Ultimaker Breakaway -- too MUCH bed adhesion

[RFrancis 0]

I recently got a spool of Breakaway material. Every time I've used it I found it extremely difficult to remove the print. I mean difficult to the point that I sometimes thought the only option was to break the buildplate.

 

Even a simple print like printcore calibration, with only single lines on breakaway on the buildplate (and PLA in the other printcore), and no glue or anything else, resulted in the PLA peeling away easily, while the Breakaway needed a sharp knife to loosen it, then an abrasive sponge to remove the residual from the buildplate.

 

How can I reduce its adhesion? By the way, I'm using the S5 bundle and all standard profiles.

 

thanks,

Richard

 

[43915 16]

You could try printing with gluestick on the bed. While it can help by giving better bed adhesion it can also help preventing prints from sticking too well to the glass bed. I've seen colleagues print ABS directly on the glass bed and having the print rip a big thin piece out of the glass when removing it. With gluestick on the bed you never have to worry about that.

 

I have had some issues getting PLA to stick to glue though and with that I always use a clean glass plate, but it might be worth a try if the breakaway sticks too much to the glass.

[RFrancis 0]

Thanks for the response. I have used both Magigoo and the glue stick and get the same over-adhesion. I started with the Magigoo and then tried the glue stick hoping that it would at least be water soluble. After leaving the buildplate with print standing in a large tub of water for several hours I was able to force a sharp blade under it and after working all around was eventually able to dislodge most of it.

 

In another case applying mechanical force to the model resulted in the model cleanly separating from the breakaway (as it should) but I was still left with the breakaway on the buildplate.

[geert_2 557]

To make PLA stick better to the build plate, I use my "salt method": wiping the glass with a tissue that is moistened with salt water. This leaves a thin mist of salt stuck to the glass. For PLA, this greatly increases bonding when hot, but there is no bonding at all after cooling down.

 

For PET, the "salt method" does *not* improve bonding, on the contrary, it slightly reduces bonding. But it does also reduce sticking to the glass after cooling down very much, so PET parts come off easily, instead of chipping the glass when printing on bare glass.

 

I have no idea what it would do on breakaway? But since that is a blend of PLA and TPU (I think?), it might have some effect? Maybe try a small testprint in a corner of the bed on a side that you don't use too often? Be sure to stay with the printer and closely watch what happens.

 

This salt method is for glass beds, I never tried it on any other surface.

 

See the (very old and unupdated) manual here:

https://www.uantwerpen.be/nl/personeel/geert-keteleer/manuals/

 

A couple of pictures of the salt method in use:

 

 

 

 

[43915 16]

I'm definitely going to try the salt method for PLA. I rarely have issues with it not sticking to the buildplate with a clean glass plate, but every now and then there's an extra hard print where it might be useful, and I'd never heard of using salted water before. 

What effect does it have on ABS, if you've tried it? Could it be used instead of gluestick to prevent those prints from sticking too much?

[geert_2 557]

For PLA it is especially when the weather and air are very moist that the salt method gives much better results than printing on bare glass. A few weeks ago there was a post in which I gave a lot more info about the salt method, plus a lot photos, but unfortunately I don't remember the title or the context. But maybe you can still find it back?

 

For ABS the salt method did *not* work: the prints warped and came off. This was based on only a couple of small test prints, since I normally never print with ABS. But that was 6 years ago, so I don't know if ABS for 3D-printing has evolved since then.

 

If you would do any tests on any materials, or on various brands, feel free to report the results, good or bad. The experience is always welcome. Even for PLA there is difference between brands, and between colors in one brand, some sticking better than others.

 

[RFrancis 0]

Thanks for the tip. I'll give this a try and report back.

 

[RFrancis 0]

By the way, when you say salt water, do you mean a similar concentration to seawater (3.4%) or much more concentrated, which is called brine?

 

[geert_2 557]

I don't know the concentration, and it is not critical, although best below the point of saturation when storing it in the fridge. I just pour some salt in a bottle of water and shake it. A bottle such as the glass bottles used for mayonaise or so works well. After wiping, it just has to leave a thin mist of salt on the glass, almost invisible, that works best. Too much salt reduces bonding again, thus no thick crust.

 

When you do testing, be sure to stay with the printer and watch what happens.

 

The salt method is the only bonding method I have used in years for PLA and PET, and it never failed for long, flat, low models. However, narrow tall models like lantern poles and similar tend to be knocked over, and a brim or custom brim is needed. In this case using glue might be able to absorb the shocks better of the nozzle moving around and hitting the objects, especially when overhangs do curl up. Small single-wall hollow objects occasionally tend to peel off too, if the bed is a little bit too warm, for example a hollow cube of 10mm x 10mm x 10mm. If solid at 100% infill, it sticks like rock.

 

The biggest advantage of the salt method for me is (for PLA and PET): good bonding on warm glass, no bonding on a cold glass bed. So the models stick well while printing, but come off by themself after cooling down. I never need to take the glass out of the printer.

 

[43915 16]

Good to know, then I'll stick to glue when it comes to ABS to be on the safe side.

 

We have a few different brands of PLA at work and I'll make sure to report back if I end up trying the salt on any of them.