Those holographic plates can be a nice thing to have if you need a well looking cover or such.
And while we all know their bond strength is not as good as for example textured PEI it seems some users do struggle to make their print stick.
I observed that for example on my H3 plate PLA did not want to stick in any acceptable way or form.
Prints with a large footprint were not a big issue but small footprint and tall in size meant the print just popped off the bed.
Especially if printing multiple parts at once.
It might surprise you that a lower than usual first layer temp and a lower bed temp can work far better than trying to cook the filament onto the plate.
Why might that be you ask ?
Well, those fancy materials works so well on our print beds because our filaments wonāt really bond with them.
Pretty much nothing sticks well to them actually.
The bond is provided by a perfect seal between the extruder and the plate.
Pretty much the same way these silicone mats and stickers for the dashboard work.
Difference is that our filament is not really soft and flexible.
Means the bond fails if, for example, a corner starts to lift or a small but tall print get knocked again and again by the heat when moving over it.
By using a lower extrusion temp than for PEI plates we can get this first layer down with much better adhesion - as long as you wonāt change the bed temp for the other layers!
Different story though for TK99 / FR10 plates.
Apart from the hassle with the clamps it is a great and universal material.
So far I had no adhesion issues with any filament I tried, no issues getting prints off once the plate was cold either.
All without any glue, just a clean bedā¦
I used FR10 on other printers in the past and of course it was the first plate I added to my P1S.
All these plates comes with some downsides, mainly for the sticker ones.
But one should never use a metal scraper, knife or such on themā¦
For those stickers any plate damage means you struggle even more.
If you are lucky a print wonāt stick on damaged areas, if not it means you wonāt get the print off without causing further damage.
FR10 is a bit more forgiving here but any marks or scratches on the plate will transfer onto your print.
Bed temps are vital and for most filaments we wonāt really have to go anywhere near the 100 degrees Celsius those stickers are good for.
Even you wonāt go above 70 though - they ARE consumables and one should keep this in mind when they fail.
Again, TK99 / FR10 is different as you can hit it with up to 300 degrees - for the bed the print.
Sadly Bambu limits us to just 100 for the bedā¦
If you struggle to get your prints to stick make sure the surface of the plate is still intact.
And if you see water running off is odd ways and always the same paths you know there is something wrong.
IPA is our weapon of choice and wonāt harm our beds - but is it the best choice ?
It cleans ALMOST everything off the plate but where IPA struggles plain old soap does the trick.
Prefer the basic kind in block form over dishwashing liquid as we ONLY want soap, no additives
These bars for laundry use are usually a good start if they are free from those little helpers.
You can also try non-residue- sticking tape.
It should come off with the same force and sound on all parts of the bed.
You will notice a difference in areas where your print keeps struggling with the adhesion.
Soā¦ specifically what temperatures are you using to get these holographic plates to hold the filament? Iāve tried PETG (which sticks too well to almost everything), at its normal printing temps (240 and 70) and its like watching an egg in a new teflon pan, just sliding all over the place. Iāve tried PLA as well, again at normal printing temps (220 and 55) and again, slides all over the placeā¦ what temps for these materials worked for you?
I canāt give you the temp that works best for you but I use these plates quite oftenā¦
First trick is to NOT use them out of the pack - clean them with good IPA wipe first to remove production residues.
Next step and after a bunch of prints repeat the treatment, starting with soapy water and sponge, rise, dry and then remove what the soap canāt get with IPA or Ethanol.
Those plates can be very unforgiving if there is even the slightest contamination on them
In most cases what works to give a strong bond with textured PEI is a good starting temp for those holo plates.
NEVER change the bed temp during print!
Whatever you have for the first layer keep itā¦
Example: PLA
Start with 55 degrees Celsius and print a 30x300 rectangle - only needs to be 2 or three layers thick.
Right after the print and before the plate cools down too much, set the bed temp again - or remove the G-code for turning the heatbed off.
Use a wooden or plastic scraper to check if you can bump the print off the plate.
If it pops off reduce the temp for the bed by 3 degrees and try again - using a different spot on the plate.
If worse than before increase by 6 degrees - 3 more than for the first run.
Usually between 50 and 60 degrees (for PLA) you will hit a sweet spot.
There the print is still partially soft on the plate but wonāt bump off.
PETG can be a bit trickier as you might have to increase the nozzle temp for the first layer by 3 to 5 degrees.
That is because those plates get the adhesion through the vacuum like seal the filament creates.
You really want those first layer lines to be as gap free as possible.
Silk PLA is something I avoid as I had bad results with it, meaning it left a residue on the plate I am not able to remove.
Wonāt affect the holo effect on the print but messed badly with the adhesion in this spot.
A good way to ensure the plate is clean is the running water test:
If the water rinses off evenly from the plate it is a good sign.
Any spots where the water āsticksā to the plate or when you hole the plate horizontal where the water refuses to go is bad and needs another round of cleaning.
Try to use the plate as evenly as possible, meaning avoid printing small single prints right in the centre all the time and you should not have any issues.
Most important is to thoroughly wash them with soap regularly, especially out of the box nothing will stick to them until done. Havenāt really had issues at normal temps after that.
Yeahā¦ I peeled the protective coat off, I washed them with Dawn dish soap and hot water, I then gave a final wipe with IPA, and I canāt even get the purge line to stickā¦ It just pushes an ever growing blob of filament around the bedā¦ I did finally get a print to stick spraying it down with hair spray, but I really hate gunking up my print bed with that stuff.
Well seems I finally figured out the trickā¦ apparently hand washing them with Dawn dish soap wasnāt enoughā¦ I took the plates and ran them through a cycle on the dishwasher (no rinse aid)ā¦ now prints are sticking like they should.
