Why the hell are perfboard platforms working?

[www.thingiverse.com]

It seems like this is solving all our problems. I bought a perfboard today and I'm going to try it out tomorrow but online the results seem to be really impressive.

The question is WHY is this working?

My opinion is that it will only work with a heated bed and you need a raft. If you do have a heated bed then you are better using Kapton or PET and going raftless.

If it is on cold bed then it will anchor the raft well due to the holes. But my experience is that when you build objects cold, even if you can hold them flat, they warp after you release them, taking perhaps a day. Some object also tear themselves apart when built on a cold bed, or come away from the raft.

Here are my experiences with cold beds and rafts: [hydraraptor.blogspot.com].

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

nophead Wrote:
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> If it is on cold bed then it will anchor the raft
> well due to the holes.

This is what Shinko Sellbic did on their machine in 1997: [www.sellbic.com]

Doesn't appear to be a heated bed - just (reasonably thin) perfboard clamped in mid-air.

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[haveblue.org]

I have run some tests on Kapton vs Perfboard.

My platform is heated so all the test were done with a heated bed.
With raft:
Kapton: sometimes the raft lifts especially on bigger prints but deformations are minimal.
Perboard: never lifted but the temperature of the print is cooler because of the extra insulation that the perfboard causes between the print and the bed. I worried that this might cause cracks or warps but I have not observed any.
Winner: Perfboard

Raftless:
Kapton: ok prints but deformations are present because (bigger) objects peel off. The raft was protecting the print from these deformations.
Perfboard: I did think that maybe the plastic protruding through the holes could be sanded away. Boy was I wrong. Bottom layer is completely ruined and has poor adhesion to the rest of the print
Winner: Kapton


Conclusion: Printing on a heated perfboard with a raft is very close to being the ideal solution. I maxed out the build area and I had no warping or peeling. What should be investigated is if the temperature differential causes warps in taller prints.
Perfboard is also endlessly reusable while kapton needs to be changed every once in a while.

I print raftless with PET and it lasts forever when cleaned occasionally with acetone. I never tried restoring Kapton with acetone but it certainly does fade without that. I can make large ABS objects that way, but only after I enclosed my Mendel in a box to keep the air around the bed warm. For large objects with sharp corners close to the edge I need build a little heat shield to stop the corner lifting the tape.

I tried perfboard and ABS does not stick to it unless it is heated. It then sticks well, but as you say it needs a raft if you don't want pimples on the bottom of your object. I didn't get problems with adhesion to the rest of the print.

I am not sure you can conclude it is endlessly reusable unless you have used it for 100 hours. It may fade the same as Kapton and PET, but may also be restored with acetone. I think the ABS leaves some residue that reduces adhesion and has to be removed to restore it.

I have never mastered getting rafts to be reliably easily removable and ones the size of the bed would take hours to make, so for me they are a dead end. This is an area were I think we are ahead of commercial machines.

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

True but it's certainly better than kapton. Since I'll be using perfboard from now on we'll see if it loses effectiveness. Rafts may be a pain to remove but they always save my part. My guess is that's why they're in commercial printers too. Removing them is easier when you give them slightly more density and thickness. Then it doesn't crack and it can be taken off in one big piece using a cutter.

I just had my first unstick. It was a very narrow and tall part that I foolishly left like that. The result was that the somehow ended up between holes and didn't have anything to stick to. It held up surprisingly well up till 80% (3 hours) of the print when it spontaneously unsticked and went flying.