rub with, will do fine! Or should do fine.
Also if you only print with PLA. You can use cotton sticks to clean the nozzle of your printer. When my nozzle gets too dirty, I remove the PLA reels from it and I manually turn on PLA heat on the nozzle. Then I use cotton sticks to gently swab away the molten PLA grease on the nozzle until it is completely clean. This also prevents the nozzle from scratching up with the metallic brushes some printer producers recommend.
Although I only recommend cotton sticks for PLA cleaning. Hotter settings might not be good for the cotton. Regardless with PLA only printers cotton sticks can easily absorb and pull the molten PLA away like wax. I even got my Printer head 100% clean once like new after I had a blob appear once...
Just now unboxed my new Bambu P1S. It's currently printing off the scraper tool as it's first print thanks to your advice! Great video!
The biggest mistake is not learning CAD or sculpting! Theres a lot of designs that aren't quite what i want out there, I'm not sure having a printer would be worth it if I couldn't do my own models.
When I first learned about orientation I thought the guy who showed us must hve been a super genuis! For removing prints that don't want to go, if the putty knife doesn't work, the best tool is an ultra thin artist pallete knife. I love using glue stick, it works pretty much every time. If I need to clean I wipe with IPA, I don have a removable bed. IMHO auto level isn't really worth it unless you have spare cash, you can save a lot just by not going for autolevel.
My black PLA weather vane survived the summer, but it was painted and urethaned, maybe that helped hold its shape?
LOOOOOOOOOL. First part is exactly what my beginner mistake was. And I needed tons of time to figure that out. Once I started rubbing alcohol and the build plate every time my builds where 1000x better
This video was sponsored by Warm Soapy Water
Dude the soapy water is amazing for cleaning the bed. THANK YOU!
Man I got a Bambu lab A1 after years with the ender 3 and I almost cried tears of joy at how super easy and comfortable it is to work with
Another tip for a better part strength is infill design, cubic is a lot stronger than grid since it's stable more than just vertically
The isopropyl alcohol is for removing the leftover plastic from when you peel your builds off.
To get stuff of a built plate, if you have a magnetic or otherwise detachable one just take it off and flex it back and forth a couple times until the print either pops off or starts pealing. Don’t do this with smaller prints as you will end up bending the build plate to far and overtime it can weaken the plate in the middle
A comment about your "But you gotta level the bed" bit. -- I run a shop that repairs 3D printers, and I will tell you 90% of the time it isn't anything to do with leveling the bed. Everyone keeps reiterating this, but when it comes to Ender 3's and other kit-in-a-box printers, if you don't build it right, you will NEVER get it level correctly despite how easy it is to do. So I regularly have customers that come in that say "I've been trying to level my bed for 10 hours!"... And Auto Bed Leveling will NOT solve an unlevel (un-trammed) bed if something is mechanically wrong with your printer.
Yeah, working with machine tools has helped me prevent this because I know that a "level" surface won't matter if the axes are not square to each other.
The only sin in this video is you taking a pair of pliers to lift a print off the bed.
Tip to release a print; Just take off the plate as a whole and put it on something cold, like a tile floor, or even hold it under cold water. The print will release mostly by itself...
bonus tip. if you use the creality glass bed clean it with acetone so prints come off it when it is cooled down
PEI build plate, spray it with a tiny travel spray bottle I found in the travel section of a drug store, with 91% (or higher) IPAlcohol and wipe with a clean (only ever used for this) microfiber cloth between prints. Never have adhesion issues, and if I'm patient enough to let it cool completely off, the print literally falls off. No scrapers, no lifts, no glue sticks, no washing with dish liquid.
You can add more slots in the part to make it stronger: each slot makes two walls, they are much strong than infill.
7:55 who would want to print at 10,000,000*C💀
I have that exact same ender 3 and I’ve had that issue. So I’ll definitely be watching that video. Thank you for these tips.
seriously 😀 there are thousands of How to ...3D printing for beginners....great quality video, but i think there are more than enough of them out there
As far as build plate cleaning, I use alcohol wipes between prints. Soap and water after every few prints. Never use your pliers to pry off the plate. They will break and your a lot more likely to damage the surface.
To get under parts that don't want to let go of the build plate, I usually use "paint knives". (set of them is usually less than ten bucks online)
Unlike these normal spatulas they don't have fully sharp edges, are thinner and therefore pose less of a damage risk to the parts and can work themself into thinner gaps.
that little up 🔃down 🔄graphic is so helpful
Thank you very much. You are saying some things that seem to contradict what everybody else says, which can mean either you are wrong or you are saying only what you personally experience - no matter how many people say different.
Again and again I tried to "calibrate" my printers according to the common advise and have found myself un-doing everything because it just made the results worse.
I never tried the isopropinol advice because I didn't think it made sense (we use soap to clean grease all the time. Why not here?!), but how can I be sure I am not mistaken? glad to see you actually think the same. The fact that washing something with a lot of liquid is more effective then wiping it with a small amount is something I didn't even think of, and it does make a lot of sense.
I use a glue stick for adhesion, but it releases better after the print, too.
I used the paper method for leveling the original bed. It crached and scarred the bed. I used a business card to set the reoolacement and brought the bed up after printing bed level tests.
7:02 #8 Many people use ipa because its a lot faster and often unless your print is very wide and flat or tall there wont be almost any noticeable difference.
LOL this first Sin of touching the bed with fingers instantly counteracted with use a sharp metal scrapping tool and pokey plyers to remove stuff, which is sin #0.
Disagree on two points
1. Do adjust slicer settings. Why not? It's your print.
2. Such a sinful image of the spatula with sharp edges! If you've used them and damaged your bed, grind the corners off. I've ruined 4 beds. Then I ground the corner of mine. Never damage a bed since.
I actually didn't know the increase wall count rather than infill thing, thanks!
I did not either, i must test this
Thanks man! I'm trying to print something rn, thanks for the cleaning tip! Life saver
6:24 In case of my X1C, the gluestick is intended to be used as a release agent, for the cool plate only. It's there to ensure the prints don't stick too well too the buildplate and rip off the pre-applied film.
I have these isopropyl alcohol wipes that I use to wipe down the build plate before each print. Much easier than taking it off to go to the bathroom to wash it off then dry it. It also cleans it just fine! I never have an issue.
*All* of my speed increases are NOT gained by increasing the mm/s. I increase the size of the internal perimeters/infill/solid infill layers. This makes big thick ugly and STRONG lines on the INSIDE of the print. It's smart, especially for functional parts. Also to isopropyl alcohol is for people who are good for people who aren't touching their print beds. I use dish soap and water every once in a while...but then I use a few sprays (Yes, I use a spray bottle, a single bottle of drug store higher-proof rubbing alcohol will last a year or more if you just use less from the get go, I even re-use the paper towel a few times)
It just gets residues from the filament and dust off of the build plate.
The alcohol is also really clutch for spraying a bit on the bed and then watching your parts pop off the bed almost instantly (depending on geometry, but it's soooo satisfying)
The water/alcohol encourages quicker cooling from the bed.
Also...there's some kind of reaction with PEI and alcohol, alcohol isn't necessary for build-tak or whatever surface you'r using. It's necessary for PEI.
1. Its not that bad to touch the build plate. If you have a pei sheet it would still work.
2. If you use metal tools on the metal printing surfaces you will certainly damage the printing surface coating and the parts wont stick. Wait for the bed to cool if you have troubles taking parts off the build plate.
3. If you use glue with steel sheets you're doing something wrong as these print surfaces are already treated with either a pei foil or the texturing.
4. Use glue/painters tape only if you have a glass bed. And use glue especially if you print PETG on a glass bed as to not damage the glass.
5. FIRST COMES TRAMMING THE PRINTER which is more important(imo) and applies to printers with and without an ABL probe. After you can level the bed.
6. IPA does 90 of the job when cleaning but if it still seems greasy or you actually dropped grease or something like that wash the plate with DISH soap not hand soap as hand soap may cointain moisturising agents such as, what do you know, oil.
7. For outside use the safest choice is petg. ABS and ASA are both harder to print and both contain styrene which releases harmful gasses so you shouldn't print with those in rooms that are either poorly ventilated or in rooms in which you work or stay.
The best scrapers are the ones that use plastic razor blades. Despite being sharper (and thus better able to get under the print), it's a lot harder for the blades to damage the print bed or your hands. Major win.
I use 99% iso right after every print while the bed is warm and then again before a print when the bed is warming. I keep clean microfiber towels at the station and launder them as needed. Currently using a comgrow glass bed. No adhesion problems. I use plastic putty scrapers to avoid damaging parts or the bed coating (3 for $4 at Harbor Freight.)
An advice for beginners: If you ever install a new firmware you have to level the bed again. Especially if it's a printer without an Z-axis end switch and auto leveling.
I learned the hard way and ruined my work plate.
Done right, isopropyl is faster and just as clean as warm soapy water. If you just squirt some on your build plate and smear stuff around, then you're absolutely right. But being methodical and using a quality rag goes a long way. MUCH faster than bringing it into the kitchen to clean it like a dish after every build...
I need to pick my printer apart and clean it. It's been collecting dust and grease for 10+ years now and just isn't very happy any more. I still think it's impressive that it has worked flawlessly for about 10 years before giving in to the environment. The kitchen really isn't the kindest environment either.
Just a detail, but it should be mentioned this is focused on FDM/FFF printers. “3D printers/ing” cover a vast number of other processes (FDM/FFF, SLA, EBM, DMLS, Polyjet/multijet, ultrasonic consolidation, MJF, SLS, etc….) where some of these don’t necessarily apply
Overall some great tips!
Couple thoughts from my experience, not better, just another perspective.
- Imho, IPA has worked well for me as the in-between. At least on PEI plates. Meaning every other print or so I use IPA, in circles starting at the center to push grease to the outside. Then every so often i soap and water it up.
- PEI plates in my experience actually don't stick as well as standard, but when they cool down parts are super easy to remove, like you don't need anything in most cases the part just comes off. So having both is really helpful.
- For my ender 3's (S1 pro and the V3 SE), in most cases i'm just setting the print speed in the slicer (M220 S300 for 300% speed) to 200% or 300% and it pretty really well, quality is great, and it's much quicker. But if you have a bambu labs you are probably already faster than that at the normal setting :D
I thought the same about PEI, but have you tried sanding it down? I recently did it with 2000 grit, VERY lightly, and as even as possible, and it’s made a huge difference for me personally!
1. Make sure your 3D printer is ON
2. Don't use metal wire as filament
3. Don't touch the hot end with your face
4. RTFM
Yeah, I learned some of those the hard, but more memorable, way. Haha Just wanted to add to filament storage that for storing filament I always heard about the importance of keeping humidity below 45% for PLA and below 30% for PETG, TPU, and some others. I have all sorts of 3D-printed desiccant containers with reusable silica beads in weatherproof-seal boxes where I store the filament and monitor them with Govee hygrometers on their app.
#10: warm soapy water
There is other important mistake who new do! They dont chose correct BUILD PLATE ADHISION in sliser software! Depens of object to print this settings are different :) NICE VIDEO BUDDY!
Don’t print 100% infill, 90-95% at most, but even then the strength gain past 40% infill gets exponentially less. There’s a few good tests on UA-cam showcasing this.
Correction on #7: Cleaning (For glass beds not PEI sheets)
No shade to the author, but I'm guessing the author doesn't use glass print beds you find on printers like the Longer series.
Your glass bed is likely bolted down with heavy duty clips and removing/handling the giant glass plate is not ideal. And assuming you don't use a glue stick or tape on your glass bed, there are two types of cleaning you'll need to do.
Type 1: basic grease and finger gunk: which you can absolutely use rubbing alcohol for, and polish the plate with a microfiber cloth.
Type 2: left over print residue(PLA): Sometimes you'll get a sort of ghost residue in the shape of the contact of your print that prevents adhesion and the alcohol won't completely remove. In this case, a paper towel with a bit of acetone(nail polish remover) applied directly to the paper towel or cloth, will dissolve the left over PLA just rub in circles until its gone, dry with another paper towel and use the alcohol method in type one to get anything leftover. For extra stubborn residue I find warming the print bed helps the acetone wipe it away.
I don't know if acetone will work on other material residue, like petg or abs, I've not worked with them personally. And I'm sure it doesn't need to be said, but don't use any abrasive scrubbers on the glass beds, paper towel or similar cloth should do fine.
As always, handle the acetone carefully and make sure your area is properly ventilated.
tbh i just used a can of air to release my prints as it rapidly cools the prints without having to wait. also textured beds don't require any glue so is simpler to use and less messy. plus if you want to clean your build plate use isopropyl alcohol spray and some kitchen roll when its fully cooled of and the printer is turned of. also bed levelling probes are super easy to install and are cheap especially for ender printers as they have the creality levelling probe that comes with the brackets ready to just bolt straight on
Best surface I've every used...G10 Garolite. No gluesticks, hairspray or any type of adhesives needed.
Great video, only question I have is what should i wash my build plate with?
I really don’t get why you would encourage people to use a basic bed with glue. I have never once used glue for my 3Dprints. I use textured plates almost exclusively, it is much easier,less messy and more convenient than using glue.
Wonderful video, straight to the point with solid tips.
IPA is for quick cleaning and soapy water is when IPA doesn't do the trick. I rarely have to weash the build plates, usually IPA does the trick and I get good adhesion. I also have never had to use gluestick as adhesion or release agent. That's why you have different sheets.
Nothing gives me a greater sense of power than when I orient my parts in an optimal way.
"There's no reason why you'd use isoproply alcohol instead of warm, soapy water" aside from proximity to a sink, lol. I have a small squeeze bottle of alcohol on the printer bench.
0:09 *laughs in blue painters tape*
1:05 *laughs in locked leveling wheels and bltouch*
5:00 *laughs in top mounted filament dryer that feeds directly to the hot end*
5:24 *laughs in 100 percent infill for most prints*
6:08 *laughs AGAIN in blue painters tape*
7:14 *laughs in PETG*
Technically you only mentioned 7 sins since 1 and 7 are the same thing and so is 4 and 8. You should sin 7 with modifying a printer too much before actually using it, and replace 4 with not considering personal use case when buying a printer.
I don't have to take the buildplate to the IPA, I can take the IPA to the buildplate :) Less risk of breaking the glass too by frequently carrying it around.
I have a glass board and use a ceran cooking field scraper. The ones with the razorblade. The board must be completely cooled off (huge factor, even 30°C sticks like hell, 23°C not anymore). With the razorblade usually thats enough and if not i pry up a corner to make space for the more sturdy standard metal spatula and just shove it under the blade. Buy a ceran field scraper which is supported at the back of the razorblades. With some cheap ones the blades slip over some notch into the device when too mich force is applied.
I still use isopropyl alcohol for the ease of it and I haven’t had build plate adhesion problems. My printers are in the basement and I don’t want to regularly bring my plates upstairs to be cleaned so I just buy isopropyl alcohol wipes and they haven’t failed me.
I sharpen one side of my putty knife blade (then remember which side is "up") as I would a machinist scraper so the thin edge more easily gets under the brim or print edge.
I don't print in my regular living space and my shop has excellent air exchange but were that not the case I'd make an AGGESSIVE fume extractor to exhaust fumes out a window (or if using a windowless room, add a common dryer vent through the wall to keep out vermin). Blowing air isn't difficult and no toy is worth respiratory problems.
id argue alcohol is way more convenient and a very quick can-do before every single print compared to soap and water, therefore it's the better goto cleaning method
IPA is much faster. You don't use it instead of soap water, you use it between full washes when your bed isn't that dirty but may have a finger print or two
Nobody should ever have to manually level a printer bed: printers with automatic bed leveling are available as low as around $200 now, so the entire potential price range is covered by printers than can auto-level. Printers without this feature should be ignored in purchasing decisions.
As for isopropyl alcohol, it *does* have an advantage: it's way faster to spray some on the bed and wipe it off. If you're not having adhesion issues, I'd suggest that you can get away with just a quick spritz and wipe with isopropyl most of the time, and a full wash with dish soap for an occasional deep clean.
Automatic bed leveling should be standard at this point. If its not, get another printer or add it.
Elegoo has cheap good printere that have automatic bed leveling
The ender 3 can easily push 80mm/s. You should’ve mentioned it depends on material, though. PETG shouldn’t go over 50 on printers such as that.
I mean... I very rarely clean my ender 3 pro default printbed, swipe it with my hand sometimes, and never got a problem with it...
And if someone has problems with the adhesion, you can still print with a little border to stick it more
I use Bestine rubber cement thinner (heptane) to clean my build plate. I give it a wipe between every print.
But wiping printbed with izopropil alcohol (acetone, regular alcohol, you name it) - is simply faster than bringing buildplate to the sink, wash there and wait til it dry. Wipe the bed in-place and start new print right away, done.