Trouble with initial layer adhesion

[JonRaymond]

At one time the build plates actually had “Use detergent to clean the surface” physically printed in capital letters on them.

Sadly, the new dual sided Smooth PEI doesn’t seem to have this any longer.

For future readers @lkraus has a really good post explaining why soap works better than IPA.

@lkraus

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.