The Market of One

Starting off with your printer can be daunting if you assembled your RepRap, or just unboxed your Makerbot. Every print needs to start with a solid foundation and that requires knowing how to keep them sticking to the print bed. Every printer is different and there is no one way to setup your bed but by knowing the basics you can experiment with what works best for you. One of the biggest differences in print beds is if it is heated. A heated print bed is essential to printing successfully with ABS because it helps to keep the object from cooling to quickly and cracking. It isn’t required with PLA printing however some find that when used at low temperatures it can still be helpful in keeping a print on the bed. The material on the bed can also vary.

Many printers recommend using kapton tape to cover the bed. This tape designed for the space program can be tricky to apply but can be long lasting and keep your prints where they belong. Blue Tape, also known as painters tape is another often used supply for printing PLA. It can be found at nearly any hardware store and its porous surface works well with PLA. In addition to the various tapes some beds are made to be printed on directly. The MakerBot Replicator 2 works with an acrylic bed that can be detached to remove a print. Some have said the surface of acrylic isn’t flat enough for great prints leading to glass print beds. These allow for very smooth surfaces for prints and are often very affordable.

No matter what surface you are printing on there are also ways to coat them to increase the odds of a successful print. With ABS you can take waste filament and dissolve it in a small container of acetone. This will liquify the ABS which you can then apply to your print bed. Many PLA users have turned to hairspray to keep their prints sticking. Knowing these tricks can be very helpful while figuring out how to make high quality and reliable prints. In our next post we will cover how you can properly level your print bed.