Blue Masking Tape

I tried have tried a few generic blue masking (painters tape) with no success. Kapton is touch and go with out a heated bed.

Then I saw this roll down at the engineering store today which looks the 3M/scotch brand labelled as the one to get/works. See attached photo's.

My question is, does this look like the stuff you get up in North America?

It is labelled Scotch Blue painters tape for multi-surfaces #2090.

That's the exact tape I use with PLA when I don't use a heated bed. I've never tried the generic brand stuff. BTW, I am up in the States.

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That's exactly what I use. Try wiping it down with some isopropyl before printing. I can't get cheap filament to stick to fresh tape otherwise.

pokey9000 Wrote:
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> That's exactly what I use. Try wiping it down
> with some isopropyl before printing. I can't get
> cheap filament to stick to fresh tape otherwise.

Isopropyl works OK, but I get much better and consistent results wiping it with acetone. It makes the tape surface matte, the PLA sticks better with less warping, and the bottom surface of the part is much smoother when the part is removed from the bed.

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Lem Fugitt
3D Printing Dreams
Robots Dreams
"The map is not the territory."

It has already been answered but I thought I would chime in and say 2090 is the same part number I use and supply.

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You guys are legends! Thanks heaps.

Just as a side note I think I will also try laser etching a piece of glass, and see how that goes. Basically forms micro scratches/cracks on the surface might be a good way of getting the material to stick, and then no more tape consumables. Somehow I think it might end in disaster though.......

As an aside, I must have tried every other first layer sticking method with mixed results. I am now using the 3M 2090 tape with very good results.
I am still on my first application of tape but I presume you need to replace the tape now and then.
How long does your tape last?

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willworkforplastic
I think I will also try laser etching a piece of glass

I tried using frosted glass and some of the pieces stuck so well I had to knock them off with a hammer and took chunks of glass with them. Judiciously spaced laser lines might work better.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2012 07:51AM by glyn.

The electric insulation tape (any colour) is working great for me PLA + Aluminium bed (Cold), using PLA from CD-writers (Chinese PLA). The tape is cheap electric insulation tape available in wilkinson 4 roll for £1.

The part is sticking so well that sometimes it is difficult to get it off, particularly if the part is small to get a grip on. I think if we keep the first layer height bit high (>= 0.4) it is easy to pull it off.

I was using hotbed and kapton before, played with different settings for hotbed T and layer height, never managed to print large part (> 1hr print time). With above solution the result is predictable; no worries for wrapping or knocking off in the middle of the print.

Putting small width insulation tape is bit tedious so thought of trying out Masking Tape. I grabbed Unibond White tape from ASDA. Result is it doesn't stick at all. Though wiki link suggest that [www.reprap.org], colour is not important here. I have not found so called blue tape in UK stores (ASDA, Wilkinson, Maplin, Robert Dyas).

- What is the best source for blue tape?
- Anybody have any success with other make of masking tape which is easily available in UK high-street stores.
- What is it that is responsible for PLA sticking on blue tape, is it colour, tape texture, or tape material? Why all masking tape not giving the same result?

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What is the best source for blue tape?

I got mine from B&Q

@ngajjar
searched "3M 2090 United Kingdom" and got a ton of hits. here's one of the first:
[www.3mselect.co.uk]

Not sure why/how it works, but imagine it's mostly due to material and particularly the surface finish.


@glyn
I personally tend to replace my tape after each print unless I'm making very small parts that pull off easily. I use the 3 inch wide 3M 2090 tape for about 90% of my prints and it's quick to replace since nothing needs to be lined up - just cut a piece and slap it down on the middle of the bed. See attached pic.

I believe the Blue tape has a coating of plastic on it that makes it water proof so the paint does not penetrate it when painting and it is this plastic coating that the PLA likes to stick to so well. This is more apparent when you have printed a few things on the same tape and the sticking stops until you wipe it down with acetone or alcohol and the coating gets spread around again and things stick again.

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FFF Settings Calculator	Gcode post processors	Geometric Object Deposition Tool Blog
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Correct, the 3M painters tape (#2090) has a coating which will keep paint from penetrating it. I think it might be a wax, and not a plastic -- but whatever it is, knock-off brands of tape don't seem to have it. Also, there is a green painter's tape (#2060) which works just as well, and it has a stronger adhesive so it will stick better to glass or acrylic. For printing PLA on an unheated bed, I've found that two layers of tape work even better than one. I put the first layer down and press it smooth, use a credit card or stiff plastic spatula and make sure it's evenly adhered. Then take a quick wipe with alcohol or acetone and let dry for 5-10 mins. Then apply a 2nd layer and repeat the smoothing and wipe down. Adjust your Z axis accordingly.

Here is the process I go through now after a lot of mucking around. Not saying it the best way (probably overkill), but it seems to work really well for me. I do it for every print now:

1. Peel off any old blue tape from the glass platter. Try to peel it off as clean as possible.

2. Clean the glass well with cloth and acetone. There should be no streaks on glass once acetone has dried.

3. Put new blue tape on.

4. Press tape firmly down with hard roller. I bought a 50mm one from an art store for about $15USD. The reason being is I had tape peeling away from glass at one stage because I had not pressed it down firmly/evenly. Photo of it attached.

5. Lightly wipe blue tape surface with acetone.

6. Print on it.

Probably not necessary to change blue tape every time, and you can wipe over it with acetone if you are not looking for high precision parts.
However the tool maker in me forces me to measure parts when they come off and I find this process helps slightly increase the repeatably/accuracy of parts.