Surprisingly after all these years, I have yet to try using PEI instead of blue tape. For those that have used it, is it worth it for PLA? Is it that much better?
Is the adhesive on the back of it usually stronger than blue tape?
Hoi - I can only say (china Prusa i3 since 1 and a half year) tried much things like aluminum plate, glas on aluminum plate, sandblastet glas, spray adhesives,… everytime big problems (hold and warping also with part cooling)…So 2 weeks ago I tried first time the PEI-sheet (mounted on the aluminum plate), and i can say … From the first print till now NO problems anymore. Why i didn’t try this before.
I print only PLA - so I can say YES, try the PEI, for me there is NO camparison.
I’ve only used sheets that don’t have adhesive, you gotta buy an adhesive sheet and apply yourself. It’s a bit tricky. The adhesive is very strong and great if you don’t get air bubbles in it.
Currently I’ve been running into issues where it stuck too well. Lowering the bottom heat and extruder temp fixed most of that problem.
If you do only PLA, might not be worth it, but it works great for PLA and ABS.
I should mention we don’t use a heated bed.
Don’t try to print PETG on it. My PEI sheet still has a chunk of PETG stuck to it that I just can’t get off. It says something for the PEI that I haven’t destroyed it in the process of trying to get the PETG off, though…
Tried PEI. It’s useless without heated bed. I prefer printbite if I were to go back using heated bed. At the moment PLA only on nonheated bed with zebra skin works for me.
Also tried buildtak - not happy with it. Print stuck forever and impossible to remove.
I have heard people use black polycarbonate sheet sanded. Those supposedly have good adhesion for PLA
Space blankets are made from PEI, and they are huge for only $3ish.
Update: well wiki says often from pet, but i do recall the mention of pei on a data sheet at some point…
For a test you can use kapton tape - same material as pei afaik.
I use only pei and have no problems with pla, tpu, abs, asa and nylon (those I’ve tested). Sometimes it sticks to good but than I let it cool to room temperature and use a sharp edge scraper from all sides until it lifts.
I would not use any other build surface.
Kapton is not the same as PEI, but they are related.
Kapton is Polyimide.
PEI is Polyetherimide.
At work we use kapton, browntape and filaprint (also pei, no?)
Man I love the net. I even wrote AFAIK and then someone says they’re not the same but related.
A quick search told me that Polyetherimid belongs to the group of polyimides - so technically they are at least similar to each other.
And in the perspective of 3d printing they work - at least for me - identical. So forgive me as a non native English speaker they are the same (for 3d printing at least).
The only downside is the a kapton film is usually alot thinner than a pei sheet and therfore it will not last as long (scratched from the nozzle or from removing the print - or it will come off with the print). And since it’s not cheap a pei sheet might be the better choice.
And finally someone asked for something - only thing we can tell is our experience (the technical facts can be found without asking). So excuse me but kapton and pei are the SAME in the perspective of 3d printing in MY opinion.
@Whosa_whatsis For PETG+PEI, just coat the bed in diluted PVA (or I’m told glue stick works) – it’s fine then (Prusa i3 MK2 PEI bed) – the glue peels off when you remove the print. Same for TPU.
For heated bed and PLA or ABS, PEI is the business. My experience is with the Prusa i3 MK2, and also a mini kossel where I bought a sheet of PEI and the adhesive and stuck it to the original glass bed.
I was able to print petg onto a heated pei bed and as long as I heated the bed back up to remind the part they came off reasonably well. Normally 70C and some coaxing worked. Biggest issue I have had was the elevated temperatures degrade me ptfe nozzle liner very fast to the point where I had to replace within 2kg of printing. Using eSUN petg white and black.
I will never change from PEI. Blue tape doesn’t even come close to comparing. The issue is, you HAVE to have a heated bed. It’s useless without it. But if you do, prints stick like hell.
Try buildtak sheets. I have good results on my M3D with PLA and ABS-R.
I use pei on the prusa i3 mk2 and it does stick pla down well as long as it is relatively clean.
PEI is great, it’s about as low-maintenance of a surface as you’re going to find. BUT:
- Must use heat for it to stick properly (one of the reasons it’s better than Kapton is that it releases better when it cools down)
- Do not use it with TPU, it basically glues on there
- Adhesion depends on how you prep the surface, eg sanding or IPA or acetone makes a significant difference
- A thick sheet will hold up against everything short of hot nozzle impacts, but a thin sheet can have the same adhesive lifting issues as any other adhesive sheet or tape
PEI is a life changing experience. It’s true you don’t want to print right on it for PETG, but there are plenty of things you can spray or apply straight onto the PEI for that. Everyone owes it to themselves, if they are hobbyists, to try it IMHO. Not saying everyone has to love it, but you really have to try it for yourself to appreciate it.
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