Printing on mesh for adhesion?

[A_Reed 0]

Hello,

I'm obviously new here and new to the 3D printing game but I recently bought an Ultimaker 2+ Ext and I am looking to both tinker and produce usable mechanical components for the FIRST robotics program I mentor. I am an engineer by trade and I know the typical applications of plastics like POM, ABS and Nylon for small mechanical components and I'd like to apply some of this to the demo pieces that I print. The biggest issue I see going through most of the material forums both here and on other sites is adhesion to the build platform due to warping.

Now that I have my printer and I am starting to experiment with POM I can see the difficulty in getting this stuff to stick. I've been reading about other such tricky materials and I keep hearing about printing on wood, cardboard and different types of tape.

My mind keeps wandering to these materials being useful do to their ability to entangle the initial layers of the print and if is the case why not use some kind of preformed mesh? I'm thinking anywhere from fine aluminum screen door material up to Bunsen burner steel mesh, something the material can wrap itself around when the nozzle pushes it through the mesh. I imagine cost would be an issue with the mesh most likely being completely sacrificial as well as using a raft on all printed parts.

Am I completely out in left field with this idea, or does it have merit? Has anyone tried to print on a mesh surface before? If so how would I account for the mesh thickness in the first layer of the raft setup in Cura?

Thanks, I'm looking forward to digging further into what this machine can really do.

[SandervG 953]

Hi @A_Reed,

Welcome to the forums

Have you also tried printing with ABS, or is it mostly the stories that hold you off?

Indeed, it is not as easy to print with as for example PLA, but materials like Nylon or POM or even XT or XTCF (colorFabb) can have some interesting material properties.

Not sure how it works with POM, but have you tried making an ABS slurry for example?

These materials have the tendency to warp, but usually it can be prevented without getting too 'crazy'.

There are 3D printers that have a perforated board, could be something to look into?