How To Clean 3D Printer Bed - PEI Sheet
Good printer maintenance starts with the regular cleaning of your 3d printer. Here we will go through how to clean 3D Printer Bed and why it's so important.
Poor filament adhesion can be due to a number of reasons but you can help limit your failed prints with some easy housekeeping. We see a lot of questions being asked within forums about filaments not sticking and the finger is normally pointed at the wrong Z axis height or temperature. While there could be several factors for prints not sticking we believe the biggest culprit is oil and grime on the printing surface. Keep a clean 3D printer bed to eliminate a good portion of your adhesion issues.
Innocently enough we are likely to be causing adhesion issues by simply being too 'handsy' with our printers. Our skin is covered with a natural oil called Sebum. While this oil moistens and protects your skin it will affect adhesion on your printer bed. If you are removing and handling your printing plate after each print then there's a fair chance you've put oil residue all over it. Keep your mitts to yourself, or at the very least, just hold the bed around the edges.
Innocently enough we are likely to be causing adhesion issues by simply being too 'handsy' with our printers. Our skin is covered with a natural oil called Sebum. While this oil moistens and protects your skin it will affect adhesion on your printer bed. If you are removing and handling your printing plate after each print then there's a fair chance you've put oil residue all over it. Keep your mitts to yourself, or at the very least, just hold the bed around the edges.
With every print the material you use is going to leave residue on the printer bed. Most of the time this silhouette will be visible to the eye. You'll be able to see the first layer of the previous print. Depending on what you are printing, this can be no big deal. If you are printing something with a large surface area you can get away with limited cleaning. In our print room we can run the same model over and over without cleaning making it easy to snap off the print bed. All good things come to an end though and through experience we can judge when a surface needs to be cleaned before having first layer issues. If you are printing something with a small footprint or a tall print then this 'used' bed is going to give you issues. Normally a good first layer will go down, with a few more to follow all the while building a false sense of security. Until you walk away and the bond gives way returning to a blob monster or spaghetti. The taller your print the better bed adhesion you will need.
So if you are having adhesion issues lets start at the basics and rule out a dirty printer bed from being one of the culprits why your first layer is not sticking to the bed. Below we will go through what to clean your 3d printer bed with.
So if you are having adhesion issues lets start at the basics and rule out a dirty printer bed from being one of the culprits why your first layer is not sticking to the bed. Below we will go through what to clean your 3d printer bed with.
Between prints it is good housekeeping to wipe your PEI Sheet down with Isopropyl and paper towel.
Lets get rid of the grit - How to clean 3D printer bed
There are 3 main ways on how to clean your 3d printer bed. Using dish soap and a clean scourer. Isopropyl and paper towel. Periodically you can use Actone in a similar fashion as the isopropyl with paper towel.
Cleaning the Printer Bed With Isopropyl
We use Isopropyl Alcohol which is 90% Isopropyl or above. Less than 90% and we find it is not as good cutting agent and will leave residue behind. Isopropyl is perfect for the quick wipe down between prints. With newer sheets you can get away with simply doing this. Older or weathered sheets will need periodically more attention like the next method, cleaning with dish soap.
The application is simple. Start with the 3D Printing Bed at room temperature. Spray or dab the Isopropyl onto a paper towel and with a circular motion scrub the PEI Sheet. The middle is going to need the most love so start in the center and work your way out. Isopropyl evaporates fast due having a low bond between individual molecules. So you need to act fast. It might take 2 or three applications of Isopropyl to fully clean the bed.
We print all types of filament on smooth PEI sheets as we like the smooth first layer finish. Caution needs to be taken when printing with PETG, ABS or ASA. Cleaning the sheet with Isopropyl and printing any of these filament will damage the smooth finish as the adhesion will be too strong. One tip we have is to clean the bed less frequently and remove the print from the sheet while it is still warm. There are many other ways to limit adhesion using glue sticks other separating agents. Older more weathered sheets are our to go to print these types of filament on.
The application is simple. Start with the 3D Printing Bed at room temperature. Spray or dab the Isopropyl onto a paper towel and with a circular motion scrub the PEI Sheet. The middle is going to need the most love so start in the center and work your way out. Isopropyl evaporates fast due having a low bond between individual molecules. So you need to act fast. It might take 2 or three applications of Isopropyl to fully clean the bed.
We print all types of filament on smooth PEI sheets as we like the smooth first layer finish. Caution needs to be taken when printing with PETG, ABS or ASA. Cleaning the sheet with Isopropyl and printing any of these filament will damage the smooth finish as the adhesion will be too strong. One tip we have is to clean the bed less frequently and remove the print from the sheet while it is still warm. There are many other ways to limit adhesion using glue sticks other separating agents. Older more weathered sheets are our to go to print these types of filament on.
Using Isopropyl on a PEI Sheet before printing with PETG, ABS or ASA may make the adhesion too strong and damage your printing surface.
Cleaning the Printer Bed with Dish Soap
If you find cleaning your 3D printer bed with Isopropyl is no longer being effective then it's time to head to the sink. Cleaning with dish soap and a scourer is the second option in getting your bed adhesion back. We've tried multiple brands of dish soap and they all work fine. Generally we use whatever soap brand is under the sink when 'acquiring it' from home. More often than not it is Dawn dish washing liquid.
Why this method seems to pick up where the isopropyl left from is because of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS). This surfactant is used to lower or remove the surface tension of particles stuck to the PEI Sheet. Combining the SLS with an abrasive scourer really revitalises the PEI surface.
Why this method seems to pick up where the isopropyl left from is because of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS). This surfactant is used to lower or remove the surface tension of particles stuck to the PEI Sheet. Combining the SLS with an abrasive scourer really revitalises the PEI surface.
The application starts with removing the PEI Sheet from your printer (for some reason we felt that this should be mentioned). At a sink where it is easy to rotate the sheet under the tap, rinse the sheet with cold water. Then dab some dish washing liquid onto a fresh scourer and with a circular motion start scrubbing from the inside out. Flip the sheet over and repeat the same process on the other side. Rinse both sides thoroughly and dry with paper towel. When handling the PEI Sheet only hold it on the edges otherwise you will undo all your good work. Once dry carefully return the sheet to the printer bed.
Now you can return to simply cleaning between prints with Isopropyl again. The more you print the more you'll understand the quirks to your printer. AS mentioned before, when you feel Isopropyl isn't being as effective then it is time to return to the sink.
Now you can return to simply cleaning between prints with Isopropyl again. The more you print the more you'll understand the quirks to your printer. AS mentioned before, when you feel Isopropyl isn't being as effective then it is time to return to the sink.
Cleaning the Printer Bed with Actone
Using Acetone to clean your 3D printer bed is not something we do often. If a printer bed is truly misbehaving then we will give it a wipe down with Acetone. The same application is as followed as cleaning with Isopropyl except it is a quick wipe down. Acetone is really harsh to the smooth PEI sheet so we recommend using it sparingly.
