I am looking for the easiest way to check where exactly a part will print on the plate.
Use case: For TPU, I put blue painters tape on the plate. Of the 2" roll, I can fit 5 rows of tape, which almost covers the entire plate, but not quite. Since the seams do leave a mark on the bottom of the print, when possible, I would like to position my part exactly on the blue tape, but this sometimes doesn’t quite work out perfectly. It would be nice if i could have the nozzle stop at the 4 corners of where the object would print (I believe my older printer was able to do this). Is this possible? If not, what is the easiest/fastest way to check?
There are several ways to achieve this, but when that level of on-plate precision is needed, I usually create a second plate with guide lines. The simplest method is to create a cube primitive with dimensions of 2x200x0.5 mm. Then, duplicate it, rotate the second one 90 degrees on the build plate, and move each stripe to the area you want to reference in the slicer. Print the thin stripe before your main model. This will create a visible guide line on the plate where you need it. At 0.5 mm, it’s the same height (one layer) as the purge line, so if you accidentally print over it, no harm will come to the build plate or model.
Have you considered IPA for easy removal of your TPU?
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The OP wasn’t asking about a release agent, but rather a visual index to gauge where the print will land on the plate.
IPA is a cleaning agent, not a release agent, so it doesn’t apply here.
If a chemical barrier were desired, IPA wouldn’t help. A glue stick or hairspray would. It may seem counterintuitive, but the glue layer actually acts as a release agent by forming a sacrificial film between the build surface and the filament.
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I know what the OP asked for, and my thought was that he might have issues getting his TPU of the build plate, because it can be hard to remove.
Just adding some drops of IPA around the base of the part after printing, releases the parts without any serious effort.
The capillary effect causes the IPA to creep between the build plate and the part.
If too strong adhesion is not his reason to use painters tape, then yes, my advice is not useful.
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Thanks for the comment. I havent used IPA… I tried glue stick before, but had better luck with painters tape, so just stuck to that.