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Heated beds not needed? Even for ABS

PostPosted: Fri May 11, 2012 4:03 pm
by mxk
Ive been following a couple threads on the reprap forum concerning the use of "ABS juice", and have thought about trying it. I just saw an article at http://open3dp.me.washington.edu/2012/0 ... good-ideas that has pushed me over the edge. I'm going to test this out this weekend. If it works, and I am pretty certain it will once I figure out the correct ratio, then I should be able to use a cheap laptop power supply that can be secured to the bottom of the ORD bot.

Re: Heated beds not needed? Even for ABS

PostPosted: Fri May 11, 2012 4:55 pm
by canadianavenger
Interesting, but beware the additional fumes. I would suggest doing this only in a well ventilated area. The ABS cement will certainly aid in bonding, I'm curious if this will make it excessively difficult to separate the printed part from the glass when it's all done.

Re: Heated beds not needed? Even for ABS

PostPosted: Sat May 12, 2012 3:00 am
by crispyfry
I get insane adhesion using ABS juice on a glass heated bed. I've reduced the bed temp to 95 C and can get prints off reliably. At higher temperatures I was breaking the glass plates before the prints would let go. You will need to experiment with the ratio of ABS to acetone to figure out what works best for you.

I haven't found the fumes from the acetone to be a problem, they dissipate very rapidly in any decently sized room. Ventilation is recommended for printing ABS, however, so this should be a moot point.

Not sure how well printing ABS on an unheated surface would work. My gut feeling is the temperature differential from the nozzle to ambient on the bed is going to be high enough to cause part warp issues, even if the parts stick fine.