Geeetech

What solvents can I safely use to clean the Super plate? I recently printed a bunch of parts using cheap TPU, now there is tpu gunk embedded in the plate and PLA does not stick anymore. I have been using alcohol. are there any stronger solvent I can use without wrecking the surface?

Hello.


The surface is glass, nothing will happen to it. At most you will wash the painted mosaic.
By the way, this is an interesting question.

The glass has some sort of coating on it, so i have been reluctant to hose it down with acetone and scrub with a brush. That Tpu gunk is stubborn stuff.

Yes, it is a very characteristic plastic.

Characteristic of it:

• high flexibility,
• abrasion resistance,
• also has good shock, vibration and shock absorption properties,
• very good reversible deformation properties,
• high resistance to cracking and tearing,
• resistance to atmospheric conditions, as well as to substances such as oils, fats and a number of solvents.

So cleaning a surface dirty with this plastic will not be easy.
When you're done, write how you did it, I'm curious.
Also show the photo, Before cleaning and after.

I dont want to be the guinea pig for this experiment, the super plate is the only part of the whole printer that has not given me any problems!

anrkii wrote: Tue Nov 13, 2018 7:41 am I dont want to be the guinea pig for this experiment, the super plate is the only part of the whole printer that has not given me any problems!

What's the printer model?About the problem.
Maybe you can give us more details.Complaining is unable to solve the problem.

After extensive testing, I have came to the conclusion that my Superplate will no longer stick to PLA. I tried cleaning with alcohol, cold and hot, with no change. Then I move on to stronger solvents. Denatured alcohol, mineral spirits, paint thinner, and even brake clean. After each cleaning attempt I tried test prints using multiple brands of PLA, nothing seemed to help. I even tried sanding with 400 grit as ultrabase recommends. My plate has lost its bonding ability. I do not blame the superplate, this probem started when I used a cheap TPU from ZIRO. The TPU embedded into the ridges and pores of the plate and now nothing would stick no matter how I tried to clean it.

I did find a solution, using hairspray. Even single walled prints stick with no issues now, and the parts are still easy to remove after the bed cools, unlike glass and hairspray, No scraper needed.

The takeaway from all this is be careful when using flexible filaments on the superplate, and that if your plate becomes damaged or worn out, aqua net hairspray works great on it without the usual hairspray on glass drawbacks.

Hope this helps someone.