First layer won't stick - the bed isn't sticky at all!

I've been having an awful time with trying to get my prints to stick lately.

Bed temp - ~105 Nozzle temp - ~230 Material - ABS

An acetone slurry used to work for me but I'm just getting no luck with it any more. When I apply it to the bed it seems to just kind of cook on and not be sticky at all. I've tried playing with the acetone / ABS ratio but I'm not getting any luck.

I tried elmers glue stick (purple) and I tried ultra hold Tresemme but I couldn't get even the first layer to stick with either. I also tried putting on the slurry when the bed was around 60C and then waited for it to heat up.
I'm running out of ideas. If there was too much plastic in the slurry or it was on too thick - wouldn't it just help the piece stick more?

The biggest issue here is that it seems like with any material it just bakes on and runs out of stick. When it's first applied it's sticky enough but very soon after that it just bakes on to the bed and doesn't do anything.
Has anyone else seen this particular issue?

I use PVA glue at 30% glue 70% water and allow to dry before running. I replace the coating every couple of days, works fine for me.

Your bed temp isnt hot enough.
I use nothing but elmers purple stick glue at 110c bed temp and 130c nozzle temp and I can atually pick the printer up by pulling on a small part on the glass. Once it cools down to about 60-70c it pops right off.

Try cranking the temp and placing a single layer of purple glue on a freshly cleaned piece of glass.

I'm doing this all at 105c and the hottest I've been able to get the bed is 107. Is that not hot enough?

Ive had prints come off the bed near 100c before. Why cant you get to 110c? Is your printer in a real cold room or something?

Check your nozzle gap - should be no greater than 0.1mm MAX (photocopy paper thickness) and paper should drag a bit when slid under nozzle.(i.e.about 0.07)

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Waitaki 3D Printer

i had trouble getting the bed on my prusa mendel up to temperature to print ABSI found two things that help

1] insulating around the heatbed
2] placing a towel over the heatbed during preheat.

i usually get the bed up to temp before starting the print and then pull off the towel when I click on Print.

An enclosure would probably help too.

i usually print ABS at 120-125 C on the first layer, no real problems with adhesion.

Second Wataki, the nozzle hight on the first layer is critical and it is always lower than you think it should be.




good luck!

Alright, I made a little fort for the printer tonight and got the bed up to 111C.

The main issue that even happened when the bed was up at 111 is that whatever I put on the bed is baking on instead of staying sticky.
When you're starting a new print - is the bed sticky? With an acetone slurry, glue stick, or hairspray I get the same consistency on the bed and I think that's what's killing me.

The nozzle gap is just a bit tighter than the thickness of a business card. I'll try shortening up that gap even more.

I'll also try warming up the bed with a towel over it. That's a great idea.

A business card is NO GOOD for setting the gap - far too thick! No wonder your filament is not sticking.
Please re-read my post.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2014 04:00AM by waitaki.

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Waitaki 3D Printer

Correct!
A buisness card is like 3-4 times the height that it needs to be!
A normal sheet of printer paper measures .1mm thick. This is what you should be using.

Awesome guys. I cut the height down a bunch and used a towel to heat up the bed (which works incredibly).
Things are finally sticking!!!!!!!!

Hi I had the same problem which I overcame using low tack masking tape and painting that with the acetone solution, it dries and is not at all sticky but the prints stick like the proverbial **to a **

I use the Garnier Nutrise 5x hairspray recommended all over the forum. I've found that spraying it a bit while the bed is heating does wonders for getting prints to stick (but can cause problems getting prints off unless you let the bed cool down).

Your bed temp is fine, but you will have better results dropping the temp to 80 after the first layer. Use hairspray, some brands are easier to release after the print finishes than others.