1 Topic by volvodr66

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Topic: Can’t get ABS to stick

I’m trying to convert my Davinci Pro 1.0 to a E3D setup and I’m printing the parts to convert it.  I’ve successfully printed them in PLA but would like to print them in ABS for the better heat resistance.

For some reason, no matter what I try I can’t get my ABS to stick.  It prints for about an hour then starts to curl, the nozzle hits the edge and knocks the print off the surface, then chaos ensues.

I’ve tried blue painters tape with and without hair-spray and with glue sticks also.  I’ve tried glass with and without hair-spray and glue sticks.  I’ve also tried glass with acetone and ABS slurry.  I tried a bare aluminum bed with the acetone and ABS slurry.  I’m in the process of trying blue painters tape with acetone and ABS slurry now.  That’s about the only thing I haven’t tried.

My first layer seems to squish well.  It sticks real good also.  It’s the curling and subsequent nozzle contact that ruins the print later on in the print cycle.  The Davinci uses a closed container and I’ve blocked off all of the smaller openings and it stays pretty hot in there during the print.  My bed setting is 90C and my nozzle temp is 125C.

Adhesion between layers appears to be very good.  Anyone have any ideas of anything else I can try?

What’s the thought of using PLA to hold a E3D Print head for a conversion?  Do you think it would be able to take the temperatures required.  The only point of contact is really the heat sink which is supposed to stay relatively cool, technically speaking.

2 Reply by carl_m1968

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Re: Can’t get ABS to stick

volvodr66 wrote:

I’m trying to convert my Davinci Pro 1.0 to a E3D setup and I’m printing the parts to convert it.  I’ve successfully printed them in PLA but would like to print them in ABS for the better heat resistance.

For some reason, no matter what I try I can’t get my ABS to stick.  It prints for about an hour then starts to curl, the nozzle hits the edge and knocks the print off the surface, then chaos ensues.

I’ve tried blue painters tape with and without hair-spray and with glue sticks also.  I’ve tried glass with and without hair-spray and glue sticks.  I’ve also tried glass with acetone and ABS slurry.  I tried a bare aluminum bed with the acetone and ABS slurry.  I’m in the process of trying blue painters tape with acetone and ABS slurry now.  That’s about the only thing I haven’t tried.

My first layer seems to squish well.  It sticks real good also.  It’s the curling and subsequent nozzle contact that ruins the print later on in the print cycle.  The Davinci uses a closed container and I’ve blocked off all of the smaller openings and it stays pretty hot in there during the print.  My bed setting is 90C and my nozzle temp is 125C.

Adhesion between layers appears to be very good.  Anyone have any ideas of anything else I can try?

What’s the thought of using PLA to hold a E3D Print head for a conversion?  Do you think it would be able to take the temperatures required.  The only point of contact is really the heat sink which is supposed to stay relatively cool, technically speaking.


Is your case intact and the door closed with no kind of layer fan or drafts? To do ABS well you need the printer enclosed and the inside needs to be as warm as possible and kept that way for the duration of the print.?

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3 Reply by tonyno

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Re: Can’t get ABS to stick

Are you sure about your temps?

My bed setting is 90C and my nozzle temp is 125C.

Did you mean 215°C? The nozzle should be at least 210°C.

Also, what do the bottoms of your objects look like? If they are small, you will need to add "mouse ears" or something to add area to hold them down.

4 Reply by volvodr66

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Re: Can’t get ABS to stick

carl_m1968 wrote:
volvodr66 wrote:

I’m trying to convert my Davinci Pro 1.0 to a E3D setup and I’m printing the parts to convert it.  I’ve successfully printed them in PLA but would like to print them in ABS for the better heat resistance.

For some reason, no matter what I try I can’t get my ABS to stick.  It prints for about an hour then starts to curl, the nozzle hits the edge and knocks the print off the surface, then chaos ensues.

I’ve tried blue painters tape with and without hair-spray and with glue sticks also.  I’ve tried glass with and without hair-spray and glue sticks.  I’ve also tried glass with acetone and ABS slurry.  I tried a bare aluminum bed with the acetone and ABS slurry.  I’m in the process of trying blue painters tape with acetone and ABS slurry now.  That’s about the only thing I haven’t tried.

My first layer seems to squish well.  It sticks real good also.  It’s the curling and subsequent nozzle contact that ruins the print later on in the print cycle.  The Davinci uses a closed container and I’ve blocked off all of the smaller openings and it stays pretty hot in there during the print.  My bed setting is 90C and my nozzle temp is 125C.

Adhesion between layers appears to be very good.  Anyone have any ideas of anything else I can try?

What’s the thought of using PLA to hold a E3D Print head for a conversion?  Do you think it would be able to take the temperatures required.  The only point of contact is really the heat sink which is supposed to stay relatively cool, technically speaking.


Is your case intact and the door closed with no kind of layer fan or drafts? To do ABS well you need the printer enclosed and the inside needs to be as warm as possible and kept that way for the duration of the print.?


The case is completely enclosed and all the holes have been accounted for.  The interior stays quite warm during the print.  The only fan is for cooling the nozzle.  There is nothing cooling the actual print itself.

5 Reply by volvodr66

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Re: Can’t get ABS to stick

tonyno wrote:

Are you sure about your temps?

My bed setting is 90C and my nozzle temp is 125C.

Did you mean 215°C? The nozzle should be at least 210°C.

Also, what do the bottoms of your objects look like? If they are small, you will need to add "mouse ears" or something to add area to hold them down.

I don't know what I was thinking.  I meant 215C not 125C of course.  The object I'm trying to print is somewhat small.  As I said in my last post the last thing I hadn't tried yet was using blue painters tape with the ABS slurry,  (Acetone with ABS added).  I just pulled that print off the printer about an hour ago and it finally worked without the print warping or lifting.  In fact, the print stuck so well I had to pull the tape off of the bed to remove the print!  To get the tape off of the print I had to use a flat sanding block with some fine sandpaper.  The painters tape was literally melted into the print.  At least I know how to get my ABS prints to stick now if I have too.  I think I'll try your advice by adding a raft, brim, or some extra padding around the edges of the print next time to see if that helps on the smaller prints.

I appreciate the suggestions.

Thanks.

6 Reply by Grendel

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Re: Can’t get ABS to stick

A lot depends on your contact area, I too experience occasional lifting at the corners on items with a narrow contact area to the bed, I use a fairly thick ABS slurry, thinly spread on the glass bed, for larger contact areas this can cause problems (such as sticking too well and clamshelling the glass when trying to remove the item.)

7 Reply by yizhou.he

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Re: Can’t get ABS to stick

Don't use blue painter's tape, it is less sticky when heated up to 90C. Unless you nozzle height is too low and the print get into the tape, which is not ideal.

if glass bed with hair spray or abs slurry does not work for you, wipe down your glass bed with paper towel dipped in acetone or alcohol. Grease from finger prints or lubrication oil will make it difficult to stick.

Avoid use raft, use brim if necessary. I tend to use high nozzle temperature than necessary for ABS to increase layer binding, which also make raft hard to get rid of.

Da Vinci 1.0 series door are leaky, when air is heated, it raise to the top and cold air get draw from the leaky door to fill the place which create cold air flow. It is usually ok if room air is warm, but if your printer is in basement or car garage that is near 0C, although the air inside of the case stay hot, the cold air flow is sufficient to make corner lift.

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