Ambient / room temperature issues
Now that it's getting colder, I find that I'm having problems with my first layer sticking. I'm using the PTE steel build plate and give you a little background, we live in a large 100+ year old house where the temperature in the warmest room rarely goes above 65 degrees fahrenheit. I'd like to get ideas on what others have tried when this problem is encountered.
Thanks
RE: Ambient / room temperature issues
An enclosure -- even something made of a photo tent or poster board -- can help retain heat around the printer and block chilly breezes. There is an option to wall a print in with a high skirt, but that eats up a lot of filament. And of course, make sure your Live-Z is properly calculated and the PEI print surface properly cleaned to give the best adhesion possible.
RE: Ambient / room temperature issues
In my experience with PLA, I have found that regulating the temperature inside the enclosure is key. If it gets too warm, the PLA softens and the extruder teeth chew right through it. I was using pink insulating foam boards for my enclosure, so that may have been the problem.
RE: Ambient / room temperature issues
I would say at any ambient temperature the printer should preheat the bed before print to the required temperature any time. Room temperature is more critical from warping point of view.
So the good adhesion is the key player, there are several advises here on the forum how to clean the sheet surface. I suggest first to concentrate on good bed cleaning and secondly correct first layer calibration. Not sure how experienced you are but PETG adhesion on smooth PEI sheet can become opposite nigthmare when no means help you take the item apart of bed without destroying the sheet surface -so for PETG is better to use a attached glue stick. It helps twice - with initial adhesion and finaly with item removal.
even an old man can learn new things 🙂
Standard I3 mk3s, MMU2S, Prusa Enclosure, Fusion 360, PrusaSlicer, Windows 10
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RE: Ambient / room temperature issues
@willcode4cash did you progress with your room temperature issues?
I have the printer in an isolated storage room, here in sweden in winter might go down to 15 celcius easily.
I built a lack enclosure, but I have issues with sticking to first layer despite proper calibration.
like this picture:
The layer feels OK, smooth like paper and without space between the lines. Yet the PLA will not stick easily.
I am using alcohol to clean the surface.
I am testing with preheating the enclosure a bit, before printing, and it seems to have a positive impact.With the enclosure door closed I sent the platform temperature for about 5 minutes, to give it time to heat up the whole platform uniformly.
I am playing with this and perhaps a bit 10um lower than usual Z and it seems to do improve things.
No I want to create a GCode script to see if it can run my pre-heating rutine before printing.
I am not sure if it is possible.