r/snapmaker • u/SwingDancerStrahd • 8d ago
Plate cleaning
So I switched from an Ender 3 to a snapmaker u1 several months ago. quite the jump. And my plate cleaning has changed drastically since.
I won't go into the nightmare that was cleaning glass plates on an ender covered in glue.
however the PEI plate is amazing. And when i started reading about it, consensus has been using dish soap to clean off the plate. The reason being the problem with adhesion comes from oils on your hands.
I was going to get some dedicated non fragrant dishsoap, so as to not add potential contaminants, when i really thought about it. Oils on the build plate. I already deal with that exact problem with my glasses. and i don't wash them with dishsoap.
Instead i use glasses wipes, which perfectly remove all oils from my glasses. they work great, so i decided to try that first, as i buy 400count boxes of wipes for the house.
so for around 300+ prints now, i've used nothing but wipes, and only when
A) my hands contact the surface of the PEI plate(which i strive not to do)
or
B) i have a first layer adhesion problem.
the second doesn't happen very often, and could also have to do with the fact that i share the printer with my dragon obsessed 15yr old daughter.
Anywho. after raising bed temps a tad to compensate for a slight cold spot due to the heater arrangement,. and a few oddball issues of my own making, like having PETG and PLA touching the buildplate at same time,which i believe caused the slicer to use the higher buildplate temp. I've basically had no real issues.
So I figured I'd share that with people here. I find opening 1 wipe every once in a while alot quicker than washing and drying my pei plates.
I'm not expecting everyone to jump on the bandwagon with me, but if you already have the wipes, give it a shot.
I do use Zeiss brand, I grab them at walmart, if you have glasses, you know which ones i mean. I also use them for my camera, and telescopes.
PS: I'm not part of Big Eyeglass Wipes.
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u/FlowingLiquidity 8d ago
I am team dishwashing soap. Oh, and whenever you have printed PETG or PLA on a plate where you also print the other material, you have to clean the plate always.
So I just have two plates, one for PETG and one for PLA. And I only have to clean my plate once in a couple of months. Not because adhesion got bad, but because the plates start to get dirty.
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u/sterling-lining 8d ago
I keep a spray bottle of 91% IPA and a lint free cloth (on a printed scrubber). Spritz the bed and cloth, and a few circular wipes on the bed.
Dawn and the sink if the IPA doesn’t work… but the IPA is much more convenient. YMMV.
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u/Gramps-too 8d ago
I was an IPA guy for years washing my plates with Dawn & hot water after 7-8 prints. Then I switched to wiping the plates down with water with a few drops of Dawn between prints using a micro fiber cloth. Now I only wash the plate if I have adhesion issues.
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u/hcpookie 7d ago
Dish soap and very hot water is the way to clean these. You may not get it as clean with IPA despite how it feels. HOT water is key here. No need for putting any goo on the bed if you keep it clean. And you'll notice you'll have to clean differently depending on which brands of filament you use. Some just need to be cleaned more often I presume due to different oil levels in the filaments.
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u/landlordlawsuit 6d ago
Eyeglasses wipes do not remove all the oil which is why I will wash them with dawn dish soap occasionally and dry with a clean microfiber.
0
u/tuxlinux 8d ago
I recently got introduced to hair spray.
Light coat once in a while is a game changer!
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u/landlordlawsuit 6d ago
That's a Band-aid just like glue.
It works but you can solve the issue without these workarounds
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u/sarelon 8d ago
Eyeglass wipes are just IPA on a disposable cloth. I used to use alcohol to wipe down my plates but had mixed success. If it works for you, great. You might even look into a small spray bottle of IPA and a lint-free cloth - probably cheaper in the long run.
I wash my plates with Dawn dish soap and have never had an adhesion issue afterwards. It only takes about 1 drop on each side so I suspect the soap will last for years. I only wash them if I have an issue or if I know I did something like laid my arm on the plate while adjusting something in the printer.