Printing on Blue Tape

[Jman]

Looking around I see that a number of people print PLA on blue tape. Why?

I've got it printing well on the plastic bed but I have to hit the part pretty hard to get it off.

I tried zeroing the z on the blue tape and printing but the PLA did not stick to it. I tried sanding the tape but that did not help and I figured if you need to sand the tape then I might as well leave it on the plastic bed.

 

[gCreate_Kyle]

You will see a lot of pictures of printers printing onto blue tape. This is most likely because they have a glass bed. Glass has the advantage of being cheap, and very flat. They can also be used for heated beds which makes printing ABS, nylon, and other high temperature warp prone materials easier to handle. But adhesion to the glass is nearly impossible. To improve the adhesion people use blue tape.

In my small experience with printing on blue tape, I noticed less bed adhesion than with acrylic. Which makes acrylic an excellent choice for PLA. Which does not need a heated bed. I do not have any experience with a heated bed. Though this will be my next upgrade so I can print with nylon.

 

[Jman]

Thanks for the info. I agree the PLA sticks nicely to the acrylic, I just hate hitting the bed and part so hard.