Reddit mentions of Gizmo Dorks PEI Sheet 12" x 12" (305mm x 305mm) 1mm Thick 3D Printer Build Surface with 3M 468MP Adhesive, Made in The USA

Here is my CR-10S.

I added the Petsfang fan fang. Added this fan to the fang.

I added these Z-Axis braces. Added these LEDs to the Z-Braces.

I'm printing on a mirror tile with a sheet of PEI bonded to it.

Last week I added the TH3D EZABL and have been encouraged by the results. It creates a Z-offset map of the build plate before every print. I can see the Z-steppers move during X-Y moves so I can tell it's working. Manual bed-leveling was working OK for smaller prints, but I could never get all 4 corners to agree with the center height. I suspect my aluminum bed plate is shaped like a Pringles chip.
I really like the Marlin Firmware over the OEM version. I don't mind not having auto-resume since I plugged my printer into a UPS system.

Right now my printer is about 20 hours into a 60-hour print of a T-Rex skull. I've been really happy with this printer! It was my first and I've been having a ball with it.

I replaced the stock glass with mirrored tiles from Home Depot. I used to use tape and glue sticks but read a comment on how much better PEI sheets were to print on. No more glue or tape, just rub it down with rubbing alcohol between prints.

It sticks very well when heated up, and comes off almost effortlessly when cooled down. You also get a shiny surface on the part touching the PEI sheet which is nice. Well worth $21 from Amazon.

I sprung for a sheet of PEI and it's been great, buffed it with ultrafine steel wool and wipe the bed with isopropyl alcohol before each print. no tape, glue or hairspray needed.

It seems that your comment contains 1 or more links that are hard to tap for mobile users.
I will extend those so they're easier for our sausage fingers to click!


Here is link number 1 - Previous text "PEI"



----
^Please ^PM ^/u/eganwall ^with ^issues ^or ^feedback! ^| ^Delete

Best thing to do is get some Mirror Tiles at any Home Improvement store. Cheap and flat (who wants a wavy mirror? LOL).

Lowes in the US has them $9 for Six. I had two not flat but 4 fine. Home Depot and Ace Hardware also have them IKEA is another source.

>Athorbot adhesive mats - Those are a knockoff clone of the BuildTak mats. They're OK, but do wear out.

I went down that road last year, ended up using PEI on my printers and haven't looked back:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B074XLD5QH

Sticks well when warm or hot, releases almost instantly when cool.

But BEFORE any of this works your Bed needs to be flat,most machines it's NOT. (Not the glass, the Aluminium bed).

A quick check with a known straight edge (like a 24" machinist's rule) will let you see. Put it edge on with a well lit white wall or sheet of paper and check the bed, front to rear, also side to side.

Most have a dip in the center, some are raised in the center.

Unless the glass is VERY thick, it will dip when clipped to the bed.

I did a couple posts / comments about how to properly flatten the bed. It's a bit of work, but you'll do your happy dance when it's nice & flat.

Most adhesion & first layer issues are caused by an unflat and un-trammed (proper name for "leveled") bed. Probably 50-60% of the "Help Me!" posts are this!

With a properly trammed bed you don't need glue or Hairspray, or tape or other "goop" in 90% of the cases. You can actually print straight onto the glass or PEI, many do. (including MOI) Super smooth bottoms.

Here's' the posts, first, some basics:

https://www.reddit.com/r/CR10/comments/86c47m/psa_a_must_read_by_anyone_who_levels_their_bed_or/

Then follow this to tram the bed:

https://www.reddit.com/r/CR10/comments/7rpq2x/can_i_simulate_a_print_without_damaging_the/

Let us know how it goes!! Trust me, it's worth the effort.

PuterPro

I bought this one and it's been working great. It's thick enough that it can take some prying and if it starts to lose adhesion you can lightly sand it with some 1000 grit to restore it.

Gizmo Dorks PEI Sheet 12" x 12" 1 mm 3D Printer Build Surface with 3M 468MP Adhesive Tape

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074XLD5QH

The pei sheet I got from amazon (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B074XLD5QH/ref=ppx_yo_mob_b_track_package_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1) didn’t have the adhesive pre-applied, it was just smooth on both sides with a thin film over it for protection, and a 3m double sided tape was included in the package. If yours has adhesive already on it, I’m not sure about the temp limit on the film, but suspect you’re right that it isn’t very high.

I had been thinking about just clipping it on before it arrived, but it was thin and flexible enough that I’m pretty sure it would get pulled up slightly by larger prints. I had considered just buying a 1cm thick sheet from McMaster Carr or somewhere rather than one being marketed for 3D printing, I think you could definitely clip that since it would be rigid, but I was concerned if it didn’t show up perfectly flat I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

I watched a few videos before putting it on, and it was actually easier than I expected. Even though it has some flex to it, it’s ridged enough that there wasn’t really any issues with bubbles under the pei sheet itself. The adhesive bubbled a little when I put it on the glass, but it wasn’t very hard to either work them out, or in a few cases just poke them with an xacto. The hardest part was actually removing the plastic from the top of the adhesive without peeling the whole thing off the glass, but once done the pei went on nicely. If you’ve seen them mounted before, it’s normal for it to look kind of mottled with some visible pockets of air, but still be flat with no significant bubbles. I checked for flatness and it was good. I will take a picture later and update this so you can see what I mean.

I’m jealous of your 2 backups, I have been afraid to print anything but PLA and be unable to get it off. I ended up with the pei because I kept destroying various stick on surfaces by squishing the first layer of PETG too much and ending up with it welded on.

get one of these, night and day difference: https://www.amazon.com/Gizmo-Dorks-Printer-Surface-Adhesive/dp/B074XLD5QH

Printed using a FolgerTech FT-5 R2, with Gizmo Dorks PEI build surface. Filament is just basic hatchbox PLA.

Gizmo Dorks PEI Sheet 12" x 12" (305mm x 305mm) 1mm Thick 3D Printer Build Surface with 3M 468MP Adhesive, Made in The USA https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074XLD5QH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_PVGzCb0HBTC1P

Mine worked great without having to scuff it at all. I just heat the bed to 60°, when the print is done and the bed cools down the print pops right off. Here is the link to the one I bought.

It's multiples of 0.04, but it won't have a huge impact.

Regarding hair spray/glue stick etc... a PEI sheet will save you a lot of effort. You put it on top of the glass and then print directly on it, no need to do anything. Edit: and yes, as /u/PuterPro says, get your bed flat.

I've been using a sheet of PEI that works like a charm. The one i got was from amazon, something like this would work https://www.amazon.com/Gizmo-Dorks-Printer-Surface-Adhesive/dp/B074XLD5QH/ref=pd_sim_328_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PPGSHY9T4C0YC14V4FVS

It even comes with the adhesive.

PEI is cheap and reliable.

Combine that with magnetic sheets and hey-presto, you got a removable flexible print surface to pop your prints off of