I have a P1P and Textured PEI plate. I have noticed that there are a few different “dead spots” on the plate where filament has trouble sticking (literally the nozzle passes over that spot on the first layer and no filament sticks at all). This is regardless of filament type or brand. There are maybe 4 or 5 of these spots (approximately 0.5" x 0.5") scattered across the bed. This also doesn’t seem to be a problem with a “banana bed” (as some people have reported) as these are isolated spots where all the filament sticks around them - just not in that specific spot. The spots are also not concentrated to the center or outside of the bed.
Any tips? Anyone had a similar experience?
I can provide pictures as needed, just want to try to print a full grid of squares to try to investigate the issue (and haven’t gotten around to it).
“Dead spots” like that are typically caused by finger oils being transferred to the plate when handling. I suggest washing the plate under hot water with dish soap and scrub it clean. Rinse it off until water starts sheeting off of the plate. May need to repeat the cycle if it’s not been washed before.
IPA doesn’t do well with getting oils off the plate, it mostly just smudges it around. Only time I use IPA is when I use it as a wetting agent for spreading my glue stick on to my build plate. Otherwise, I only wash it with dish soap. Give it a thorough cleaning with dish soap. You should see a marked difference.
Nothing wrong with thinking of IPA as a cleaner, as that’s what it’s typically used for. I was in the same boat for a long time and only used water to rinse off the plate and then IPA to clean it. That’s the method I was taught a long time ago when I got into 3D printing, as many of us were. I struggled with bed adhesion, which I would chalk up to the bed just being bad, and so I relied heavily on glue to get better results. Once I started using dish soap, it completely changed my outlook on bed adhesion. My “bad” plates suddenly started working as they were supposed to and I mostly quit using glue for bed adhesion.
IPA can lift oil but it doesn’t “remove” it from the plate. Just wiping the plate smears oil as around as the IPA rapidly evaporates. This deposits the oil back on the plate and the result is that you get that splotchy non-adhesion areas. You need to lift and remove/wash oil off the plate. It can be done with IPA but it takes a good amount to actually flush the plate. Dish soap is much cheaper solution to lift oils and a good rinse in hot water cleans/removes the oil from the plate. When drying the plate use a new paper towel. Cloths/rags can have fabric softener/oils that can transfer back to the plate.
Or spend < $20 and skip all that extra cleaning. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BFCSXVYZ/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_1?smid=A3F6YG9AOSFKU4&th=1
I’ve never washed my aftermarket gold plate with soap and its been flawless. I wipe with a little IPA and move on to the next print.
I’m not saying the advice they’re giving for cleaning the stock plate isn’t good, I’m just saying there are better and cheaper plates out there that don’t suffer from the stock plate adhesion issues.
They don’t have the automatic plate code on them, but if you’re running a P1x, who cares?
Not sure I’d suggest buying a new plate when just a bit of dish soap will fix it. No extra cleaning needed if you handle the plates properly. If I’m not using glue as a release agent and need to clean that off, I might clean my Bambu plates once a month? That’s only because I feel I should, not that I’m having adhesion issues. I used to spot clean with IPA, but I found no difference if I skipped doing that between cleaning with dish soap. The important thing is not to touch the plate with your fingers on the areas you plan to print. I’d also suggest thoroughly washing any new plate too, since you have no idea how they handle it before shipping it out. I won’t discount the fact that it might be a bad plate, but the odds are that it’s just dirty.
All valid points. And no disrespect for you pointing out good plate “hygiene” tips.
I’m just saying once I bought the cheap aftermarket gold plate, I’ve never had an adhesion issue with it, and I use it all the time. I’ve also never had to use glue (or hairspray) on it either.
I’ve only had to wash stock BL plates and the aftermarket textured holographic-transfer plates (they need to be washed before use).
When I first got my P1P I bought extra BL plates to cycle through, since they needed to be washed semi-regularly.
Once I started using the aftermarket gold PEI plate (BL didn’t offer one at the time), the other BL stock plates just collect dust.
Then I saw they started shipping printers with the BL Gold texture PEI plate and the number of users complaining about adhesion issues on this forum started rising significantly as well as advice about sand paper and steel wool.
It just seems odd to me that the cheap plates seem to work better then the expensive stock plates, at least that’s been my experience.
I don’t have to handle them gingerly. I just spray with IPA and wipe with a microfiber towel after I’ve handled it.
Again, I agree your tips will help keep the stock BL gold plate working optimally.
But too me, spending $20 on a plate that I never have to worry about adhesion issues is worth it.