Tips for TPU?
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I just did my very first TPU print after years of printing PLA and PETG, and I've gotta say: That stuff sticks like a mofo on the textured PEI plate..!!
The print turned out great and the default profile in BS needed very little tweaking.
I'm currently using Fiberology MattFlex 40D.What do you guys use to ease the removal?
I've seen normal glue sticks, IPA and liquid glue made for 3D printing, but I figured it would be cool to ask the fine people here.If you do use glue: Do you stick with a smooth PEI or maybe something else?
All feedback is appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
Turn off the heat on the hotbed. TPU doesn't need it, and it makes removal much easier if you don't heat the hotbed.
Also reduces the amount the printer heats your room by 90% or so.
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Turn off the heat on the hotbed. TPU doesn't need it, and it makes removal much easier if you don't heat the hotbed.
Also reduces the amount the printer heats your room by 90% or so.
I was already running at 30°C, but appreciate the advice nonetheless!
I'll try completely off next time -
I just did my very first TPU print after years of printing PLA and PETG, and I've gotta say: That stuff sticks like a mofo on the textured PEI plate..!!
The print turned out great and the default profile in BS needed very little tweaking.
I'm currently using Fiberology MattFlex 40D.What do you guys use to ease the removal?
I've seen normal glue sticks, IPA and liquid glue made for 3D printing, but I figured it would be cool to ask the fine people here.If you do use glue: Do you stick with a smooth PEI or maybe something else?
All feedback is appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
Never tried it myself, but "functional print Friday" channel on YouTube uses IPA after printing with slow steady prying to remove stuck tpu. The IPA wicks under the print and releases it.
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I've got a textured PEI bed and when I've printed TPU, the adhesion has been perfect, i.e. good enough that the part wasn't going to go anywhere unless I wanted it to, but still easy enough to remove when the print was done and the bed had cooled. I guess it could vary from filament brand to brand, so it's possibly worth trying the same brand as I used, which was cheap Geeetech stuff. It's £8 a roll, and I've used their cheap PLA for ages. I wouldn't recommend their ABS+, though, as it seems to break down at the lowest temperature that gives reasonable layer adhesion.
Yeah you're probably right. Different blends give different results.
Thanks for the filament advice. I try to purchase as locally as possible, but Geeetech is not etched into memory as a no-buy ABS!
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I've never had too much trouble removing TPU from a textured PEI plate. If the part doesn't want to come off, lift up a corner of the part with a knife and put a drop of IPA under it.
I need to make a spray bottle and have it by the printer, as IPA comes up quite often, although with varying results.
Worth a shot! -
I use a bit of glue and try to remove it when it's still warm but not hot.
Zero issues so far.Thanks for the advice!
I ran a cold bed this time, but I've seen some say warming it up for removal also works.So many things to test in the future!
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Never tried it myself, but "functional print Friday" channel on YouTube uses IPA after printing with slow steady prying to remove stuck tpu. The IPA wicks under the print and releases it.
IPA is on the list of things to test. Cheers mate!
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I just did my very first TPU print after years of printing PLA and PETG, and I've gotta say: That stuff sticks like a mofo on the textured PEI plate..!!
The print turned out great and the default profile in BS needed very little tweaking.
I'm currently using Fiberology MattFlex 40D.What do you guys use to ease the removal?
I've seen normal glue sticks, IPA and liquid glue made for 3D printing, but I figured it would be cool to ask the fine people here.If you do use glue: Do you stick with a smooth PEI or maybe something else?
All feedback is appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
In my experience, TPU benefits from a higher first layer - it prefers being just "deposited" by the nozzle instead of slightly squished like for PLA and PETG. You can try raising your Z adjustment by 0.02 - 0.05mm and see if that makes it easier to remove.
If you work with transparent TPU and don't want it to turn white, print slow and cold.
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In my experience, TPU benefits from a higher first layer - it prefers being just "deposited" by the nozzle instead of slightly squished like for PLA and PETG. You can try raising your Z adjustment by 0.02 - 0.05mm and see if that makes it easier to remove.
If you work with transparent TPU and don't want it to turn white, print slow and cold.
Thanks for the advice! I might try a small Z-offset for first layer
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I just did my very first TPU print after years of printing PLA and PETG, and I've gotta say: That stuff sticks like a mofo on the textured PEI plate..!!
The print turned out great and the default profile in BS needed very little tweaking.
I'm currently using Fiberology MattFlex 40D.What do you guys use to ease the removal?
I've seen normal glue sticks, IPA and liquid glue made for 3D printing, but I figured it would be cool to ask the fine people here.If you do use glue: Do you stick with a smooth PEI or maybe something else?
All feedback is appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
wrote last edited by [email protected]I don't print TPU on a textured bed. I use the flat side of my build plate, which I also have coated with a giant sheet of Kapton/polyamide tape. Peeling the completed parts off of the smooth surface has never been an issue.
A word to the wise: Always run with a sheet of polyamide tape if you have a flat build plate. This will go a long way towards protecting the finish and flatness of your plate, and I have definitely saved myself a couple of times when having a Z offset that was too low and thusly crashing the nozzle only into the tape and not the surface of the expensive plate itself. You can apply adhesive and clean the tape's surface just the same as the PEI surface of your plate, but once it gets worn out or chewed up or otherwise no longer produces parts with a pretty underside, you can just peel it off and reapply. If you've already fucked up the surface on your plate you can also paper over this with a layer of tape which will smooth out small scratches, pock marks, and other imperfections.
And if you really need to employ the nuclear option to get a stuck part off of your bed (i.e. if you've printed something with a sticky filament such as TPU or PETG and happened to have your Z offset way too low) you can peel the tape off along with the part. The tape is unlikely to survive this process, but a pack of 12 sheets is only $20 or so.
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I was already running at 30°C, but appreciate the advice nonetheless!
I'll try completely off next timeWhere I'm at, the bed is 30°C when the printer is off right now 🥲
