So I fixed the severe underextrusion, and I reprinted the test piece. Any suggestions?
Also, I have been printing into blue tape, and it is incredibally hard to remove prints without tearing them apart. Any suggestions? Floss works ok, but razor blades just pass under the tape tearing it every time.
I’ve had good success with purple Elmer’s glue stick on glass. Razor pops the prints off pretty easily. I coat the glass 3-4 times, letting it dry in between, before printing. Between prints I touch up as needed.
That print looks a lot better from what I can see. Are you using a part cooling fan?
I have found that if you use blue tape, 3M works really well brand wise. Don’t use the thick spongy stuff or exterior tape. Scotch Edge Lock also works well. I find the prints pop off quite easily with a sharp pocket knife blade. Lately I have been using a 3/4" chisel, bevel side down for large full bed area flat prints. Pry under a couple corners and the prints pop off. If the print proves hard to remove heating the bed back up to 40 - 50 C will help.
Another tip is to wash down your bed with Windex before applying the tape. Helps it stick really well. 8 full area prints later and I’m still using the same tape except for one strip I damaged and replaced. No warping and no tape pulling up.
using yellow tape might work
Blue tape seems to need very well leveled and flat bed, and accurate nozzle to bed spacing for zero. There are many other options for bed adhesion, you must get do well to experiment and see what you like best. Glue stick as mentioned is cheap and easy. Some people use hair sprays, unscented Aquanet pink can is a popular one. There’s commercial bed surfaces such as Buildtak, but that one is easily damaged if you crash or scratch it. I personally prefer an Ultem (PEI) build surface but it is expensive, maybe consider it as you get more experienced.
@Jeff_Parish Well the problem is that it’s sticking too well. Floss is the only thing I’ve found that can get it off, and even then, it’s a struggle.
Would running it down with some sandpaper help? I might try that.
@Aaron_Spaulding There are so many different ways to stick a print to the bed and they all can work well when tweaked right. I have tried a lot of them. I like the clean simple repeatable ones that don’t require new bed prep for every print and are easy to do when replacement is necessary.
With the difficulty you describe you might have spongy tape or your nozzle is too close to the bed. Bed temperature and filament temperature also come into play on the first layer and how well it sticks. What kind of blue tape are you using? Sandpaper might make it worse and is hard to make consistent… but maybe worth a shot in your case. How thick is your first layer set to go down?
My printer ALWAYS has a non-serrated Ka-Bar sitting right next to it. The long flat edge is sharp enough and long enough to smoothly get under plastic and pry it up, while the curve before the knifepoint is great for getting under odd corners and things. I have yet to have an issue removing a part with this knife.
I always thought it was overkill until I saw all the special tools in existence, and the and issues people have with razor blades, etc.