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Adhesives

What I have tried

  • ABS Juice/Slurry
    • Made by dissolving ABS plastic bits in liquid Acetone
    • No hard rules here, some like thicker, some thinner, both worked for me
    • Works perfect for ABS and HIPS, but no other materials seemed to like it in my tests
    • Best on glass but also worked on shiny carbon fiber sheet print surfaces without issue
    • Often left ugly "brim or elephants foot like" bottom edges which added post processing time
    • Never use on print surfaces made from PEI, PEX, Ultem, etc. since those materials are sensitive to Acetone and could be destroyed permanently
    • Use - Spread as even a coat of adhesive as possible over the area to be printed on, and wait until the liquid is ENTIRELY dry before heating the build plate...Acetone is nasty stuff!
    • My Opinion - Not a fan if I have other choices but it definitely works
  • Aqua Net Unscented Extra Super Hold Hairspray
    • Worked for most materials, but some Polycarbonates didn't stick for me
    • Worked erratically an all materials until I let the hairspray dry entirely before heating and beginning a print
    • Use 1 - Spray an even coat on the print surface and allow to dry before heating the bed and beginning the print
    • Use 2 - Spray on hairspray as above, let it dry, razor blade scrape it off the glass, Spray another coat of hairspray, let it dry, razor scrape if off the glass before heating the bed and beginning the print
    • My Opinion - Not a fan if I have other choices but it definitely works
  • Glue Sticks
    • Worked for most materials, but some Polycarbonates didn't stick for me
    • If the build plate is not cleaned fairly regularly (maybe 5-10 prints) with soap and water, the bottom surfaces of the prints will begin to elephants foot and look fairly uneven as the glue layer builds up thicker in some places
    • BEST VALUE of all 3D printing adhesives
      • I paid about $20 for 60 glue sticks like 5 years ago...and still have half the box!
    • All brands I tried worked identically well for me
    • Use 1 - Rub on as even a coat as possible on the print surface in a single orientation (all swipes line up like stair steps), then rotate the bed (or your hand) and repeat at a 90 degree angle to ensure a uniform and even coat 
    • Use 2 - Rub on glue as above, let it dry, razor blade scrape it off the glass, rub on another coat of hairspray, let it dry, razor scrape if off the glass before heating the bed and beginning the print
    • My Opinion - I like glue stick...but I like other adhesives more (sad face)
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