I have a relatively new, dual-sided smooth PEI, and, after the first side started to lose adhesion, I flipped it over, and after only a couple of prints, it too has lost adhesion. This with a store brand PLA+ (I think it may be Elegoo, but I’m not sure). I have washed it with Dawn, and used 99.9% ISA, and still no joy. I do not use adhesive of any kind.
Given the price of these plates, and that it’s an actual Bambu product, I’m a bit disappointed. Is this common? Am I missing something?
If you have a green scrubber or very fine steel wool you can scuff it a little.
I think though, you should wash it but dry with papertowels. You didn’t mention what you used to wash/dry the plate.
I use that plate quite a bit. Have 3. Good cleaning should do it.
Also be sure the plate type didn’t get changed by accident. With the filament try turning off fan for first 3 layers and run in middle of it’s recommended range of heat. Also increase bed temp by 5.
Elegoo’s filament isn’t bad, but I’ve found it to be inconsistant at times. I would also recommend trying a different filament to see if it’s the plate or the filament.
Is it common? If you search these forums, you’ll find many examples where the more recent Bambu build plates are inferior to less expensive options. That said, the original black Bambu Texture PEI plate was perfect. The new Gold PEI plate, however, is substandard. I have both.
I assume you chose the smooth plate for a clean bottom finish. As @johnfcooley mentioned, cleaning the plate is crucial and likely explains why your plate performed well initially but deteriorated over time. Contaminant buildup, from fingerprint oils to leftover filament material, is a common issue.
For my smooth build plates, I use several techniques to get both good adhesion and mirror-like finishes. One old-school trick that still works well today, is hair spray. While you’ll hear about fancy glues (and I’ve tried most of them, including Bambu’s), hair spray goes on evenly and achieves the same result. Take the plate out, lay it down, apply a thin coat like spray paint, let it dry, and then apply a second coat. The great thing is, it washes off easily with Dawn dishwashing detergent and hot water, no scrubbing needed.
The hairspray you should use is the cheapest one you can find. In the US, that’s Aquanet. Why do I say cheapest? Because it means its umscented and devoid of any additional and more costly additives found in premium sprays.
If you spent more than $5.00 you got ripped off.
Here’s an example of print plate for an optically clear experiment posted here last year that the group was working on. In this case, the smooth plate was crucial to creating a clear undersurface so “gloppy” paste and liquid glues wasn’t working for me. But here is an example of a engineering plate with two coats of Aquanet. Note how clean the plate looks and I assure you it was pretty beaten up before I sprayed it. You can sort of make out the streaks in my rushed application if you look closely but I assure you that plate itself saw a lot of abuse.
Having dated in the 80’s I have nightmares that include Aqua Net.
I found the same thing. Also found that the carbon printed high temp one and the one with the abstract shapes(I think that a good way of explaining it) do actually stick well and dont ever peel up at the edges. The galaxy or starry night style ones, i found are trash. Also, adhesives kinda kill the purpose of them
I hear you brother. To me I had to get past the smell of the godawful beauty parlor my grandmother used to drag me to when she was babysitting me during my childhood. But there’s always therapy to overcome such mental aberrations. 
The irony is that it’s called “Unscented” really? By who’s nose???
Just wow. I went through the very same thing on Perm Day. Yes, as you probably know, it was a day that was as hallowed as any known holiday.
I shuddered at your description.
Y’all are lucky, my mom did perms in our house on the weekends!
I used Dawn, and a sponge, then dried it with paper towels.
Thank you so much for your detailed, and very useful response. I appreciate the effort.
And the stories of women lighting a cigarette, and their bufont dos bursting into flames…
