Guide: Restoring and maintaining a PEI printbed!

Ever had the problem of print just not sticking to a PEI 3D printer bed? I sure have...
Thankfully, taking care of the printbed or even fully restoring one isn't hard!
Thanks to Aleph Objects for sponsoring this video! lulzbot.com/
Get the tools used:
🛒 Wood chisels geni.us/Chisel...
🛒 Acetone geni.us/Acetone
🛒 Denatured Ethanol geni.us/Alcohol
🛒 Steel Wool geni.us/Mammoth
PEI sheets from 3DPrima www.3dprima.com...
Product links are affiliate links - I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you)
🎥 All my video gear toms3d.org/my-...
🎧 Check out the Meltzone Podcast (with CNC Kitchen)! / @themeltzone
👐 Enjoying the videos? Support my work on Patreon! / toms3dp

[@MadeWithLayers]

I hope you'll never have to deal with prints not sticking, but if you do, this should help you out with PEI surfaces. Any favorites when it comes to alternative bed surfaces?

[@passipassi100]

Thomas Sanladerer i like to use buildtack to print on.

[@3DPrintedAspie]

Hi Tom, Very Nice work on the Editing lately I think some of the other big boys may need to step up their Game. Bed Surfaces I use Acrylic Matte Medium, It basically Acrylic Paint without the Pigment. Dries clear and can be added in layers or coloured with all Standard Acrylic Paint, I normally apply with a sponge while the bed is hot and wait for it to go clear and then let the bed cool down. Thanks for all the Content. :D

[@protoplastik5172]

Thanks Tom. Have to say I've never heard of PEI. Definitely will be looking into it. My favorite is glass. But it can be a huge PITA. If anyone has kids, then you know all about this weird 'slime making' craze. Well, something that's come out of that is the development of clear PVA from Elmer's. Make a slurry of this stuff with about 2:1 glue to water. When it heats, you'll have a sticky, mirror surface. The printed side will look practically injection molded as long as your first layer height is spot on.

[@fiveangle]

If all you're going to print is PLA, a nice thick piece of Kapton is hard to beat: sticks like glue at temperature, pops off like nothing, even large sheets, once cooled - far better than PEI. Unfortunately it is no where near as versatile as PEI is with other filaments.

[@protoplastik5172]

I once used sail repair tape. The cool thing about this is that the printed side ended up with a really nice fabric texture. Stuff is super expensive though and easily destroyed if the print sticks too well.

[@themaninthesuitcase]

Rather than steel wool, last week I used a non scratch pot cleaner. Worked really well and remove a tiny amount of material. Prints now sticking better than ever.

[@riskable]

I recently performed a neat trick with my MK2 PEI: I flipped it over! Stuck the heat bed in the freezer for an hour and that allowed me to peel the PEI sheet very easily without any bends and, more importantly, the adhesive was 100% untouched--left behind on the bed (it sticks better to the bed than the PEI). Both the bed and the PEI sucked a lot of moisture out of the air and while they were wet I flipped the PEI over and placed it back down on the heat bed/adhesive. I then used a plastic scraper to squeeze out as much water/air as I could after carefully aligning the sheet and then dried it off with a paper towel. After the heated bed got back to room temperature I hooked it back up to the printer and let it "bake" at 80°C for half an hour and gave it a test print of a nice, wide-bottomed PETG object. Not only was adhesion great I was able to remove the object from the bed (with the usual difficulty) without having the PEI separate from the adhesive. This "baking" step is probably not necessary if your first print after flipping takes sufficient time and has the heated bed set to at least 80°C. The underside of the Prusa PEI is quite shiny! www.amazon.com/photos/share/z4AGrt0zrz2h0ArH90AMYMfZIKjlXdtaeTKTrBKqFOR (that's my flipped PEI sheet!) This process mostly eliminated the bad nicks that my PEI sheet that had developed over time. Instead of being grooves/indentations they have become very minor bubbles which seem to have flattened out considerably after several prints. Also, when the nozzle extrudes plastic over one of these spots the bubble simply flattens itself out for the most part (it doesn't "catch" or anything like that). The prints still end up with minor indentations where the PEI sheet sticks out but it's *much* better than it was before. So if your PEI sheet has lots of nicks to the point of needing replacement I highly recommend giving the "riskable flip" method a try =)

[@fiveangle]

riskable that's crazy. I would never suspect the adhesion would drop so much just from the cold, but I guess it makes sense: if heating PEI up makes it stick much better, it stands to reason that cooling it down does the opposite #whoknew Bravo ! You receive the first "Not completely useless KZbin comment" award 😉

[@davidlockwood4545]

It's not the PEI that is affected by cold it's the 3M adhesive.

[@fiveangle]

Obviously that is incorrect, or the adhesive woud not have come perfectly clean from the PEI, and stuck still and reusable to the PCB HB

[@Johncoffee2002]

Neat !

[@richmagda553]

Five years later and this video is still the standard on rejuvenating your PEI surface. I would like to suggest trying a non-scratch scrub sponge in place of steel wool. I give my PEI surface a light scrub under water with a little dish soap and it comes back clean and sticky again. I find a used non-scratch scrub sponge works best and does not scratch or gouge the PEI. Thanks for the inspiration Tom!

[@namAehT]

A proper wash with dish soap and sponge is my go-to for cleaning my bed, but about once every ~2 years or so (at my print rate) I flip the sponge over and use the scrubber side to scuff up the surface a little. I basically wash it like I normally do, but with the other side of the sponge and it appears that's enough to completely rejuvenate the print bed.

[@3DPrintingNerd]

I saw your chisel usage, and I totally loved it. I used a chisel on ALL of my printers to get prints off the bed. I'm careful, like you said, but what I also do is turn the chisel upside down and use it like a lever to help lift the print once I've gotten slightly under the edge. I found using your method all the way and NOT being careful results in gouges and holes. Oops on my part :)

[@Yeekeer]

chisel is a huge mistake, try a small Palette Knife, thank me later ;)

[@davem3048]

I have been using a PEI bed on my TAZ since 2014, well before even Lulzbot was putting them on their machines. The Lulzbot forums were very infuential in my decision to go to PEI, and I believe probably influenced Lulzbot in the same direction. I have always used acetone to keep my PEI surface in top condition. It is the BEST cleaner for PEI. I wipe down the COLD bed surface before each printing session. It is important to remember that PEI becomes tacky when heated, and acetone will react poorly with a WARM PEI surface. (There is some chemistry involved here which was investigated in the forums.) I have also used a 600 grit sanding block to rough up and flatten the surface occasionally. This will fully renew tack, and should only be required once every few months. Using the block is important to help keep the surface level. The only time I use alcohol to clean is when the bed is still WARM between prints. If I need to use a glue stick for filaments like PETG, I will clean that residue as best as possible with water prior to the acetone wipe. I'm still using my original 40mil PEI sheet and it is in excellent condition after hundreds of prints.

[@groodhaprinter]

This was exactly what I needed! I've been printing nearly non-stop with my Original Prusa i3 Mk2 for a few months and recently been having problems with parts not sticking as well. Especially large prints, the edges and corners would peal up during printing. Alcohol wipes alone weren't enough. But when I used your advise and rubbed it down with steel wool to refresh the surface, it's working like new again. Large parts are sticking perfectly! No more edge lift. Thanks!

[@MatthewBallinger]

I wouldn't recommend using steel wool. As you can see in the video, it dropped dozens of tiny metal hairs onto the print surface like dust. If any of those conductive hairs work their way into the control board, you're going to have a heck of a time troubleshooting intermittent problems. Synthetic steel wool works really well and alleviates this issue.

[@Socal_Geo1]

Exactly. That and the denatured alcohol he’s using and breathing in is not safe at all. It contains neurotoxic methanol in it. Denatured alcohol is so not safe it’s not even legal to sell in several US states and i. many countries like Canada for example. Just use 91% isopropyl alcohol as it’s works just as well but it’s relatively safe to use.

[@geterdnboy]

@@Socal_Geo1 The bottom line. Denatured alcohol is just basic alcohol, used in household products, that has ingredients added to ensure people don't drink it for recreational purposes. Despite its damaging effects when ingested, it is relatively safe when used in household products, even those that come in contact with your skin.

[@auronscardcollection2217]

Thank you for your video. Installing my 2nd pei sheet because i really love my 1st bed. Adhesion, quality and surface quality are consistent and nice.

[@RJMaker]

After converting both my printers to PEI, I have come to both hate and love it. I love that I don't have to use hairspray (I've always used glass), but I absolutely hate how hard parts are to remove. Hairspray on glass is dream when It come to removal. Just let cool and that's it. With PEI....., well your examples in your video explain the rest.

[@dannydietze]

I've been having good results with automotive window tint, a large roll cost about $10 US so if it gets damaged during print removal, a new piece is cut and applied the same way it would be applied to a window. I do cut it to be larger than the print surface so it's easy to grab the overhang for removal.

[@fabiogarcia1431]

Does ABS stick well on automotive window film?

[@dannydietze]

@@fabiogarcia1431 I haven't worked with ABS, mostly PLA and PETG, my new printer has a glass bed and I've been having good luck with PVA glue

[@fabiogarcia1431]

​@@dannydietze I like pva glue too, but I want to get rid of liquids.

[@matthewbucknall8350]

Acetone can leave a residue. A quick wipe with IPA before every print works for me. I use good quality paper towel and an aerosol can of IPA - Much cheaper than buying IPA wipes.

[@Masterpj555]

@Thomas sanlader a tip: use isopropyl alcohol to clean the bed and also to remove the prints... with a pipette put isopropyl alcohol around and in the holes of your 3D print generously and let it sit for a little bit... The isopropyl alcohol will work itself under the part with capilairy action (surface tension) and will make part removal a lot easier.

[@Johncoffee2002]

I do the same thing! Using a chisel like Thomas does at 0:25 will not only bend the bed like crazy, it could also permanently warp or even damage it...

[@agustinbmed]

I think it should be noted that before even trying to clean it with any kind of chemical (which in turn does damage the PEI coating as per manufacturer's advise), try to level the bed properly... sometimes we assume the worst because we think the easiest things couldn't possibly be the problem. Having said that, I loved the video and although I squirm at how hard you were peeling your parts off of your printers, I applaud your bravery :)

[@ewap-by-daniel]

I also have a tip: Try to remove the parts not with force but with a jab. I use a 200g steal block and bumb it into the side of the printed part. Because the bounding to the PEI is strong but brittle, it mostly just kracks off. (I now have 1200 print hours on a single PEI sheet.)

[@tinocaer2861]

Thanks so much. My bed was caked with glue and I didn't know how to remove it. The hot water method worked and ABS sticks so well without glue!

[@krism3163]

I take my last video comments back about not liking sponsored blended spots, not bad, not bad at all. Probably ad being more relevant and pretty short makes the difference. Thanks Tom.

[@zodak9999b]

Thank you 3d senpai! I'm not so sure about ripping the steel wool apart above the bed, though. It seems like you could have lots of steel fibers going wherever they want.

[@AthanCondax]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! This was the problem I've been looking to solve. Great video as always, Thomas.

[@GeekinaCave]

Nice guide (as always). BTW if somebody trying of print flexible material on PEI, use first a pinch of talcum powder and spread it over with a paper towel; it will act as a "bonding reducer agent" for make (reasonable) easier remove the print from the PEI.

[@BrainSlugs83]

You rock, Tom! -- This is useful info. And I'm really happy you were able to do a sponsored video -- (and that the sponsor isn't something you'd have to sell your soul for. -- That was very classy, IMHO.) :)

[@cyberreefguru]

Nice work on the video. I always clean my bed with alcohol before using. I don't think it sticks as well as new, but it works well still. Too well for PETG which ripped a nice chunk from the bed. For now I've filled it with CA glue but the days are numbered for the original coating.

[@N3X15]

For people with over-adhesion, I usually use a thin layer of paraffin wax melted onto the preheated bed before printing. On PLA prints, it's tacky like glue. When the bed cools, it becomes brittle and releases easily from the bed. Works great on my Monoprice Maker Select Plus's buildtak, too.

[@ArranAsh]

Thank you so much, I've been having so many issues but the wire wool made my print stick perfectly even when the filament is not super close to the bed

[@taha112498]

Could you maybe make a video about how to replace the pei sheet? Mine is really damaged

[@taha112498]

Ty

[@chrisnelson1935]

heat the bed to 100 and then try should come off much easier

[@davidlockwood4545]

I have removed three PEI sheets from a glass bed. The first one i tried acetone and a wood chisel. It tore up the glass removing big chunks. After that I decide to do some research. Online it was suggested to pop the heat bed in the freezer for 30-60 minutes. This works like a charm. I've popped two off (and I mean popped, they came off in a single sheet!) with no further bed damage. I think Joseph Prusa also recommends this method.

[@racylaserjet]

manual.prusa3d.com/Guide/Replacing+the+PEI+sheet/133#_ga=1.7105266.1720623439.1478711137 Follow those instructions.

[@taha112498]

Damn, everyone who posts the link, gets his post automatically deleted as spam by youtube

[@sargfowler9603]

I use a BIQU build plate/sticker and everything sticks to it very, very well. For those people using glass, the problem is that it adds weight to the carriage which is exactly what you don't want.

[@rich1051414]

+1 on the chisel. I use the same thing man. Sure it can screw up the build platform if you aren't careful, but there is nothing else quite as effective.

[@tomasfra]

Tip: If you use PEI, a quick and simple way to get prints to detach right away is to use freeze spray. Spray around the edges of the print to get it to pop off.

[@maccavape2517]

^^ so much this, it works great

[@DR-ru9cx]

I wish you could still get the stuff without that nasty smelling bitterant.

[@tomasfra]

I use canned air and hold the can upside down, which makes it a freeze spray. No bitterant there. Probably only works with specific kinds of canned “air”, though.

[@toddzino58]

This video is now 4 years old, so everyone is now probably using removable steel sheets with PEI that you just flex and parts pop off. To restore, you can use acetone, but I found just scrubbing it once in a while with a kitchen greenie sponge and hot soapy dish soap does the trick. I use 91% IPA between prints. Works great.

[@HobbyFinn2]

To get ABS parts off the sheet it is crucial that the the bed temperature is right. When the bed is cooling it is around 60c is when the parts suddenly come off easily. When reheating a cold bed it is around 70-75c. It makes a world of difference. I got this tip from Aleph Objects after ripping my bed once.

[@theslvrbullt]

I wish this was made 2 weeks sooner. Would've saved me 20 bucks and days of frustration. Glad you made it now though. Now I know what to do in the future! :)

[@JonS]

That's very similar to my PEI maintenance routine. To get off things that are really stuck, these days I use the BuildTak spatula that I picked up at last year's Bay Area Maker Faire after a friend recommended it.

[@joeynuggetz]

A nice norton 1500 grit sanding sponge would be better. Steel wool bits will get into the lead screws Or motors. Plus if you're removing material then you want to sand flat and not create valleys.

[@StuffWithKirby]

Thats what i was going to suggest. All these other solutions he is providing are bad. Just some light sanding will always bring it back to good again.

[@Broadpaw_Fox]

Wait - you're saying that regular basic cleaning and degreasing are bad things? I'm confused... You did catch that the steel wool treatment is for the really bad cases where it's more than just surface contamination, right?

[@MattOGormanSmith]

ScotchBrite(tm) pads are a bit gentler, and don't shed steel wires (which always get under my skin) They do have abrasive grit in them though so you'd want to keep any dust off the bearing surfaces (leadscrews, slides, motors etc)

[@martyk2538]

Thanks so much Thomas, I've been trying to solve this for week's and this way worked great. Thanks so much dude.

[@FerTechCH]

I am in the year 2020 and fortunately the PEI sheets in the Prusa MK3S are magnetic and easier to manage. I am glad I didn't have to go through the hassles of cleaning the sheets when they couldn't be removed from the printer uff...

[@DavidFowlerEngineer]

Would love to see tips on how to replace the PEI surface. I have a TAZ5 and have replaced the PEI surface once. There has to be a simpler way than what I did!. After the second surface started having issues, mostly do to my bad replacement. I now use a separate PEI sheet with bulldog clips which even helps with removing parts as I can flex the PEI if necessary. Thanks for the tips!

[@ravm84]

With all respect I definitely don't recommend to use acetone for PEI. I have tested acetone with small piece of PEI, detached from the bed. If you soak PEI with acetone it looses its flexibility straight away and after a short time it starts to crack. This is how I destroyed my last PEI sheet, it retired replacement after one week when I cleaned the bed with acetone. I also tested it with PRUSA MK2. Be aware ! :) You can also find some PDF files about PEI and it clearly says that there are only few types of alcohol which are safe for PEI and acetone is definitely not recommended !

[@ravm84]

www.hycompinc.com/PDFs/ULTEMProductBrochure.pdf "Cleaning and degreasing Cleaning or degreasing of ULTEM® resin finished parts can be performed using methyl or isopropyl alcohol, soap solutions, heptane, hexane or naphtha. The parts should not be cleaned with partially halogenated hydrocarbons or with ketones such as MEK or strong bases, such as sodium hydroxide." ...acetone is kind of keton... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetone

[@tellingmachine]

I tried PEI sheets and decided to stick with glass. I love how the prints just pop off by themselves after the heat bed cooled down a bit.

[@cjmerobot1204]

Not sure why but nothing worked until I watched this vid and used acetone, now my parts are practically glued down, no warping and no popping off in the middle of a print!

[@JuicyMooseProductions]

Thank you for this, I needed this advice on my Prusa as the pei didn't do as good as it should have but didn't know how to revive it. Keep up this awesome work and rock on Tom!!!

[@mistaecco]

I'm still stuck with glass till I manage to get a mk42 clone or upgrade printers, which makes things a lot easier, but it's good to know the PEI can be maintained! Also, I liked the aleph objects ad spot, it fit in with the theme of the channel really well and didn't seem intrusive whatsoever. Wish I had the money to spare on one of their machines, though.

[@Ferbocarbo]

A video on removing old PEI would be sweet! :)

[@das250250]

You want a vacuum cleaner while using steel wool to make sure the wool doesnt get into bearings or electronics !

[@Tump2010]

About every 6-8 months I have to give a few light wipes with a 2000 grit wet dry sand paper with a touch of water, it keeps things sticking well, and then after I scratch it up too badly with my scraper I will do a 500 grit, 1000 grit, 2000 grit treatment to get a scratch free matte surface. I have had to replace it twice, one because I kept printing everything in the dead center of the bed and freeing it from there all the time weakened the PEI sheet and it cracked, the second time was due to printing TPU that broke the crap out of it trying to get it off the PEI sheet. :-D

[@karlfimm]

I have problems getting things unstuck, so when I design a part, I often add a overhang recess (a slot 8mm wide, 2mm high, 1mm deep) so I can put a screwdriver tip into it then lever the screwdriver against a flat spatula (to spread the force), and pop the part off without having to scrape at all.

[@karandex]

That slic3r rant at start.

[@ChristophLaimer]

Hi Tom. Did you ever try to spray a few drops of alcohol-water mix at the printed object and the print-bed? Do it, when the bed has cooled down to room temperature. I bet after that experience you will never use the chisel again.

[@john31419]

I would probably recommend taking the bed off before using acetone, the fumes alone can weaken the printed parts on the printer and if you clean the bed a lot it might cause issues.

[@1604max1979]

How do you change the PEI sheet if you need to do so?? Just for future reference... Thank you Tom!! You do a phenomenal job!!

[@chrisnelson1935]

for pet-g I use brim, say 20 lines, to allow you to easily get under the pet-g without ripping. also when swapping the pei or, in my case, build-tak heat the bed to 90-100 and it should release much easier and cleaner when you are replacing it.

[@EternalDreadLord]

I used a sanding block based on advice from another video but I have yet to test if it works. All I know is I should wipe my PEI magnetic bed every time before printing

[@LetsRogerThat]

that fixed my PEI adherence issue. Thanks. Gilles

[@uweschroeder]

I'm using a PEI sheet glued to a mirror tile using that nasty 3M adhesive. Advantage of this setup is that once the PEI sheet wears out, you just throw it away together with the mirror tile because that tile only costs like $2

[@michaeleaster8354]

3M adhesive remover works amazing for replacing the pei.

[@DoubleMotherLess]

why print directly to the hotbed when you can use a smother sufrace like glass? :S with two cristal platforms you can print, switch the glass, and keep printing, and meanwhile.. the other glass can go in the cooler, YES. then you take the pice and simply jumps from the bed. having a very nice surface without warping insead of "mechanize" and.. as we can apreciate in your hotbed, simply break it. well.. both, glass and hotbed have such a same price, but if i need to choose, i prefeer glass even if it doesnt keep all the heat of the hotbed. and if i damage the glass without break it, it can simply sand for one side. the perfect way to keep abs unwarped even without additives. and still having a nice surface in the other side. break it isnt nice, but eigher will break a heatbed. specially if its plugged and inuse... that could be pretty dangerous. Hope my tips are apreciated by you and the comunity reading this. and aplogies of my english.

[@Deaner3D]

Yep, you're spot on. I think this is targeted towards Prusa owners(which is funny to have the Taz advertisement plug at the end) who can't do a glass upgrade without losing calibration functionality from Prusa. IMO, I think Josef should head back to the drawing board with the entire Prusa frame, which tends to skew easily. Then he can focus on a BLtouch style probe and enable swappable beds. Combine that with an ooze/waste bucket/nozzle cleaner and he's got a new thing entirely.

[@clanross62]

Ewok have you ever used a PEI bed, prints don't pop off when cold, also using alcohol to assist breaking the bond does not work. In fact I have yet to find any system to remove eSun CF from a PEI bed. Many people have suggestions based on experiences with other materials, for example yes printing on a glass bed prints do pop off when cold. I have even tried putting the PEI in the freezer, does not work to release parts. I have tried magnetic bed with the theory that you can remove the the be then flex the part of ... turns out it was yet just another theory. In my view PEI is great for PLA but good quality toughened glass works nicely as well.

[@michaelecker448]

When prints are stuck on the PEI I put some isopropyl alcohol on the edge between the bed and the print and let it sit for a minute or two... the alcohol seems to "crawl under" the print and loosens it up... sometimes you can even hear it crackle away from the bed...

[@TechFenixx]

So glad I have a removable glass bed on my Anet a8 :)

[@ronnieschreiber7801]

Tom, using too thick a PEI sheet on genuine Prusa printer will change the zero for the Z axis enough that you won't be able to calibrate the nozzle without the PINDA probe being too close to the print. I tried using a 0.8mm sheet and it didn't work out. I switched to a 0.250mm sheet from Hyde, which seems to be working well. It's a bit thicker than the .175mm film that the Prusa comes with from the factory so it should stand up to more abuse while still working.

[@MadeWithLayers]

+Ronnie Schreiber you will need to have the PINDA probe at the exact right height, but it should work

[@matthewq2365]

Wilton frosting knife, best 3D print removal tool ever.

[@henrygarcia965]

I just got my first 3D printer ( Momoprice mini select) this will save me so much time

[@detlefschramm5005]

Hello Thomas, nice video and good information like always. For very hard sticking parts try to use ice-spray. At least on ABS it works perfect. May you can try out.

[@janbernhardt2886]

How about a video on replacing the PEI on the Prusa? I'm a bit afraid to do that without your guidance... ;)

[@bmemike]

Parts *STICK* to my Lulzbot Mini and I have to really work to get them off. Definitely ruined one sheet as a result. Oops. Lesson learned. My TAZ 6, however, seems to like to auto-release at the end of the print during cool-down, which is AWESOME. I definitely am not experiencing adhesion issues throughout the print either. Not sure what the practical difference is, but I'm not complaining. PEI is just amazing though. I want to apply adhesives to my print surface as infrequently as possible - and it allows that to be basically never.

[@jaistanley]

I use a car body 'flatting' sanding board and some 400-500 grit sandpaper to flat the surface, and always clean it with isopropyll alcohol.

[@MadeWithLayers]

The sanding board might not conform to slight inconsistencies in the surface, hence my preferred choice of steel wool.

[@thegarageluthier]

acetone is a ketone and ketones damage PEI. just need to check Ultem datasheet.

[@jaistanley]

Thomas Sanladerer I guess. My PEI is also a lot thicker than the Prusa one (0.8mm) so i can be a little heavy handed and flat the while surface as if i was flatting the paint on a car. You can see the depressions where my hot nozzle has got too close being flatted out. My last sheet lasted 2 years, but i destroyed it prying co-polyester based XT-CF20 off when it was still hot. Your advice is sound though! I've never used acetone on my bed, can't remember why, think i saw a post years ago saying not to. It's pretty chemical resistant though. I just use alcohol to remove the dust I've created, or to ensure there's no grease from my skin.

[@jaistanley]

Thomas Sanladerer I guess. My PEI is also a lot thicker than the Prusa one (0.8mm) so i can be a little heavy handed and flat the while surface as if i was flatting the paint on a car. You can see the depressions where my hot nozzle has got too close being flatted out. My last sheet lasted 2 years, but i destroyed it prying co-polyester based XT-CF20 off when it was still hot. Your advice is sound though! I've never used acetone on my bed, can't remember why, think i saw a post years ago saying not to. It's pretty chemical resistant though. I just use alcohol to remove the dust I've created, or to ensure there's no grease from my skin.

[@mikevia7530]

Lately I've been having issues with bed adhesion with my PEI sheet even though I regularly clean it with Isopropyl Alcohol...Acetone and steel wool seemed to have fixed the problem. Thanks!

[@TechnoVault67]

I use dental floss to get my prints of the bed, it works really well and doesn't leave a scratch

[@kevinpezzi6777]

Not all brands of PEI are created equal. Considering those of the same type (smooth versus textured), I noticed extreme differences in adhesion. Example: with textured PEI from Prusa or Anycubic, PETG isn’t difficult to remove and larger parts usually self-release upon cooling, as if picking up parts from a countertop. In contrast, the garbage PEI Creality uses bonds like superglue to PETG - more evidence that buying Creality is purchasing problems.

[@guidosarducci209]

I read that acetone dissolves PEI. Not necessarily a bad thing if it's used lightly and carefully, but it seems like it matters what effect it causes. If it doesn't dissolve PEI, it's just a cleaner. If it does, it actually can re-surface (well or badly). I need to resurface my 2mm sheet, from scratches from a razor blade. I find sanding with 600 grit is too coarse and fine steel wool perhaps too fine. So I'm still trying to figure out exactly how to recondition it.

[@lowellhouser7731]

I just use a a 1/1 ratio sugar -water wiped on lightly with a paper towel and left to dry. Works great on glass.

[@Vykori]

4:39 your phone vibrated :o worst mistake I've seen on the channel yet, and that says a lot :D

[@bldjln3158]

What about the cutting error in the beginning?

[@peterthinks]

Turning the chisel the other way and using the angle as a lever helps.

[@MadeWithLayers]

+peterthinks really easy to slice into the PEI that way, so I edited out that part 😉

[@davidlockwood4545]

It all depends on your proficiency with a wood chisel. I have no problem with this method.

[@RockBert01]

I don't have much problem with a cake frosting spreader. It may take two or three tries to get under the edge the first time, but the rest is easy. I have never had a print "pop" off.

[@GarethEtherington]

Really useful. Thank you Thomas.

[@tedtompkins1470]

Thomas, is that a PLA print you are removing with the chisel or is it something like PETG that adheres aggressively to PEI? From what I've seen, PLA is not particularly difficult to remove. ?

[@ManWithBeard1990]

Take care that the steel wool residue does not get near your electronics. Also, there are magnets in motors so the stuff will be attracted to them and may ruin the bearings over time.

[@mrmechano]

Acetone destroyed a PEI sheet, now doesn't stick quite anything. How can renew that surface that acetone made too smooth and no more sticky?

[@MobileDecay]

I had mine and it worked great for 2 prints. Than nothing would stick to it. So I sanded it. Now it's working again. I can't find one surface that last more than one day! 😫

[@GoatZilla]

Use water soluble glue stick. After print, spray water around the print. Let it wick into the print/glue for a while. Easily remove print. Done.

[@Skeptic2006]

What is the optimal PLA and bed temperature when using PEI? Had some good prints with 200 and 60 before fixing a nozzle blockage. Now nothing seems to stick anymore. Did bed leveling, steel wool and IPA. Still... time to cut a glass bed maybe?

[@tomasgarza1249]

I saw in reddit someone who peeled the PEI off thinking it was a protective layer. Mine actually came with a protective layer (First magnetic PEI ever) and I didn't peel it off. I thought I ruined my PEI when my failed print removed part of the protective layer. I thought PEI was that fragile.

[@Liberty4Ever]

3:10 Acetone before printing doesn't give as good adhesion as isopropyl alcohol because commercial acetone that we buy in the hardware store is reclaimed from used industrial solvents, and while it is distilled, a tiny bit of the oil from the dirty acetone remains in the reclaimed acetone, and when the acetone evaporates a very tiny amount of oil remains, probably similar to the oil from fingerprints. IPA is manufactured instead of reclaimed, so there is no residual oil contaminate. I use IPA for most solvent applications, but if I'm trying to remove something like ABS and I want a squeaky clean surface, I'll use acetone followed by IPA to remove the oil residue.

[@aviadwolff6093]

As an i3 mk2 owner I would really love to be able to print on glass in order to keep my bed fresh (it's already starting to get cloudy after printing nylon with gluestick). of course the problem is that the probe for mesh leveling will not detect the metal through the glass thickness. As my buisness is actually a glass tempering factory I want to check the possibility to make a piece of glass with a conductive surface on its top as to enable the probe to detect it. Would be glad to hear people's opinion on this and see if this might be of interest to other users.

[@Swarm509]

A bit old but if you search online for printing on glass with a Prusa i3 mk2/3 people have figured out how to do it. Basically you run gcode that has the printer level as normal, stop after that (for 60 seconds or such), you place the glass on the bed, and the via gcode adjust the z-height the thickness of the glass. After that you can still use live z to adjust as needed and print.

[@RIDGEDvids]

Hello tom i know this isnt related to the video but i need help with my homemade 3d printer. currently i am in highschool and decided to build a printer for a project scholarship, i have recently run into a problem with my wiring that i cant find information on. I am using a ramps 1.4 board with A40988 drivers, my motors when marlin is installed wont move properly. i have run the ramps testy software and they work perfect but as soon as i use the marlin/ pronterface software the just vibrate and buzz. i have been trying to solve this for days now and i am running out of time so any help would be appreciated

[@erysonrodriguez8398]

I have the magnetic sheet (black one) i cracked it to two and re applied it. i re adjusted it as it's warping up but actually i ended up tearing it and putting it back. will it affect prints? i haven't printed yet as i'm worried whether to buy a new one.

[@ThetaPower]

Stop using force alone to remove your prints. Place A small amount of alcohol around the perimeter of the object. Capillary action will pull the alcohol under the object. If it doesn't, use the edge of your chisel to raise just a small portion of the object in the alcohol will be sucked under and the part will break loose almost instantly.

[@jasonperkes7621]

This made me cry

[@DaniloMajhenic]

I would love the video would start with an explanation of what is pei, or link to a video that explains it.

[@jameshydra1031]

Is it necessary to allow the PEI to cool before print removal, like Ultrabase?

[@CarsInDimension]

I'd use Scotch Brite instead of steel wool. Steel wool leaves behind metal fragments and dust that could get it bearings and electronics.

[@elabguy]

Do you have a video that shows people how to replace a glass print bed and how to calibrate after on the prusa i3 mk2?

[@shelbyseelbach9568]

I lightly scuffed mine with a fine sandpaper, wiped with denatured alcohol, like brand new.

[@PartTimeRonin]

How about the green scouring pad compare to steel wool? 4:49 MOAR info, I see what you did there. :D

[@vince086]

So is PEI really worth it? At the moment I use buildtack, it's been working fine so far for PLA.

[@techtiptricks]

You can print on glass with the prusa i3 mk2, just look on youtube for print on glass prusa

[@RamyasriGunda-sl7zi]

My pei magnetic sheet is bulged in the middle, it's bent, what should I do to make it flat again?

[@breaddrinker]

But what about larger damage? Deep scratches, or pock marks. Is there anything that can be used as a spot treatment to fill those voids, not just a general grab restorer for the general surface?

[@cdl1701]

I need a sheet that is 350x350 but I really don't think they make them that large. currently I am using a pieced together one.

[@MarinusMakesStuff]

They do make em that large. I've seen 400x400mm sheets on Aliexpress ;) However, the shipping cost might be higher on those large sheets.

[@Ryukachoo]

my pei still sticks TOO well. if i print slightly too hot or slightly too close to the bed i need to wait for the bed to cool all the way down then go to town on it with a spatula basically

[@JulienVanier]

I sanded my i3 MK2 PEI bed with 800 grit sandpaper on a saving block to remove deep scratches and now I can only remove prints by slamming a corner with a chisel. It's hard to get the sweet spot of bed adhesion...

[@t1hawver]

How would you recommend cleaning/maintaining Kapton tape?

[@Nuttavoot]

How about updated for Powder coated PEI sheet cleaning.