Printing on 1/32 thick Garolite

I have been printing PLA on tape, and ABS or Nylon on 65% Polyester / 35% Cotton RipStop fabric spray-mounted with 3M HiStrength-90 glue to thick glass.

The fabric has been working well on certain parts, if I use a brim to reduce curling - I don't have heat yet.

But I wanted to try Garolite LE. Taulman recommended 1/4 thick - so that it would not flex. I decided to try the 1/32 thick because I thought "Hey, I can buy the cheaper thickness and 3M spray glue it to an aluminum plate - and replace the surface as needed."

It came, and I was able to easily cut it with trauma shears:

[www.amazon.com]

Line Product Ordered Shipped Balance Price Total
1 8474K101 Machinable Garolite (LE), 1/32" Thick, 12" X 12"

$5.98 Each
Quantity 2

Merchandise 11.96
Shipping 5.21
Total $17.17

At first I clipped it on, as it seemed to lay flat. Only problem was, the part pulled it up, as you can see from the photos:




So now I should do what I originally intended and glue it to the aluminum, right? I am thinking not. If I do that, the part will just curl off the Garolite. I now think that I would rather have it stay attached and pull the entire Garolite up a little bit. I can use more clips as needed - but the flex of the Garolite will help keep the part itself from peeling off. Time will tell.

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[www.matter-replicator.com]

When I tried PLA and ABS on lexan I had the same issue. They both would stick very well, but even PLA (which doesn't curl much) would curl the lexan no matter how many perimeter clips I used. With ABS, there was no way to keep it flat when it was heated. The differential heating on the bottom would cause it to warp with enough force to bend the glass it was clipped to!

I am planning on trying something similar to what you did - find a thin piece of garolite and laminate it to a piece of glass to keep it flat.

Don't forget you can just glue cloth to glass.

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[www.matter-replicator.com]