7 months in, original plate, no physical damage, and adhesion is great. So here are my suggestions.
Wait for the bed to cool below 30 deg C before removing objects. Removing with the plate hot stresses the coating as its SUPPOSED to have good adhesion when hot. Even BL mentions that the “instant release” is after the plate has cooled. Just removing it to let the metal cool down quicker is not enough, as the plastic will take more time to cool down.
NEVER use the metal scraper they supply as it WILL eventually damage the coating. Save that for a smooth plate. You can get scrapers with nylon “blades” off amazon for dirt cheap. They have worked great for me so far.
Just use soap and water to clean it with. If you can get the original Dawn dish soap from the store use that, as it’s the best thing I’ve found for getting all residue off. I noticed a big difference in the feel of the plate between Dawn and other soaps.
Although you may not have printed on a section of the plate for a while, trying to do so after a number of prints can still have a part let go during the print. Why? Some of the plastic fumes inside the chamber on the core XY printers will collect on the plate every time you print. Eventually it can build up enough to affect adhesion.
Only handle the plate with clean hands or gloves. Skin oils and anything else you may have on your fingers will rub off on the plate. I have oily skin, so I have to wash my hands or wear gloves every time I handle a plate.
The plate guides on the back of the bed a marginal. ALWAYS use a fingernail or something else to makes sure the back corners of the plate are fully on the magnetic plate.
Yeah, I know, some people use alcohol, etc. But some people using these other cleaners have still had issues with adhesion. I haven’t.
Looking into 2 other options.
Using simple green instead of soap
Throwing a plate in the dishwasher
Going to be contacting Bambu Lab on these ideas, so stay tuned for the response.
Here’s Bambu’s reply on using a dishwasher or Simple Green
"Yes, I have seen them cleaned in the dishwasher. I don’t think there should be a problem as they can withstand the heat easily.
The simple green cleaner should work. It states it is a degreaser. That is what you want. I cannot confirm the function 100% but it looks good to use.
Lots of customers use simple dawn dish soap and are happy with the result."
So, like I stated earlier, Dawn (original has the best grease cutting additives) is a great option. But if you want more heat to dissolve any coatings, the dishwasher is an option too. I’d pull it out and dry it by hand to prevent water spots though.
Will give the Simple Green a try and pass on the results. Degreasing and surface cleaning mixes vary from a 1:3 dilution to a 1:10 dilution. Will start with the 1:10 and increase if needed. Will give results in a couple of weeks.
I am a newbie 3D printer and only had my carbon now 4 months but have 350 print hours. Love the PEI gold plate, as I hate the time it takes for glue stick application. I print a lot of small parts and test parts and started having spaghetti issues on the first layer “all of a sudden”. Was worried that the printer was broken, when I decided to simply flip the plate over, and WHAM, all the problems solved instantly. When I put another 350 hours on this side, I will use dawn to wash both sides. I love this printer - it is allowing me to take my patented product to market without injection molds, and at pretty high quality, speed and quantity. Being able to design a part and have it in 20 minutes to test is amazing. I print PLA tough (I hope it comes back???) and PLA, but have also printed a lot of ASA. Thanks for your good advice.
VoxelPLA claims their filament is tougher than normal PLA, and you use the PLA Tough settings to print it.
Per their website:
Bambu Lab X1 Carbon / P1P:
Bambu Lab X1 Carbon / P1P Bambu Studio Profile For Bambu Lab X1 Carbon / P1P, you can use the Bambu PLA Tough pre-set in the slicer. No need to make any changes.
Might want to contact them and see if they can tell you how the two filaments compare in mechanical strength…
IPA will dissolve and dilute oils on the plate, leaving you with an oil/alcohol solution on the plate. IF you thoroughly remove that solution, wiping with a clean towel turned on every wipe, or rinsing with large quantities of fresh IPA, you might get the plate clean before the alcohol evaporates and leaves the oil behind, but spread around the plate. I use IPA if I know I’ve accidentally touched just one spot on the plate, and but I only clean that one spot to avoid contaminating the rest of the plate.
Dish detergent actually removes the oils. The detergent molecules actually attract and encapsulate oil molecules, holding them in suspension so that they are easily washed away completely by running water. Using detergent and water is just more certain than IPA to be effective.