Any advice on how to get ABS to stick to the glass

[solid-print-3d 30]

It's all in the branding !

 

[Anders Olsson 136]

I haven't had any problems getting ABS to stick to the platform since I started using the "Tesa Easy Stick" glue.

Using the fans is risky though, so I generally leave them off.

When printing large objects I usually cover the front of the printer as an extra precaution, to minimize temperature gradients.

The glue stick works well for that purpose too as you can see

 

[surfer 0]

I have tried everything and the aceton leaves a dirty look on the surface.

I just baught a new lac. 3DLAC at 'Trideus' and it works perfect. No more warping isues, nice glass surface and perfect prints

 

[gr5 2,167]

It is probably hairspray (sin perfume!):

http://diy3dprinting.blogspot.com/2013/07/spray-for-3d-printing-3d-lac.html

 

[solid-print-3d 30]

I posted an image of a cell phone cover on page one using the ABS film. It's not dirty at all. It's smooth as glass. All my ABS prints look like this.

I'm wondering how one person has bad results with acetone, while other people have awesome results.

would be nice for people to post results of what they've tried that way we as a community can combine ideas to come up with the ultimate answer.

 

[nick-s 0]

I have just made my first successful ABS print without any distortion by using Solid Print's slurry method. Worked a treat.

Thank you all for the info' on sticking and printing parameters etc. Following these various links has been invaluable for me and made my 3D printing so much more productive and fun.

 

[calinb 11]

My BKM (best known method) is:

1. Kapton or PET tape. (PET is thicker and can sometimes last longer to achieve an "aged surface," described below.)

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2. ABS "juice" (ABS dissolved in MEK but not so viscous that it can't be wiped-on with a paper towel).

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3. Heated bed.

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4. Fan off for the first few lawyers.

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5. "Aged surface" (Your first couple of prints using the above setup will not adhere as well as the third or subsequent prints. After installing any fresh tape, print a couple of thin, sacrificial "seasoning" sheets that cover the entire footprint of the upcoming models. Being thin, they will be relatively easy to peel off the bed and you can evaluate how well your bed is aged/seasoned by how hard they are to remove.

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6. Nearly perfectly flat base/supporting surface for the glass. Even fairly thick glass bends when clamped to anything but a planar surface. I use precision Mic6 aluminum tool plate material for my hot plate (under the glass).

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7. Very fastidious bed leveling (in order to benefit from #6)

Note:

Once ~2mm to 5mm of Z height has been built, the bed heat may be reduced and fan used, as needed, to reduce other shrinkage effects "waisting" or narrowing of the part mid-way up. I use a heated chamber (bubble wrap tent) for ABS and I adjust the ambient air temperature in the tent by changing my bed temperature. Though I might set the bed temperature at 120-130C or so for the first few lawyers, I've found that I can later reduce the bed temperature to as low as 70 C without incurring a loss of adhesion of the part to the bed. My ABS process (bed, chamber, and nozzle temps and fan control) can be very complex, depending on the part.

Optional:

Designed-in model features like tall air dams (skirts), corner pads, and multi-layer stepped brims, but I usually don't need to resort to using them except when printing nylon (on Garolite).

Be advised:

When using techniques 1-7 on large models, I have broken two glass bed plates in removing the part from the hot swappable glass. Bed adhesion can be very strong, complete. and perfect! I do not recommend expensive borosilicate glass for this reason. Cheap window pane glass is manufactured using the float process, inherently flat, and perfectly acceptable.

 

[rod 3]

Hi.

I got my Ultimaker 2 in December 2014 printed lots of items in PLA no real problems ecounted. Then switched to ABS main problem not adhearing to

print bed tried various sugestions from forums ect slightly better results but not the complete answer parts were still lifting away from build plate. After many trials

came up with a solution that gave me 100% improvement with my prints. A trial of 10 prints not one has failed so far due to the above problem.

1 / Remove and clean any material from the Ultimaker glass build plate.

2/ Onto the the area where the print is to be printed drop a few drops of

High viscosity superglue(cyanoacrylate adhesive) With a razorblade spread

this over the area to be printed on as thin as possible.

3/ Set the glass build plate temp to110C

4/ Load object to be printed and print as normal.

5/ Superglue residue can be removed from the glass bed with Acetone or if not required for further printing.

Rod.

 

 

[nick-s 0]

Hi Rod.

Sounds interesting, but I would be a bit concerned about final removal of the print. Did you not have any problems?

I have used "Solid Print 3D's" abs/acetone wash method (detailed above) on ADS prints for a while now. It has always worked well, substantially reduced bottom face distortion and stuck well. It also gives a great glass like bottom to the print. Use a wash of the same colour as the print. Provided you let it cool first, this always lifts off really easily.

Having said that, once you find a method that works, just stick with it !

 

[randyinla 14]

Once and for all, a quick and easy method for getting your ABS to stick.

Over time, I have developed this method, and it works 100% of the time. It has zero waste, and is the most cost effective way I have found to apply a thin film of ABS to the glass.

(...)

 

Thank you for sharing your method, Solid Print 3D! (don't know your name) I modeled my puck after the hand-held "mallets" used to play air hockey. I had some syringes laying around so keep one full of acetone close by at all times now. I had a panic at first, thinking, "OMG! What if the syringe is made of ABS?!?" :shock:

Works great! Printed up one for every color ABS spool I own. My favorite thing about this method is that no matter how messy the slurry looks, it's still the same color as the filament I'm using, so the bottom is flawless! No glue swirls.

Edit: I've adjusted and uploaded my .stl to youmagine. The bottom hole is now large enough so they stack on top of one another when not in use.

 

[SkyKorp 6]

Hello everybody this is my first post. I have a great suggestion on this topic that works very well for me.

I have tried all the aforementioned methods with trials the tribulations. Same work very good, others don't work when switching between ABS and PLA. This is for those that have a glass heated bed presumably the #Ultimaker2.

Full control for ABS, PLA, and all the rest

With a special hairspray that my teenagers were using, I found that if you don't remove the hairspray between layers, it creates a superior bond that sticks when you want, and lets go at the end. The more you add layers the better it gets. It stays very sticky when hot, and when cool the part just lifts off like magic.

 

• Garnier Fructis Style Full Control Aero Hairspray-Ultra Strong #4
   
  
• 
  3M Sanding Sponge, Fine Grit
  

 

Note: It is important you find and use only this hairspray.

Before you get started, clean your glass bed with acetone to make sure nothing is on it. Now spray several layers of the full control hairspray and let dry. Do this again and again for about 5 times. Pause between layers so you have no runs.

Usage

Printing part on the surface as usual, it will stick very well. But it is important to build up more layers of the hairspray. After each print remove the plate and let cool. Use the sandpaper block to lightly scuff the prior surface. Not too much - just a dusting like wood finishing. Wipe off any residue with clean towel. Then spray a good few coats again.

Another method that is excellent for PLA:

This product called BuildTak works very well for PLA lower bed temps. It bubbles too much with ABS over time. But it sticks so well, you will need a prybar to get it off. You can get BuildTak 3D Printing Build Surface, 9" x 10" Rectangle] at Amazon.

Good luck and may the force be with you.

[tyscof 6]

Hey I mainly print in ABS, this is the most annoying problem ever. ABS slurry is a really easy but messy option that works amazing. You just take some scrap pieces and mix it with some acetone(if you don't have acetone, get some and try out smoothing it is awesome!). There are plenty of guides on youtube so no need to go too in depth here. Also you can invest in different build plates, I've read about build plates that are really awesome and can sanded so that they can be reused a lot. Check it out here, http://printinz.com/printer-plates/

Personally I use BuildTak, it is a black sticker you lay down on top of your glass build plate that helps adhesion a ton. If you dont mixing slurry and having a bunch of little flakes of abs and crap all around I would start with that, since the only reason I use the buildtak is that it is easy and mess free, makes it like printing with PLA. You just print with a brim and relevel your bed and it will stick everytime. It wont last forever but it lasts for a good bit I think. It comes with 3 sheets for $40 and they say the sheet should last for atleast 60 prints, which is a lot. I'll try to follow this up with a video. The bed is 9"by 10" btw.

[muttstang 8]

I've been using the airhockey puck slurry method for a while now with good success. I have a bulb eyedropper that I use to drop some acetone on the plate, and then swirl it around with an ABS puck. Easy and it works well.

[RickH 0]

I have started covering my heated bed with a dry paper towel while it's heating to insulate it and help it heat evenly. This, in addition to an acetone slurry squeeze from a paper towel over my heatbed at 105C really helps ABS plastic stick. 250C seems to be the right number for the nozzle temp.

[SkyKorp 6]

I have etched one side of my glass and have very good success with a special form of hair spray and the rough surface of my etched plate. Let the hairspray buildup as it gets better. When print finishes, put the plate and print into your freezer. Wait 10 minutes and it falls off.

I'm telling you it's like magic and I have tried all the ideas here.

http://amzn.com/B0001DTWYG

http://amzn.com/B00KIH314C

[RonnieBarker 0]

I can't believe how well the ABS sticks when using the ABS slurry! Thanks everyone for that - I have been avoiding ABS for so long as the PLA just sticks to the glass!

[Myrightfoot 1]

I have used ABS juice as well and that worked really well. Just remember to keep topping the jar up with acetone as it will start to evaporate and you will end up with a bit more post clean-up. I got tired of the acetone and ABS smell and bought Kapton tape this week. It works really well, and I mean really well (just need to wash it off every now and again with acetone (fingerprints or dust). Now I struggle to get the prints off and have damaged the tape quite a few times. Anyone have any suggestions? The shop I bought it from said they just left their print beds to cool off and when they heard a snapping/cracking sound, they knew it was ready and could just pick it up without any hassles.

[wallan 0]

I have been using the slurry method for a while now and it works fine for me.

I'm not afraid of the Acetone.

As with most chemicals it's all about exposure time.

I only print ABS now an then. On an average I might apply a slurry wash once or twice per week.

With a usage like that i would not worry at all.

On the other hand if I had a print farm and spend most of the day applying acetone slurry and I expect to do that for years to come. Then I would with no doubt build some kind of ventilation around the printers, use a mask or use another method to get the print to stick.

I also print with fans off, an acrylic glass lid that kept in place with magnets and a plastic garbage bag on top as a lid.

I brush on new slurry on every print but if there is lots of old slurry buildup i brush with acetone only, just evening out what is already there.

A question to those of you that use hairspray.

Dont the inside of the printer get messy with all that spraying or do you remove the glass every time you spray?

Totally of topic but the reason for using ABS on my part is to be able to smooth the print using Acetone.

So far I applied acetone using a brush.

First by going over, dissolve and possibly add slurry in bad printed places to first fix them up. Then going over the full model once again in order to get a mirror like surface on all of the print. Has worked quite well but one has to spend some time in the smell.

So yesterday I decided to try Acetone vapor to smooth instead.

Not interested of the Acetone boiling method (mainly because risk of explosions)

I decided to go for the method that not use boiling but just longer exposure to the vapor.

Reused a transparent storage box and added some clamps on all walls where i put some paper tissues.

Also add a sealing to the lid so vapors should stay inside the box.

I had made model of Daenerys Targaryen and decided to try on that one.

Soaked the tissues, put the model inside and closed the lid.

Was a bit afraid that i not put enough acetone on as the tissues looked very dried up once i got the lid on.

After an hour I took a look at it and could see no effect at all.

And now the tissues  looked absolutely dry.

So i decided that it was a failure and that most Acetone must had evaporated before I got the lid on. So I decided to give it a new try the morning after and went to bed and left the model inside the box in hope that maybe I at least would be able to see some effect the day after.

And so I did.

Daenerys Targaryen was now recycled to ABS slurry  

Lesson Learned. Don't leave it over night and dont think there is no vapor in box just because tissues looks dry.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Guest

[Bangalore 0]

Kapton tape works like a charm

[Bangalore 0]

However, after upgrading to a sheet of PEI, I may never use anything else.