Bed Adhesion: PLA on heated glass bed

[The Hat]

I had to clean off all the glue and REALLY clean the glass. I had a few mis-starts because the bed wasn't clean and hot enough. Once I had a super clean bed at 60 deg., it stuck just fine. My patience and effort was rewarded. I came back to the print after the bed had cooled and it had perfectly self-released. It was pretty epic. I can see how this can be addictive and why so many people do it this way. LOL!

First off congratulation @Nifty on your first heated bed print, (Looks Great) but here, hand on a minute, ½ hour to heat the bed, that’s silly, and it sounds like your 12V power supply is not up to the job, it should only take 10 to 12 minutes on a slow day to heat the bed up, and 60c is a bit hot for PLA. (40c ish is better and safer)

My original power supply packed in and I bought another from Creality, (I think it was 30 Amp.) but never put it back into the control box, instead I have mine mounted on the wall and it hasn’t given a bit of trouble since, more than 3 years on, (Better cooling).

I tried glue sticks for a while and they worked great but needed to be re-apply for every use, but a bugger to clean off afterwards, the toughened glass I use has a rough surface and wont release the print till it cools a little bit.

I await my trials using the PEI steel sheet and if it’s as good at holding the print as the glass is then I’ll convert the smaller printer over to the PEI sheet too.

Tip:- I use two pieces of household tinfoil wrap under my glass sheet 25% and 50% smaller than the glass area and this gives me almost perfect flatness over the whole glass area, and I use manual levelling for best results..

There is a spray called 3DLAC, not sure if it is sold on the other side of the pond You can also try hairspray, some swear by it, I swore at it

To help hold your print to Glass use the 3DLAC as mentioned by @Redbrickman, its quicker cleaner and the spray can lasts for ages, and isn’t hard to clean off when you need to reapply more.. Hair spray is just adequate but not 100% every time, plus very messy to clean off.
My first attempt laying foil under the clear glass.
A close up of the glass surface..

 

[Redbrickman]

All good advice from @The Hat

As far as levelling goes and perfecting a first layer I found this video good. Substitute aluminium (or aluminum) foil for the tape in the video and you can get a pretty good level build plate even with the taco'd Creality bed

 

[Artur5]

There is a spray called 3DLAC, not sure if it is sold on the other side of the pond but it is fantastic for glass beds. Just a tiny spritz on the glass and the part sticks solid but once finished and the bed cools a little bit the part can be lifted off.
You can also try hairspray, some swear by it, I swore at it

I use 3DLac practicaly all the time. It lasts several print jobs and works great on PEI beds for almost every filament, except nylon and PP. I suspect that it's nothing else than regular hairspray without fancy additives and parfums...
My experience with PVA glue doesn't agrees exactly with @Nifty. If applied in thin layers PVA dries fast as the temperature of the bed increases and sticks well to the bed and the filament. Once cold, it leaves a whitish hard residue, but it's easy to clean it with dish soap and warm water.
Anyway, I prefer 3Dlac. It's cleaner, easier to apply, lasts longer and the bottom of the prints are way better than with glue.

 

[Redbrickman]

I use 3DLac practicaly all the time. It lasts several print jobs and works great on PEI beds for almost every filament, except nylon and PP. I suspect that it's nothing else than regular hairspray without fancy additives and parfums...
My experience with PVA glue doesn't agrees exactly with @Nifty. If applied in thin layers PVA dries fast as the temperature of the bed increases and sticks well to the bed and the filament. Once cold, it leaves a whitish hard residue, but it's easy to clean it with dish soap and warm water.
Anyway, I prefer 3Dlac. It's cleaner, easier to apply, lasts longer and the bottom of the prints are way better than with glue.

3DLac is great but I never use it on PEI as PLA and ABS stick great on the plain PEI sheet. As long as it's a genuine PEI sheet and not some knock off material (lots around) then cleaning it with dish soap, rinsing and drying leave it perfect for printing. Occassionally a clean with the green side of a washing up sponge will scuff it up a little and keep the surface at it's best for printing. For PETG a spray of 3DLac is useful as otherwise the PETG can become a permanent fixture!

 

[Artur5]

I reckon you're right about PLA not needing adhesive, but I'm a lazy practical fellow who doesn't bother to clean the PEI surface with soap after every print. Using 3Dlac saves me time and hassle because the adhesive works even if there's a bit of greasy residue on the bed surface. It's very useful too when you print something with a very small footprint and overhangs. In these conditions, extra adhesion doesn't hurts.
Once in a while ( but not every week .. ) I clean with Fairy and warm water, to get the bed in a pristine condition again.

 

[Redbrickman]

Your approach is entirely practical and makes sense. To be honest I do not clean with soap after every print, unless the last one was a very large area in which case I will clean it before doing any others.

 

[Nifty]

There is a spray called 3DLAC, not sure if it is sold on the other side of the pond but it is fantastic for glass beds. Just a tiny spritz on the glass and the part sticks solid but once finished and the bed cools a little bit the part can be lifted off.

To help hold your print to Glass use the 3DLAC as mentioned by @Redbrickman, its quicker cleaner and the spray can lasts for ages, and isn’t hard to clean off when you need to reapply more.. Hair spray is just adequate but not 100% every time, plus very messy to clean off.

I use 3DLac practicaly all the time.

Wow, three VERY strong recommendations for 3DLAC! Impressive!

Curious: I've had such good success with a SUPER clean glass bed + heat that I'm not sure why / when I would need even more adhesion. Why are you guys needing more adhesion beyond what a heated bed will provide?

 

[The Hat]

Wow, three VERY strong recommendations for 3DLAC! Impressive!

Curious: I've had such good success with a SUPER clean glass bed + heat that I'm not sure why / when I would need even more adhesion. Why are you guys needing more adhesion beyond what a heated bed will provide?

Just as you settle into your own confidence area, the very next print will let go, and you’ll curse at your own stupidness, just go with the belt and braces approach and you’ll never have an issue again, it’s actually worth the extra effort..

It’s to be sure to be sure..