How to Make ABS Prints Stick to the 3D Printer Build Plate

In my experience, the absolute best method for achieving great 3D print-to-heated build plate (HBP) adhesion when printing with ABS plastic is to use the ABS goo method. The principle is very simple: remove any film (such as Kapton tape, Blue Painter’s tape, etc) from your printer’s HBP, apply a thin layer of goo directly to aluminum (or glass, if you have this upgrade), heat up your HPB to the same temperature you normally do (my build plate is set at 115 Celsius), and print! 

Not only will your print remain firmly affixed to the HPB, eliminating virtually all warping, this method also drastically reduces the need to adjust the level of your HBP (I haven’t levelled mine in over 600 hours). This is because the ABS slush provides a kind of buffer zone between the extruder nozzle and the HBP; even if the level is slightly off and the nozzle dips into the slush, it will simply melt a path through it as it deposits the first layer onto the HBP. The extruded plastic will lose virtually no heat before it fuses with the surrounding area, creating a very strong, permanent bond. 

To make ABS slush, follow these steps:

1) Grab an empty pickle jar, a pair of good scissors/shears, a few ounces of acetone, some crafting (popsicle) sticks or paint stir sticks, some scrap ABS filament and one or two utility knife blades.

20150103 183429

2) Cut up the ABS filament into small sections, no more than 2-3 inches in length.

20150103 183957

3) Stuff as much filament into the jar as you can (provided you have lots to spare), and fill the jar about 1/3 to 1/2 with acetone.

20150103 184752

4) Close the jar, and let it sit overnight. 

20150103 184840

5) Once the acetone has had enough time to dissolve most of the plastic, open up the jar, and stir any undissolved filament into the slush with a popsicle or paint stir stick, pushing it to the bottom. Close the jar, and once again let it sit for several hours.

6) Once the acetone has dissolved all the plastic, open the jar and check the slush; you want it to have the consistency of liquid honey. If the liquid is too thick, add an ounce of acetone, and stir until the acetone is evenly distributed. If the slush is still too thick, continue to add acetone one ounce at a time until the slush is the desired viscosity, If the goo is too thin, stir in more filament and let sit for several hours to let the acetone work its magic, stirring every couple of hours. Continue the process until the slush is the desired viscosity.

20150104 193318-1

Once the ABS slush is ready, apply to the cold HBP with the edge of a popsicle stick, spreading it evenly. Allow this to sit for a few minutes for the acetone to work its way out. If you notice any unevenness, you can use some plain acetone to smooth it out. Once the acetone has had a chance to evaporate, go ahead and heat up your plate to start the the printing process!

A word of caution. When applying the slush to the build plate, take care to not make the layer too thick like I did in my next photo. A thick layer will promote really great adhesion - so great, in fact, that you may very well end up breaking your print trying to pry it off! So, apply enough to cover the entire surface, but not to the point that the layer is completely opaque!

20141230 172950-1

If done correctly, the 3D printed object should come off the plate with ease. If not, use a utility knife blade to scrape the print off the plate. If your HBP has a glass plate on it, scraping the print should be very easy. If you find that it is not, take the glass off the printer, and pour some acetone directly onto the plate (careful not to get any onto your print, if it’s still attached). Wait for it to dissolve the plastic film, and scrape up the goop which should come off without problem at this point.

Once your object is removed from the HBP, you can reuse any of the ABS slush film you’ve scraped off by putting it back into the jar. it will dissolve within hours.

Instead of scraping the entire glass plate clean after each print, you can pour a little bit of acetone onto the sections still containing the slush; this will dissolve the plastic, which you can then spread around to re-coat the entire plate.

20150103 153323

And that’s it! 

* * * * * * *

© mynocksden.com 2019