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Print Adhesion

Discussion in 'Show and Tell' started by John M. Fruits, Feb 6, 2017.

  1. John M. Fruits

    John M. Fruits Member

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    Just thought I would share what is working for me.....

    I have two Robo C2's, running Build-Tak stickers on the build plate.

    They do not currently sell 5.5 x 5.5 stickers, so I purchased the 6.5 x 6.5, and cut an inch off both sides.

    Here is how I set the Z-Offset.

    I bring the nozzle up to where it just grabs a yellow sticky note. Tight enough that I obviously feel it when I slide it back and forth, but not too tight that the sticky won't move. Then I hit the Z minus three times.

    This gives me great adhesion during the build, yet It will come off with the slight flexing of the build plate.
     
    #1 John M. Fruits, Feb 6, 2017
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  2. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Perfect way to do the paper leveling!
     
    #2 mark tomlinson, Feb 7, 2017
  3. STEM_Steve

    STEM_Steve Member

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    Do you find that the Z-Offset has to be re-done every couple of prints? Secondly, is your raft "sticking" to the build? I've yet to get a raft that I don't have to pry/scrape off and if it's a "tall print" i've yet to get the raft to separate from the build.
     
    #3 STEM_Steve, Mar 3, 2017
  4. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Raft adhesion is a function of the slicer. Often it is difficult to remove a raft from the part... Years ago Simplify3D (for example) used to really weld them to the model... but in recent years it has gotten a lot better at it. If the extruder is printing too hot then you get excessive inter-layer adhesion and that makes it harder to remove too. You can adjust/fine tune some of the slicer settings around rafting if you want to experiment with it.

    Hwever ... even needing a raft should be rare -- only in cases of a tall slender print should you need one. Something that has not enough base on the build plate to adhere well with motion.

    Z offset should never change unless you do something that mechanically changes the extruder (like a different nozzle or work on the extruder).
     
    #4 mark tomlinson, Mar 3, 2017
  5. STEM_Steve

    STEM_Steve Member

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    To be honest, I haven't gotten anything to totally "stick" especially on the corners. I've tried hair spray, glue stick, and even tried using painters tape vs the default tape shipped. I have been using the "default" setting in Cura and maybe that is my issue. I've found that if I don't use a raft the 1st layer definitely doesn't "stick" and I end up w/a mess. Maybe it is moving to fast on that first layer and that can be adjusted somewhere, i'm not sure.

    For the Z offset, I set it from the touch screen and the first print is fine (z wise)..a follow-up print after that always results in the nozzle being to low and it will literally drag on the plate bed. If I reset the Z again, it sets the EXACT same offset, and then it prints fine.
     
    #5 STEM_Steve, Mar 3, 2017
  6. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    You don't need to run the wizard to tweak it. You can manually adjust it up/down 0.01 increments in the LCD to fine tune it.

    I did the paper method a few times and then manually tweaked it down another fraction to dial it in.

    otherwise, yea... you are going to need to go with a raft :)

    Not a disaster.
     
    #6 mark tomlinson, Mar 3, 2017
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  7. STEM_Steve

    STEM_Steve Member

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    I looked at the slicer software and loaded the profiles per the instructions and I noticed that the PLA filament default that is loaded is 2.5mm where as my PLA is 1.75mm. I just changed it and doing a print now. That being said, anyone know how to see the "built in" settings, e.g. if you use a USB drive and slice on the robo?
     
    #7 STEM_Steve, Mar 3, 2017
  8. STEM_Steve

    STEM_Steve Member

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    10 minutes into the build and I can already tell you it's a totally different print experience. The layers are tight, print is smooth, and it's probably the best print I've had. Note to self, CHECK PLA FILAMENT SIZE before printing.
     
    #8 STEM_Steve, Mar 3, 2017
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