3D Prints not sticking anymore? Watch this! 3DP101

In this video I'll show you how to clean and rejuvenate your print bed to restore it back to its former glory. If you're having trouble with prints not sticking like they used to, watch this video!
Please note! There are MANY different kinds of print surface on the market and this video may not be suitable for all of them.
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[@Chili_Rasbora]

Wow, I'm new to printing and after a dozen good prints I started having issues with this last night. Fantastic timing on this video.

[@skipsnapdoesfish8457]

I swear, this video was so helpful. Nothing stuck to my bed for a while unless I cranked my bed temp to unreasonably high temperatures. With this method, everything stuck with no hope of popping off the bed. Fantastic vid as always

[@enochroot9438]

Okay Angus message received loud and clear.....IF YOU'RE HAVING TROUBLE WITH 3D PRINTERS TRY GLUE & METH

[@mechanicallydev4536]

Omg I laughed so hard I choked 😂😂😂

[@bernarrcoletta7419]

ROFLMAO

[@markm6525]

Nice

[@ericmallory3050]

Uhoh, sorry Magnus, some things are named like illegal drugs in other countries...isopropyl alcohol wiuld be one thing safely / legally obtainable in the USA... Fyi...

[@winterbornfan]

methylated spirit is called Denatured Alcohol in the USA

[@tylerglidden7825]

This really helped me out. I didn't realize that my print-bed was dirty, but suddenly all of my prints started to fail. I cleaned it and the very next print came out great.

[@stayathomebob1219]

Dude oh my god holy crap! I have a print that uses the entire print bed of my Prusa MK3s, its a mold master for making a silicone mold and then casting with urethane so it has to be perfectly flat. I usually don't have bed adhesion problems but for whole print bed prints - there is usually a little corner peel here and there... This mineral spirits and glue stick thing! I've never had more buttery smooth perfect first layers in my life! Dude, you have changed my life. If I ever have more kids they will be named Angus! Thanks brother!!!!!

[@diviik6619]

Thanks man, I tried everything and I didn't know what to do anymore. Soaking a towel did the trick for me, awesome!

[@MakersMuse]

Sweet! Glad it helped 👌

[@Riverboat374]

Very helpful. I've seen a lot of requests for help on Facebook that seem to be exactly from this issue. Suddenly people can't get anything to stick anymore. Saw one guy actually got so frustrated he sold his printer and bought another one. If only he'd seen this video!

[@sankars74]

Thank you so much for this video. It saved my printer from not going to be a 400 dollar paper weight. I had the exact same problem after using it for 6 months. printed many different things. In recent time, more and more, I started getting this issue and one fine day, I was not able to print anything at all. I thought it is due to bed leveling. Spent entire weekend, tried to level 100+ times and test printed. will work well in test print until I put a print with multiple layers in it... 1. upgraded stock spring - same problem 2. checked the bed for warping - no issue found but same problem 3. bought BLTouch and installed - same problem. I was about to give up and then i found your video. isopropyl alcohol sprayed and glue stick used, now it is sticking like super glue... problem solved. now I spray the alcohol and glue everything when I print... Thanks Again.

[@mkbcoolman]

OMG THANK YOU!! This was driving me absolutely nuts after several failed prints. I'm now watching my printer lay down a perfect base layer after a half dozen failed attempts. That glue trick is genius.

[@OneIdeaTooMany]

Hello Angus! I recently had issues with bed adhesion on my prusa mini after swapping from PETG to PLA and the smooth PEI sheet. Isopropyl alcohol didn't work for me but this worked better than I could have expected! I've been able to fill the bed with multiple prints, multiple times and it's made printing a real joy first time, every time! Thank you!

[@MakersMuse]

Awesome! Glad it helped :)

[@nateb3105]

A+++ fixed EVERYTHING... every 10 prints or so i do 3-4 dabs of glue stick & wipe it with iso alcohol & a towel... EVERYTHING PERFECT since!!! Big thanks for all your vids Angus

[@edgarmunhoz3753]

man u make my day, i have for weeks have trouble sticking stuff to the bed and was getting very frustrated with my mk3s, until i saw ur video and now it works all the time, thank you for the tips!

[@jacksongodbold9297]

I just recently figured this out. If only this video had come out earlier! This especially applys to glass beds, when they're properly clean prints actually stick on the glass without any addhesive.

[@TrickyDickyP]

Nice one mate. I was having big problems with adhesion when using ABS. I modified your idea and used construction pva 5% and 95% water and applied with cotton wool. No alcohol used.. it works a treat. Many thanks for the idea.

[@professorstratios8228]

This was absolutely the finest solution! For those in the USA, I used an elmer’s glue stick and denatured alcohol (methylated spirits). This worked amazingly. My print is coming out now and looks beautiful.

[@Paiadakine]

Thanks for the translation.

[@3dbatman126]

This works! Before applying glue stick, use a spray bottle to spray some clean water onto the bed. While wet, the glue stick will just slide over without leaving uneven glue clumps.

[@ls9857-q7f]

"bed adhesion" - me in the mornings

[@qwertyuiop-kd4qq]

lol

[@ASSASSINTwentyFour]

mood

[@starleader6855]

Bro that's legit one of the best joke I heard in a while xD

[@imcooldude2689]

Precisely

[@TS_Mind_Swept]

After 3 years, it's still true

[@ianpollard4138]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Finally I'm able to print details on layer 1 without the filament curling round the nozzle.

[@smartmarketers2584]

This is similiar to what others have suggested too. However, your suggestion about mixing alcohol with the glue to spread it out across the bed is fantastic. I have had fourteen failures in a row so far from losing adhesion. I may have finally fixed it but it took all week. Thanks for your suggestion! I'll modify how I apply the glue on next go around!

[@blackwolfecc]

Very cool. I’ve been using glass surfaces on my Ender 3s and use a very similar process. I usually just wash the glass in warm soapy water, then use IPA to quick clean/dry and eliminate any oils remaining. Then a light use of a glue stick and a damp ipa rag to spread it around evenly. Glass still looks good and can print quit a lot of prints before cleaning is necessary. I’ve also been experimenting with etching cream with glass. Several coats of etching cream and a single super light application of glue/ipa spread has given one of my glass beds a long life span without cleaning (think I’m going on 4 months of almost daily printing without cleaning). And my prints still have just as silky smooth a surface as unetched glass. Awesome video as ever!

[@wayneparris3439]

I have the Wanhao I3 plus. I never let the bed get real dirty and I use a water based glue stick which means that I can do the same thing as shown here but with water on the paper towel vs solvent. This brings the surface back to like new!

[@JustCallMeQuincy]

I don't have a 3D printer but I love your content! It's very inspiring and I can see that you put a lot of work in it. Keep it up!

[@SianaGearz]

Time to get a 3D printer!

[@JustCallMeQuincy]

Siana Gearz, rn I'm saving for a new pc, after that I'm getting one!

[@SianaGearz]

Eh, i bought a cheap 130€ Geeetech, had to starve for a few weeks afterwards, but i was happy and still am. No matter that my PC is mostly from 2011 (Phenom II) and my laptop is from 2012/13. Those people that you that tell you that you need a fresh PC to model or slice, well, they are very wrong.

[@JustCallMeQuincy]

Siana Gearz, well, the new pc is in general a need, but thanks for the info, I'll look into it, but cheap is different for me, I'm not the richest person out there...

[@SianaGearz]

Cheap... i mean it is cheap relative to the cost of 3D printers in general - the Pro W kit that i got is pretty much cheaper than anything else out there save for even shittier CTC Pro B in Europe - worldwide there are slightly cheaper printers, but not over here, also they usually only have a 10cm build plate and no heating. Good printers start around 200€/USD, like Creality Ender3 and Geeetech A10. All of this is cheaper than even cheapest mass-market products with comparable number and type of moving parts would have to be, especially considering how those are subsidised via consumables and these 3D printers are not. And it's not like you can get a new PC for 200€ or $200US either. I don't know how i could have made an impression of not being poor - as i said, i had to starve for my printer, but it was just THAT important to me to have one. I only waited until i could move out of a puddle and into a room 8m² in size so i have at least some space for it :D

[@carbide1968]

Thanks for the tips Angus. Another trick for glass beds is to wash them in dishsoap for a squeaky clean bed that sticks like mad.

[@putrid.p]

Matthew Poole Glass cleaned with soapy water is great, but I always get a small amount of warping on sharp corners.

[@carbide1968]

Ed Jones I had to print a bunch of really small parts and was concerned they would come loose during printing so i tried spraying hairspray on a rag and wiping the glass and it worked very well. Whats your preference? Flex plate? Glass? I am always looking for different ways.

[@briankgarland]

Agreed. A little Water and a clean cloth is all I use for between print cleanings on my Artillery.

[@lg-xt5pn]

Windex

[@pirobot668beta]

Jet-dry. Dish-washing Rinse agents in general. It's a surfactant that 'makes water wetter' by lowering surface tension. A trace of this stuff (if you can see it, too much!) on clean glass can get great adhesion. With PETG and squeeky-clean glass, it can ruin your day! With the surface tension gone, printed materials can bond to glass at the molecular level. Ruined two Ultrabase sheets this way....divots pulled out of the glass bed! Prying/peeling the parts off was ripping the glass! It's possible to get too much adhesion.

[@Meikulish]

This video saved me a lot of frustration. Was rubbing aaaall kinds of skin oils on my build plate, and was baffled when my first layers started failing.

[@kerricaine]

was having this exact problem and that pretty much fixed everything! still have one small sector on my bed that will not stick no matter what, so it's causing things to warp around it, but that's a much easier fix than prints failing outright

[@ronarsenault3699]

Thank you for your tips on cleaning the printer bed. I was shocked at how much residue was on the table after 8 small prints. Thank you

[@jamieekinney]

Thank you! My rock solid Prusa i3Mk3S+ was misbehaving and this tutorial helped me diagnose and lack of adhesion caused by a dirty build plate.

[@Seraphic85]

That scraper gives me nightmares. I had stitches in my palm from the good times of 3D printing haha. Thank you Cocoon Create for an ultra sharp scraper.

[@cfriedalek]

Thanks for the video Angus. FWIW - I use a Kapton sheet on my Anet A8. Works great for PLA. Prior to printing I spray with a little Windex on a warm bed and wipe clean. Keeps the Kapton clean and I don't have adhesion problems. I change the Kapton sheet every few months depending on use and how scratched up it's become.

[@Janovich]

Got my Ender 3 Pro since a couple weeks. First dozen prints absolutely no problem with adhesion, now I'm at the point where I can't get a print to stick without gluestick no matter what. I've tried cleaning, re-leveling, declogging, slower printspeeds, different temperatures. Literally the only thing that worked reliably was Gluestick xD

[@johnnasta]

Thanks for this simple and effective advice! I have a CR-10V2 with glass bed. So far I haven't used any sprays, tape, or glue. I scraped the glass plate though and I could see the stuff coming off. Then I cleaned with 99% IPA and saw some yellow on the paper towel (I have been using white filament). I didn't use any glue or spray. Now a model that had failed to stick several times is printing perfectly.

[@ZombiemodzFPV]

I've been using glue stick for a long time but your way of thinning it out feels like a game changer to me! Thanks this is what I've been looking for!

[@spikekent]

Wow! Invaluable info as always. I'd never thought of smoothing glue stick with solvent, but it makes perfect sense. Bravo, another awesome raft of knowledge for my ever-growing arsenal.

[@jamesmactaylor]

This honestly helped so much, a little bit of Methylated Spirits, and my prints are sticking better than they ever have! I almost gave up hope on them, thank you so much!

[@daveoutlaw9890]

This is what I did too after mine started failing to stick ..but did not know why it made a difference, thanks for the explanation.

[@bobbyhenshall7464]

Personally, I use a mix of water and PVA glue solution and apply it to the bed with a sponge. The bed drys it to a mirror finish (I use a glass bed). It looks so satisfying when looking at the prints first layer, and the adhesion is superb! I've never had any problems with adhesion and there's no solvents, chemicals or alcohols used! If I ever do clean the bed, it's in the sink with warm water and dish soap.

[@johnnyswfour3392]

Thank you for another brilliant video! For NAR (= no apparent reason) my prints started to come away from the plate. All the levelling in the world didn't fix it but you did! Many thanks. PS: I also turned the cooling off for the first layer.

[@kenm2679]

Actually, I come to love using cheap aerosol hairspray on my PRUSA PEI sheet. You'll need to do this in a contained space and not when the PEI sheet is on the printer (because you'll end up coating a lot more than the sheet). I just find a nice cardboard box that will fit the sheet at the bottom and then spray it once to give it a good coat. Since there are fumes, I close the carton and let the fumes settle (which adds more spray on the surface of the sheet). I then place the sheet on the print bed and let the heat of the printer warming up for the print to dry out the surface. Works like a charm. Every once and a while, after a few prints, I take the sheet off and wash it and start all over.

[@rcdavidk]

Perfect tip... thank you. My Prusa sheet has been not sticking around the middle for a while. I just move the prints around, if possible. But today I have a print going diagonally from one corner to another... and it would just on stick. A few clean and glue stick rounds and everything is sticking really well. I did a z height adjustment of just -.002 just in case. Thank you... back to printing. I've got a 10 hour RC Wing part on the go now. Cheers.

[@plane9182]

Holy, thank you so much you solved all my issues. I had PLA warping!!! Now I can even use Abs with no warp thanks so much

[@nattybyrne]

you got some of the better videos and more clearly explained compared to others i have seen.

[@frostystoneman3273]

We could not have a solvent like that in such an attractive bottle here in North America. Good tips! Thanks

[@FilamentFriday]

I agree. Glue stick is my goto.

[@sidd8310]

Oy. You clean and apply glue after each print?

[@rikdenbreejen5230]

CHEP, but it is more of a last resort! I have found that gluestick made my adhesion worse and i found that it ruined my bed surface and it has made my print surfaces more dirty. Gluesticks requires more maintaining and more cleaning and is an additional cost.

[@byteofblender]

I have been using a similar method since I assembled my Anet - I use a lot of glue stick straight onto the aluminium bed, and then use water and my finger to spread the glue evenly and smoothly over the whole bed. It is a bit more messy but I have only done it three times since getting the printer almost a year ago, and it works very well. It is important to have a level bed, though, so I have a leveling probe set up to help with that and it works very nicely. Washable glue stick and a removable bed is fantastic as you can clean it under running water!

[@MrTstacey]

I was having this problem and couldn't sort it out. But in your video you mentioned the glue sticks were PVA and I stared to suspect what my cheap sticks were made of. So I tried a little PVA glue and wipe over with damp cloth. Its the best first layer the printer has done since it was new! Thanks very much for taking the time to share your knowledge.

[@2cool4u24]

Thanks for the tips. Never would have thought it was a dusty or dirty board. Thought it was because of the nozzle and ptfe tube replacement because the prints turned out really bad after doing this even after levelling mutiple times. Cleaned it with soap and now better than ever. Couldnt even see the dirt or grease but you would be surprised at how dirty it could get.

[@BLBlackDragon]

This is something it took me a while to figure out. Running a DIY Prusa i2, with glass on a heated bed. Every once in a while, I need to spray down the bed with glass cleaner, then just quick smear of glue across it. Right now, I'm getting about 200 hours between cleans, and all materials are sticking fairly well. (I print ABS, PETG, and PLA)

[@DonEduardo14]

Dude, your video just save my life, i've got an assesment on the uni, and my mk3 i3 was failing on this, thank you.

[@jasonturner5003]

Great advice. Just received my Prusa MK3s. Had a corner peel up on a 10hr print, frustrating. I did the glue stick method on the first one and it was great, but I applied too much and it was a pain to clean up. Tried hairspray, thats when the corner peeled. I like the applying small amount of the glue stick and spread it around method. Thank you again for confirming that this works.

[@chrisdickenson8116]

I was getting to where my prints wouldn't stick even with glue and hairspray. I went to the Prusa Forum and learned to clean my print bed in very how water and Dawn dishwashing liquid. Perfect fix!!! I don't even use glue or hairspray anymore.

[@MeettheTings]

Finally...I found an Aussie showing me stuff I can use! Thanks! Subscribed!!

[@tarunanandrao]

Thanks macha, I didn't do what you told. But I heard some solvent in ur lecture. So I just poured PVC solvent cement, 20 drops and it worked. Thank u cheta

[@imike964]

Dude, you have just saved my sanity and my 3D printer's life. I really wanted to smash the damn thing to bits, but it seems like the methylated spirit clean followed by mixing it with a glue stick seems to have resolved my issue. I have spent hours trying to fix this.... Nice one!

[@exploringgizmosgadgetsandg5897]

Amazing ... this worked like a charm and now I'm not frustrated with my printer anymore! :D

[@Inkomstkatt]

The suggestion about spreading out the glue stick evenly with solvent did the trick for the PEI sheet I got for my CR10s but never got to work right. Printing quite nicely now. That said blue painter's tape will always hold a special place in my heart. That stuff, with some glue stick, is almost fool proof, in my experience.

[@MakersMuse]

Thanks for the feedback, glad to hear it. Yeah... I started with painters tape too on the makerbot replicator 1. It got old having to replace it after every single print though!

[@dim1723]

Thanks for sharing this. I just recently cleaned my print bed. After a while of printing with PLA and no problems I switched to PETG and it would not stick. After cleaning the bed and getting rip of all those oils. It prints just fine now though I think for a big print. I'll try the glue stick trick. Thanks for showing it off. :)

[@dim1723]

This method makes everything stick even the bad filaments that just wont stay stuck. I was given a beautiful filament but it just won't stay down. So I used this method after cleaning my nozzle of stuck on plastic and no longer had to worry about it.

[@brettwatty101]

Nice tip mate, I ended up flipping my Ender 3 glass plate upside down to the shinny glass side and using the glue stick trick. Seems to be working better now. My main issue was the the glass plate was warped. I put a straight edge on it and it is definitely not flat. I lapped it flat on a granite plate with sandpaper but wore away most if the sticking side.

[@ThumpertTheFascistCottontail]

Great tip Angus. Hey if you're doing this quite a bit, you could invest in a cheap lab squeeze bottle to put your metho in. Makes it easier to dispense the metho and reduces spill if you accidentally knock the bottle over.

[@spartanvi]

Good trick and I found this out by accident while cleaning my glass build plate. Basically I wiped it down with isopropyl alcohol and found that it was dissolving out my old glue stick application, so I used the spatula to scrape up as much of it as possible. When I hit the glass a second time with isopropyl, there was still a thin layer of old glue that stuck around and I just rolled with it. Didn't reapply my glue stick, just used that thin gooey layer as my build surface.

[@tommymartin364]

This video helped me tons. I kept thinking my bed wasnt level. Just needed wiped down. Thanks!

[@randywetzler5976]

I've had good luck with a glass or mirror plate surface wiping down with isopropyl alcohol or glass cleaner every 5 prints or so. I also use a micro fiber cloth (autoparts store) to wipe the bed plate before every print. The micro fiber cloth acts like a magnet to pick up any microscopic dust particles. In addition a level bed is a must with the proper nozzle to bed clearance. I prefer a paper thin (.15mm) gap between the nozzle tip and bed which helps to really compress the first layer to the plate. If you start having problems down the road check your bed and/or nozzle clearances as very tiny changes seem to happen over many hours of use. No sticky hair spray or glue mess to worry about using this method.

[@3DMatterMakers]

Thanks Angus. Great tips as always. Love the laying the paper towel and pouring directly on the print bed technique!!!

[@MrMaker-mz1kc]

Thank you so much your videos have really helped a lot. Both this one and the top five beginners mistakes. I’ve really learned a lot from your channel. Thank you 😊

[@verheeckeobadja3141]

thx 4 the tip! had set up my bl touch and my 1st layer did not stick what ever i did! so now i know! glue + alc = bed adh!!!! now i get got prints that stick!!! THANKS!

[@MakersMuse]

Awesome! No worries 👍

[@pepe6666]

I use iso and a paper towel after most prints but after a week I wash the pei sheet with detergent. Great video man once again

[@jacobrollins37]

Great video. The first layer is the most important.

[@MttUrs]

On my Anet A8 I added a piece of glass covering the heater, and what I do is just spray some hairspray once the bed is heated. Every month/ month and a half I rinse the glass and the old hairspray just comes off. Regarding first layer quality, it doesn't gross the plastic, instead it makes the bottom surface kind of shiny and very smooth

[@russelldresh7832]

I've had a lot of problems not even glue helped, so tried using strips of very thin double sided sticky tape, sounds nuts I know but it works a treat. Should point out my bed isn't heated.

[@th33xitus]

At first i was like: "Hell yeah, a video i can post to the forums i am active in to help out newbros joining the 3D-printing community and having always the same issue of prints not sticking." And then i saw you pulling out the gluestick. Instantly revoked my plan on posting it. If you really want/need some PVA layer on your printbed, go with water-based wood glue (thats the made out of PVA). Thin it with water... then brush it on the slightly warmed up buildplate (40°-50°C). The water evaporates and you are left with a REALLY thin and REALLY even coat of PVA.

[@highlanderes]

Th33xitus Cool. I manage the degree of adherence by ajusting the bed temperature before application.

[@joshuaraines4741]

wow thank you so much. i just did this to my glass bed. it had stuff on the one side to help with adhesion and released when cold. was assume. did this and its like its new again. thank you

[@bacon.cheesecake]

I've just been wiping over the printbed with a damp cloth whenever I've had issues, it's been working fine for now but I'll keep this in mind if that ever stops working

[@steveriggsartandanimation8473]

Just come across this video.... You saved my printing sanity.....

[@thomask819]

Hey Angus, I have a less labour intensive tech with pva glue. I use the principle of Peel Ply (used in carbon-fiber pasts manufacturing). I do not have a removable surface, instead I use a cut mirror piece. Every print, I cover the designated position on the glass in PVA glue and the I take a small piece of paper (like a post it) and tap on the glue, that it gets "stringy". I will dry quite fast due to the heat and this is in my opinion the easiest and most efficient way th get your print stuck. Even if does stick "too much", you take a sharp spatula and go between the glass and the print right into the glue. This technique is so easy. I have 4 pieces of glas for my printer, and when all 4 are used/coverd in PVA, I just shove them into the shower and clean them. If you read this, a short answer would be great if you knew the "Peel Ply" technique (yes this is the official name) ;)

[@buccleuch7621]

As a first 3D printer I bought a Startt for £99 to set me on my way. Being an unheated bed, I quckly ran into adhesion problems. Tried glue sticks, hair lacquer, hair gel, etc. with mixed results. Have now found a very good solution - nano d/s tape. Can thoroughly recommend it. Great adhesion every time and minimal fuss. Job done! PS: Angus, Thanks for all your tips and advice - much appreciated

[@Ryu62Alpha]

It's really stupid and surprising how well this method works!! Thanks

[@ScreamingMonkeyAudio]

Simply wiping it down with a little alcohol made a HUGE difference for me. Thanks for the guidance.

[@fergi1959]

Great video Angus. If I'm doing an important print. I'll take a small spray bottles with isopropyl alcohol in it. And let you spray the print surface that has a little bit of glue on it. Just before I start printing. Is sort of activate the glue to be a little bit stick here.

[@cyrfung]

I have a heated glass surface. I use water soluble glue sticks and clean with water and paper towels from time to time. Wiping a thin glue layer is neat. I should try that next time.

[@StefsEngineering]

It may be overkill but I have the habit of cleaning the surface with isopropanol before every print (slightly moist cotton pad). Haven't had a print come loose yet on my MK3 printer (counter is at about 250 individual print "sessions" now) and the printsurface still looks as new. With that said, nice video and good suggestions for other print surfaces!

[@StefsEngineering]

Oh I did forget to mention, I did "rough up" the surface a little bit at the start (only once a couple months ago) with a fine structure scotch-brite pad (similar to steel wool grade 00). But only slightly with almost no pressure. The result is that the surface only lost it gloss.

[@EuanTodd]

Stefs Engineering you realise that cleaning your print bed before every print is in the prusa manual...

[@StefsEngineering]

Good call, yeah it's in there and they also recommend the isopropanol. (except when printing PETG) They do however specifically write that it's not a requirement before every print, and that you just have to be sure not to touch the printbed. That is where my habit differs from the manual. For those that want to look it up, it's in the printing manual under "6.3.2 Flexible steel sheet surface preparation" www.prusa3d.com/downloads/manual/prusa3d_manual_mk3_en_3_03.pdf?2

[@fnice1971]

isopropanol I have used for 8 months now no issues, I never use cotton as its harder to removed fibers, the cheap Paper towels work best I have found. for prusa flex beds (Aquanet Super Extra Hold & Rave 4x Mega) Hairspray works awesome & isnt messy like glue is, the heat can bake the glue, hairspray removes so easy & glue stick can stick so well it can mess up the PEI, this wont ever happen with hairspray lol. glue is worse idea for any PEI. glue can bond so well it can even take chunks of glass up with it once its baked on some surfaces.

[@StefsEngineering]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Reading your comment I noticed that I forgot to mention, I do not add a coating on top of the PEI that is allready on the flex bed of my MK3. Just straight on it after I cleaned it. Never needed glue or hairspray to make the parts stick. Works excellent for my two primary materials (PLA & PETG)

[@AIPTutorials]

I bought a glass replacement bed for my ender 3 pro (bed was warped in center). I started using AquaNet (because it was the cheapest and wasn't going to smell like kiwis or anything) hairspray on the glass and that works amazingly. One light layer usually lasts for a few prints. I try not to touch the bed and if I do, its usually not where a print will be happening. Every once in a while, I'll just wash it using dish soap and warm water. I've never had a print break free since. In fact, a lot of the times i've had to stick the entire bed in the freezer for a few minutes to get the prints off. Even at room temperature, they wouldn't give.

[@robjcarr]

Thank you for the advice. You are a Godsend. New Wham Bam, no stick, panic, try your system, success. All good

[@Mottersmotters]

Hi Angus great video. I agree. I already do the same sort of thing on my A6 which has a removable build plate. Great work 👍

[@signranger3277]

Im having a good run getting pla,pla+,petg, carbon fibre to stck using a metallic self-adhesive vinyl, applied then scuffed with fine wet/dry sandpaper, cleaned with IPA (rubbing alcohol), then TUNE THE Z-OFFSET!, i tune the z-offset at every nozzle change. My experiance with glue stiks was they made a mess, and results varied greatly depending on the brand of glue stik i was using (however my method was not as described in the vid, i just slapped it on willy nilly and crossed my fingers!)

[@danko6582]

My current method is primarily solvent cleaning the bed (wear gloves). I only use glue stick if that's not enough for the job. I use glue stick is like Angus shows, but I use water to dissolve the glue. You only want a near invisible layer, certainly not lumps or streaks. My main need for cleaning is removing excess glue. A powder coated steel bed rarely needs glue.

[@nictamer]

The gentlest method to degrease anything, I found, is to first use vegetable oil. Then soapy water, then water, then use IPA generously. I suspect mineral oil would do the same thing, but vegetable oil is simply safer. It works so well because it dissolves some greases much better (faster) than alcohols or soaps do. I found for instance that it works insanely well with many adhesives that are otherwise recalcitrant. Soapy water and IPA easily take care of the remaining oil. You can also use it to clean your hands after doing mechanics work. Just try it. No need to use abrasive soap, just squirt a generous amount of canola oil in your hands, rub, rinse with soap, no grease stains left.

[@Srt3D01-db-01]

hi. i basically use a thin layer of white glue ( the one children use for crafts) when it dries it forms a sitcky layer. it has worked for my for several years :)

[@jphillips5088]

Very timely for me. My mp mini just started having problems last week. Thanks!.

[@chadbetac2]

Awesome tips! And even better, awesome shirt! :D if you dont have spirits or alcohol i do the same paper towel trick with plain old water and causes the glue to just lift right off (after about 3-5 mins) and you can scrape/wipe the same way :D on the prusa PEI sheet i actually just take the sheet off before preheating and wipe it down with some warm water and leave it and all the glue comes right off just by rubbing the sheet with a paper towel. For good measure i use a little alcohol prep pad at every, 5-8 prints though :)

[@davesharp5472]

I know this is an older video but thanks! this was exactly what I needed and it worked perfectly to use a glue stick.

[@fluiditynz]

Glass and methylated spirits- that brings back memories of my first two printers!

[@Zimbob2424]

That is Denatured alcohol for those in the US, you can get it in the painting section of hardware stores or big box stores. Thanks Angus

[@stephan.scharf]

I prepared a bottle with gluestick/isopropanolalcohol solution, testing the stickyness with my fingers. You don't need a lot of gluestick. Moisten a sheet of toilet paper with this sticky solution and applying to the bed. This thin film is unvisible on your print surface. Very fine support material sticks perfect on glass.

[@F1N13]

I have a Creality CR-10... My main use for the printer is to make cosplay pieces. Since my heating bed doesn't work, I started to use wood glue for my prints. All my prints turn out great! The glue creates this sorta cement type, so my prints stay on nice and firm when it get further up in height. Once the print is finish, I take it to the tub and fill it with hot water and let it soak for a few mins. The glue will return to a soft and easy to remove state. I haven't had any issues with it... so far....

[@RogerGarrett]

MAGNETS !! Beside cleaning the bed surface I take a very different approach to keeping the prints "stuck" to the bed. In the actual deign file for the object I add a very thin single layer to the bottom of the objects itself, a layer that extends out in all directions from the base of the object, extending out about an inch in all directions. I then convert that design to STL and run that STL file through the slicer. The first thing that then gets printed is that very thin layer. After it's printed about a half inch (vertically) of the object I pause the print and place some small, strong, magnets around on the extended pad. And then resume the print. Those magnets keep the print solidly in place. After the print is done it's a simply matter of cutting off that extra hold-down pad. This also works great for objects that have very little that's actually touching the bed. I have a number of objects that are fairly tall but only have a thin line of material contacting the bed. I extend that first layer out to create a reasonably sized first payer and use my magnet approach to keep it firmly attached to the bed during printing.

[@heyarno]

I use makeup removal pads and ethanol to clean. And I went from glue stick to printing directly on glass. I just use a temperature curve that has the bed slightly warmer on the first layer and then cool it down to prevent pla from becoming too soft and peeling up.

[@marlonlacert8133]

For ABS with a heated glass bed. I use ABS yellow plumbers glue. It is quite cheep, and I heat the bead to about 80C. As print cools down, it starts making popping sounds, and comes free on it's own.. Note: Print head when hot will melt through the ABS glue if added too think. And makes for a glass like finish on the bottom. *Down side it is Yellow in color. But paints up nicely.*

[@Medievalfan94]

I had really good results with household spray degreaser from the drugstore on my Ender 3v2. Spray it on, let it soak, wipe it dry with a cloth or papertowel. Repeated that two or three times and my prints stick like the printer just came out of the box.

[@Tonay88]

Hey Angus I use Elmers school glue stick and I just remove it with a bit of the old H2O. I just sqwirt a little on the build plate with a spray bottle. I have been doing this for years with my old davinci 1.0.

[@shiniesftw1652]

i havent needed to buy a glustik in over 20 years, instant results after 4 days of thinking my bed was out of level constantly.

[@bootsinshoes3198]

The Elmer's purple glue sticks are water soluble. So with removable prints surfaces, I always just take it to the sink and wash the bed clean. Way easier than using paper towels and other solvents.