Procedure:
● Raise the extruder at least 100 mm by using Pronterface (click on +Z 10 in Pronterface
ten times).
● Make sure the bed heat is cool and the extruder heat is off - you could get burned if the
bed or the head is hot.
● Take off all of the old tape.
● Align the first piece with the front edge of the bed, tilting it so only that front edge is
touching. When it’s line up right, take the credit card in one hand, keeping the tape tilted
partly away from the bed with the other, and “squeegee” the card-hand-end toward that
edge of the bed. If it doesn’t lay completely flat (and it probably won’t especially when
you’re still trying to learn how to do this), leave it alone temporarily. Now squeegee
toward the hand still holding the tape, such that the card is at a bit of an angle and so is
the line where the tape is being pushed down to the bed. Go all the way across and you
can then let go of the tape.
● If the tape is not aligned well at all, just pick it back off the bed and try again.
● If it has wrinkles in it, you may need to use a fresh piece of tape.
● If it just has some bubbles in it, you can pick up one end, peel it back halfway, and use
the card to push it back down to the bed while keeping the end up away from the bed, so
there’s a clean line of contact. You may need to this for each half.
● When you’re satisfied with the first row of tape, do the same thing with the next, and
continue on towards the back of the bed. Align one edge to the previous tape, keeping it
taut. Tilt it so that only the near edge is making contact, and just barely. Don’t bother
laying it down unless the edge is lying immediately beside and not on top of the previous
tape.
● The rearmost section is probably most easily done through the side panel, with the bed
slid partly back.
● Leave some extra tape to each side at first, in case you need to lift it and re-squeegee it
because of bubbles.
● It can be helpful to clean the freshly-applied tape with Acetone (see next section), but it
often works without doing that.
Acetoning the Bed
The PET tape on the bed will not be as effective if it becomes contaminated with oils from
contact with fingers. The part lifter should normally allow contact to be avoided.
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