Hello, I want to experiment the PC with my P2S..I need hints about temperatures (chamber, plate, nozzle) as well as best speeds…I have both a textured and smooth PEI bed (Bambulab originals)…other than adding brims to smallest object, also the glue is needed?
Thanks for any hint!
Andrea
Preheat the chamber for PC by setting the heat bed to 100°C and circulating the air with the auxiliary fan. Wait for the chamber temperature to reach at least 45°C before beginning the print.
Either bed will work. I always use glue stick. Lately, I’ve been using glue stick dissolved in IPA, sprayed thickly on the plate and allowed to dry. This leaves a smoother, more consistent glue layer and helps prevent glue lines on the print.
Like any other filament, the PC profiles included with Studio should work, and the usual tests from the Studio Calibration tab may make some improvement.
If you need more fine tuning, do a true experiment, changing only one variable at a time. This is easiest by activating Developer mode in Preferences, then using the Calibrations that are added to the top line menu.
Great! Thanks! As far as I understood, printing PC should be a way less toxic than printing ABS or ASA, right? What about the print speed?
I have no idea about PC toxicity. My shop is well ventilated, isolated from the house, and I usually do not stay there during a print. It has been a while since I printed with PC and I do not recall a strong odor.
My filament profiles all use whatever speeds are in the Generic presets. I rarely have a reason to adjust speed, only doing so if a particular model has a problem with normal speeds.
got it!
I thought that a low speed was required for PC…
thanks
If you’re print filament is properly calibrated and your chamber temps are in the realm of what @lkraus described above, you should not need to slow prints speeds down. But yes, slowing the printing may help.
One additional tip that works better than slowing the print but adds time at the end of the print.
If you see corner lifting after an otherwise successful print, let the part cool gradually on the build plate with the door closed. A slow, controlled cooldown can reduce post-print warping on certain models.
This is worth testing if your prints finish perfectly but start lifting a few minutes after completion. Keep the door closed and allow the chamber to cool naturally before removing the part.