4
PRINTING WITH ABS FILAMENTS
Figure 4.2: Releasing glass plate from the HBP
2.
Applying PET tape on glass plate
There are many online tutorials on how to apply PET or Kapton tapes on glass plates
without bubbles. An often mentioned method is a “wet” method, where a thin layer
of water or soap water is applied before applying the tape to the glass plate. In our
process, we prefer a “dry” method for less clean-up afterwards. The main steps in our
process are similar to what introduced by Josef Prusa in his video,
, although we do not use the sanding and applying “ABS juice” steps
shown in his video. Instead, we clean the print tape surface using 91% rubbing alcohol
in the end. The 3DMakerWorld Artifex 3D Printer comes with a 3-point leveling
system and adjustable Z-axis zeroing capability, which help achieve a leveled build
platform with its height fine tuned. In our experience, such leveled platform, together
with a clean and heated tape surface, is able to let ABS stick well to the print surface
without messing with Acetone for “ABS juice”. Please check Section 2.2.2 for how to
level the build platform.
(a) Place the glass plate on a flat table surface.
(b) Clean the glass surface with Windex or rubbing alcohol before applying the tape.
(c) Repeat the following steps to apply the PET tape strip by strip to cover the entire
glass plate as shown in Josef Prusa’s video,
How to prepare heatbed surface
. You
can apply some tape to secure the glass on the table while working through the
process.
Positioning PET tape
Carefully position a strip of PET tape, which is 2 inch
wide and about 13 inch long in our case, along the edge of glass plate or the
edge of last strip to cover the glass surface without overlapping.
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