Hi all, well love my Taz, having built an enclosure for it, brilliant prints almost every time, even thin walled ABS.
But for the second time, I need to replace my PEI sheet due to bubbling.
So the first time i did it, I peeled the old one off (was a bit of a struggle) , used alcohol to clean of the glue then fitted the new sheet. It was reasonable successful but I was wondering if anyone has come up with better ways?
I have read putting the bed in the freezer first for an hour make sit easier to remove the old sheet is that correct?
Last time using the alcohol it was still a real pain in the butt to get rid of all the glue, is there a better solvent or technique to use?
When refitting the sheet it was hard to get all the air out, are there any tips on how to do this the best way?
I’ve had to do this a couple of times now between our printers and some additional replacements here and there.
I have found putting the bed in the freezer for an hour after removing the PEI is a great start. After trying out a few different solvents, I’m convinced that d-Limonene is a great way to easily get the adhesive off the glass bed.
Essentially you just pour a little on, then using a razor blade and some elbow grease start stripping the adhesive off. Once you get the majority of the adhesive off the bed, grab a kitchen scouring pad and some more limonene and really clean down the bed. Finally, use Isopropyl to give the bed a wipe down with some paper towel. Hopefully you should have a perfectly clean bed at this point.
Now the fun begins! Your PEI sheet will be a little (~5mm in all directions) larger than your print bed. Get the bed steady on the bench and peel a cm or two of protection away from the sheet. Now try to get that small amount of unprotected PEI resting squarely on the bed with the protective sheet folded under the PEI replacement. I usually only peel back around 1-2cm at a time, using a small hand held squeegee (a bank card or something similar works too) and press down firmly from the center of the PEI out to the edges. Try to take your time with this step as any rushing will cause air bubbles to appear.
Once you have pressed the PEI back into place, grab your exacto knife and trim down the excess PEI to fit the glass bed perfectly.
Finally, be sure to be removing prints from the bed only at the correct temp and not when the bed is still hot/cold. This is typically 50 degrees and the printer will usually move the printed parts toward the front of the bed once ready to be removed. Also use a part removal tool and don’t just pull prints off the bed or you will likely just need to replace your PEI again!
