Trying to print with PC (high temp bed question)

So printing with polycarbonate is my next hurdle. Thought nylon warping was bad? I've tried a bunch of different methods with little to no success. Parts always warp. One last method to try and that is superglue on glass heated to 120-130C. But the glass can't handle that, or the bed.

I've been searching a little, but it always helps to ask. Is there any commercially available high temp beds? High temp glass suppliers?

I found one already:
[tecniglas.com]

BTW polycarbonate is amazing. I put the stuff in a vise and try to crush my prints, and they don't break, they just compress a little. I can see many practical applications for this.

Just that you can print a material with a nozzle and a printer doesn't mean it's a suitable material to 3D-print with

What materials did you try? Kapton? Naked aluminum? Maybe there are other high-temp plastics that adhere well to PC when heated, and release when cooled down.

For ABS I tested PETG (adheres VERY well, but the PETG fused with the ABS and I couldn't unstick it), Acrylate (same as with PETG) and then I settled with Kapton.
I've read that PC itself can work as a print surface for ABS and PLA.

I've found that using a Garolite heated bed might have some success.

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http://www.marinusdebeer.nl/

I've used garolite (tufinol) and that gave me my one almost good print. I tried glass with kapton, hair spray, ABS glue. I also made a blend of ABS glue, acetone, and hair spray on glass, and that almost worked too. I just think if the bed is hot enough it won't warp. I have plans to build a printer with HBC. But still want to try this. According to the reprap wiki on PC Pilot had success with superglue on glass heated to 120-130. My current heat bed from makerfarm is limited to 110C I believe. SO if I can get a hotter bed, that might work. I also want a hotter bed for the enclosed printer I want to build.

Do any of the silicone heat beds go hotter?

Antslake,

As you, I tried every possible bed material and temperature to prevent warping, my printer is enclosed and I can keep it at 110 inside but still some prints "squarely" ones will warp no matter what. Maybe going over 120 will help (I can't go that far), but I found the solution for at least the parts I design.

The solution: warp your part in the opposite direction, if I'm printing with nylon I don't do flat bottoms, I bow them intentionally about 0.3~1mm and don't put support there (simplify3d) I also elongate it some 0.2~0.3mm and use several solid layers in the bottom, once the part is printed the natural warping wil level with the designed warp and any little difference is sand it down.

Yes silicone heaters can go higher, I ordered one that could go up to 140 but it is 110 ac volts, will be hard to do with 12 volts dc.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/2014 05:59PM by ggherbaz.

Thanks for the advice. The warping would be hard to calculate in my circumstance as I am making functional parts like quadcopters. The relationship between arm and motor mount needs to come out at 90degrees. I know the commercial machines can print without warping. Wish I knew what kind of bed they are using.

I saw some silicone heat beds on amazon that work from 12V. The 300mmx300mm uses 20 amps! 100V sounds like a better solution. The description says they can heat up to 120C in one minute.

[www.amazon.com]

As far as nylon goes, try some stratum3D 12-64 nylon. Doesn't need drying and hardly warps at all.

For now though, my favorite material is t-glase. Very strong and prints with 0 warping. Just pricey.

thanks for the info, I will purchase some for testing. I have and order in the works and definitely can save me some time and headaches.

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I know the commercial machines can print without warping. Wish I knew what kind of bed they are using.

They use heated chambers.

PET does seem like a great answer:

[forums.reprap.org]

I am successfully printing GizmoDorks PC on my MakerGear M2.

I consider everything that I list as important, so don't skip any step:

Bed heat - at least 110C. I am using 120 now.

Three layers of purple glue stick (I had a failure with one layer).

Print speed - 40 mm/sec. I have not tried to go faster, and don't plan to.

Hot-end temp - I am using 290C.

No fan should be used on the part.

Enclosure - probably mandatory. I have an enclosure. If my bed is on 120C, then it becomes 60C inside the enclosure during the print.



My fist parts:

[www.thingiverse.com]



I also did a large 0.5 lb part that was about 150mm tall with 99% infill. I had some warp off the glass on it the first time, but then I added a brim of 30 loops wide, and that solved that.

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[www.matter-replicator.com]