This you BTW? https://makerworld.com/en/models/764784 I noticed in comments the designer you “remixed” from is warning you it violates license terms months ago but you still have your 1 single “remix” up. I just had to look you up to see what kind of “3d printing guru” we are dealing with and results were just as expected…
Now that’s the right response.
Yes and no.
Alcohol works and works VERY WELL. You need to apply it with papel towels. Towels will adsorb the great mayority of the alcohol (with the disolved ****) and clean the plate.
Yes, when alcohol evaporate the residue will be there (in the towel not in the plate).
The “alcohol doesn’t work” maxima is only valid if you spill some alcohol on the plate and you let it evaporate right there. That is never the case when you are cleaning a plate.
12 years of printing backlog here (I’m a chemist BTW): al fast cleaning between print with a very small amount of IPA on a paper towell and never had problem adhesions caused for a bad cleaning.
The big manteinance cleaning of the plate with water and soap is needed too. But only sparingly.
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im with you, alcohol do work well, but the only problem is you have to do it right
most of the time people spray it right on hot plate ,lol
soap just don’t need any knowledge or skill, just wash it like dish
I appreciate that you fully agree with my last sentence when I said "with that said, scrubbing is required either way.
In case anyone else is reading our comments and learning (like most of us do) scrubbing is a necessary step in ANY cleaning process. You can’t just spray any cleaner or solvent on anything and expect it to be clean. It will just evaporate and leave behind residue (and this is true of any solvent or surfactant like dish soap).
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Alcohol would certainly help adhesion in a lot of cases, but it simply is not going to properly clean the plate - meaning even though it may have helped, the adhesion will still not be what it should be. If you’ve touched a couple spots on the plate while getting a print off, alcohol would serve to evenly disperse any contaminants into a thin layer across the entire plate. That would go a long way to helping adhesion over a couple spots being very heavily contaminated. But the plate will still have contaminants on it, and that layer of contaminants will build continually if they are not properly removed.
I’d say alcohol works ‘minimally,’ but since you think it works “VERY WELL” I’d like to know what other parts of your life you have incorporated that same thought process into?
When you get in the shower do you use soap and water or alcohol and a paper towel?
When you finish eating do you clean your dishes with soap and water or alcohol and a paper towel?
When you clean your clothes do you put them in a washer with soap and water or wipe them with alcohol and a paper towel?
When you or someone you love goes to the beauty salon does the beautician wash their hair with soap and water or alcohol and a paper towel?
When you go outside to wash your car do you carry along a bucket of soap and water or a bottle of alcohol and a paper towel?
And though I’m not a chemist I did spend 27 years working as a paramedic, and I can assure you that I’ve used tons of alcohol in my life - and many times alcohol is used by medics when soap and water is not available, but ONLY as a temporary better-than-nothing holdover until you can get to soap and water. And even then it’s most commonly used in a free-flowing pour over a waste container rather than a wipe. In fact, anyone who holds a medical license would be in jeopardy of losing that license if they failed to use soap and water - it is required.
I assure you that in modern times you have not and will not see a surgeon prepping for surgery by scrubbing their hands with alcohol and a paper towel. What you will see is them scrubbing with soap and water. Why? Years and years of scientific study has shown that the only thing that removes general contaminants from virtually anything is soap and water.
If you’re a chemist you’re certainly familiar with the concept of peer review and peer reviewed papers. Can you point us all to the list of peer reviewed papers that prove that alcohol and a paper towel is a suitable substitute for soap and water when the goal is removal of physical contaminants (rather than general sanitizing, which is what you want to do to the skin before giving someone a shot - or a jab for the Brits - but not even remotely close to what you want to accomplish with a build plate)?
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Do as you have done, respond politely, but don’t worry about it. People in general are used to the fact that some people will complain way before they do anything on their own part to remedy the problem.
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I have given many one stars but changed them because there was problems with the models. People crank them out so fast and many people don’t even print them they just post something for the point. There should be a way to temporarily put that person on a hold until a solution has been resolved.
This is valuable.
for the rest of it. Why would you compare such disparate ideas?
I am in the IPA with microfiber towel wipe between prints “camp”.
I’ve done the testing with PETG. I don’t print with PLA very often but I would guess the results would be quite similar.
Try it yourself…
Using this technique…
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printing since 2012 with dawn soap and water even on my glass beds (CR10 S5 500mmx 500mm, 2 Robo 3d R1+ and a few other printers) Zero Issues, only using alcohol on occasion for spot cleaning… ill take my REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE over some claimed testing ANYDAY… nothing is going to change my mind from what has worked for years…
You are comparing glass bed plates with polymer coated plates.
I am not arguing your experience with glass bed plates. You rock!
I am not telling you to change your workflow (or your mind). You may use what you like.
I am offering newer information for newer material bed plates and what works and can be easily tested and proved.
If you insist that dawn is better then IPA on BL printer bed plates, show me the proof.
That’s all I am saying. Happy printing!
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Nor really. I am relatively experienced user and normally do not have problems with bad adhesion. However, recently purchased the bambu lab super tack plate hoping on save on glue when printing models with small contact surface where brim is not an option. Failed twice, where cool plate with glue stick applied works every time. Set the data to Bambu, got a ticket and the reply was advising to use a brim. Not really useful advice at all. It seems the super tack is just overrated!
I have used dawn dish soap since 2012 as stated those were old printers before i got all my bambu printers… so since bambu launched i have used the same exact formula on my pei sheets and …oh look even the Wiki doesnt recommend alcohol…
here is link to wiki in case you ever want to learn the proper recommended ways… Bambu Lab Textrued PEI Plate Cleaning Guide | Bambu Lab Wiki
I’ve read that wiki along time ago…
I’ll let you in a little secret:
“just because it says so on the internet, doesn’t always mean it’s right”
We have different methods and different experiences. I am willing to accept that.
If you don’t want to try my test, that is fine too. It just means we have nothing more to discuss on the topic.
Thank you for your discourse.
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so reading your test that is “on the internet” doesnt always mean its right?.. gotcha… and i fully agree. I dont need a test when as I stated before I have 13 years of real life successful 3d printing experience…
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Alcohol is an excellent degreaser if you use enough of it. Dabbing a little bit on a cloth and wiping the plate will just smear oils around. A good scrub with Dawn (US) Fairy liquid (EU) will remove gross contamination, flood with 98% pharmaceutical grade isopropyl alcohol or bio ethanol fuel (colourless) and wipe off with white disposable towel between washing works well. I was involved in developing cleaning very sensitive analytical instruments, a finger print would render it unusable. Cleaning with surfactant would remove gross contamination, isopropyl alcohol the final residue. Purple methylated spirits will make things much worse as it has pyridine added to make it undrinkable.
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THERE IS ZERO NEED FOR ALCOHOL AFTER WASHING THE PLATE WITH DAWN AND HOT WATER I HAVE A PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF THIS FOR THE PAST 12 YEARS. GLASS BEDS AND PEI BEDS!! Im not doing a science project or a brain surgery, it does not need to be sterile, just CLEANED PROPERLY
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I had 35 years experience in scientific instrument service an cleaning, the argument was that alcohol is not a good degreaser, my argument was it is, as confirmed by the development of cleaning procedures in an ISO accredited facility. Surfactants work as does isopropyl alcohol. I could argue that it is as good as Dawn. There are choices.
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you could argue, but you would lose… the argument was it was not as good of a degreaser…so again it does not need to be sterile, it needs to be clean!! and as I have shown above to the other “know it all”, even the bambu wiki states soap and water is recommended over alcohol… for the EXACT reasons i stated… no one is going to saturate their bed as you state to get the results you claim, they all just put it on a rag and wipe it…