Silly (?) Cura Request - Tape Wisdom

[madoverlord 0]

As I was replacing the painter's tape on my bed for the 8th time today (I get great adhesion, what can I say?), it occurred to me that it would be nice if Cura was aware of the tape boundaries and tried to place objects on a minimum number of strips.

ie: you could enter tape width and offset of the second strip from the front (because the first one is going to be a partial).

Even something as simple as just displaying the strips in the UI so you could drag the objects would be very nice.

 

[illuminarti 17]

I highly recommend using wider tape. I use 6" tape for most prints. Its quick and easy to put it on and take it off, it avoids getting tape lines on the bottom for most prints, and it resists warping better because you are better able to stay away from the edges - the most weakly stuck part of the tape.

 

[Daid 297]

Different tape widths, different taping stratergies (front to back, left to right) offset from the start point of the tape. There is a lot of odd things that can differ here. I recommend pushing the nozzle slightly less into the tape, this will damage it less and so it needs less replacement.

 

[illuminarti 17]

Pesonally, I'd rather make sure the print stays stuck. A typical print uses well under $0.10 of tape, even if I replace it every time - and it takes maybe 5 seconds to install.

 

[filopat 0]

I used to have to replace my blue tape every time after print because I had "too" good adhesion, prints were so strongly stuck on tape that it was impossible to get them off without ripping tape or even breaking the print. Then I discovered that when cooled enough, prints are easier to break from tape.

Now I have a secondary acrylic plate as my print bed covered with blue tape. It is connected to original ultimaker bed with magnets for easy and quick release. After the print is finished, I take my secondary plate with print and put it to the freezer for an hour or so. Frozen PLA can be removed from tape with light knock.

No more ripped tape, no more broken prints because of prying. I can print tens of prints without replacing tape.

 

[madoverlord 0]

I'd like to know where to get decent 6" tape. In my experience, only the Scotch-brand blue tape is worth a damn, every other brand I've tried has stuck to the parts like glue. And the widest I can find locally is 2".

 

[illuminarti 17]

You can get scotch tape from tapecase.com, although you have to buy fairly large quantities for it to be economical.

I plan to sell it at a cheaper single-roll price once I get my store open, in a couple of weeks.