I have a P2S - it’s about a month old now and I have been enjoying every minute using it. This is not a huge issue but I printed a model with a large base area in black. When I pulled it off of the plate it has a shadow of a previous model I printed. I use a couple drops of Dawn and a small scrub brush then hot water rinse before all prints. Is there a way to clean this plate any better? - thanks
I have some of those marks on my build plate, the same way. They haven’t effected my print quality yet, so for now I’m just leaving it, but if I get it off I’ll let you know
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Yes, this is an annoying issue to say the least. You’ve already used the correct cleaning procedure. There are only two other options that may help, the first is to use a nylon brush with Dawn detergent. Do not metal use a metal wire brush or an abrasive pad such as a Scotchbrite pad. Both will destroy the PEI surface.
Something like this is what I mean.
What you’re seeing is of course residue left behind by other filaments. Matte filaments in particular use additives ranging from corn starch, to calcium to other minerals to get the matte finish. It of course leaves behind that residue. PETG also does this.
If the brush technique fails to remove the contaminant, another lesser known technique to pull off unwanted residue is to use a small 1 layer sheet and print that over the affected area. That will act much like a “lint brush” on the residue. Just right-click, select a cube primitive and scale it to the size you want at a height of 0.5mm. This should produce 1 or 2 layer piece of filament that will print quickly. Then peel it off and repeat as necessary until there is no more residue.
Thanks - I use a soft-medium nylon brush. It is one I can use with a drill so maybe I can use the drill? Right now I use it by hand and go left/right-up/down-diagonals.
This print was for a router base so no big deal.
In the case of the nylon brush, speed would be your enemy here. You will find that slow, firm grinding pressure will give you more mechanical advantage over embedded dirt. Plus, using a drill, even with a nylon brush, invites damaging the nooks an crannies of the PIE surface. Even nylon at high speed will tend to polish-up the surface which will impair the “grippyness” of the PEI texture. I speak from painful experience and having damaged more than one Textured PEI plate by using a Dremel at slow speeds with a nylon tip.
If you want motorized, check out this Rubbermaid product. It’s essentially an oversized toothbrush and operates at very low speeds. I found it perfect for exactly this kind of task because its very hard to overdue it.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rubbermaid+power+scrubber
Just stay away from the abrasive pads as they will damage PEI.
Glue can help hold things down as well as help release. On textured PEI I routinely use Bambu liquid glue because my plates have lost a lot of grip. It makes a barrier though that keeps the plastic from even touching the plate. Water cleanup.
I can’t help with the plate part of the equation, but the underside of your print… if that mark isn’t a glue mark [aka you didnt use glue here or on the prior print] you might be able to get those marks cleared up with careful heat. Hot air rework would be best, but if youre quick and fast with a jet lighter… Be careful not to overheat or you will alter the shine, or obviously melt.