This very same characteristic lends itself well to 3D printing. Designed specifically to not leave an adhesive residue after removal, this tape is appropriately used mostly when painting walls and furniture. Blue painters’ tapeīlue painters’ tape is the classic tape used in 3D printing. Thankfully, these tapes aren’t exactly rare. More likely, you will have to order some fancy tape from a specialty store. The first thing you need to know is that you can’t just use any tape you have lying around the house for your 3D printer. It’s inexpensive, elegant, and does not rely on fancy 3D printing accessories. Tape application is one of the go-to solutions for bed adhesion problems. This can be remedied with some sanding and polishing, but it still creates extra work during post-processing.īy providing a surface for the filament to latch onto, tape massively enhances the ability of the filament to stick to the print bed. Whether you use painters’ tape or masking tape, the bottom surface of your finished print will take on the fuzziness of the tape. Layering tape on top of that glass bed effectively eliminates this advantage. This is merely an impression of the surface of the glass bed. If you use a glass print bed, one of the biggest benefits you’ve likely noticed is that prints come out with perfectly smooth bottom surfaces. Compared to any other bed adhesive, tape requires an exacting eye, steady hands, and a LOT of patience. If you mess this up, you can end up having even worse bed adhesion problems.įor some people, the value of tape in bed adhesion is not worth the time and effort to apply it perfectly. Anything less than a perfect application of tape will result in a bed that is no longer level. Tape has to be applied in side-by-side strips that touch each other but do not overlap. This takes just a few seconds and does not require a lot of skill.Īpplying tape is a different matter altogether. Applying glue stick to a print bed is just a matter of swiping the stick several times on the bed, making sure that every centimeter of it is covered. Compared to other adhesion options, these are some of the “pain points” of using tape: Difficult to applyĪ common alternative to tape is glue stick. It’s a no-fuss, foolproof method.ĭespite its good points, a lot of 3D printing professionals consider using tape to be more trouble than it’s worth. When you’re done printing, just peel off the tape from the bed. An adhesive that sticks too well tends to result in damaged prints, or worse, a damaged print bed. There are two aspects to bed adhesion – it should help a print stick to the bed but still allow it to be removed with ease once printing has been finished. Although there are also other cheap options, tape is still a lot less expensive compared to specialty 3D printing surfaces like PEI or BuildTak. To help you decide if tape is a good adhesion option for you here are its merits: Tape is inexpensiveįor less than $20, you can buy multiple rolls of tape which should be enough to tide you over for months. This is a matter of personal preference and there is no definitive resolution to this debate. Not everyone likes it – some users swear by it while others will actively avoid using it. Tape remains one of the more popular options for adhesive aids in print beds. Most time, the plastic filament cannot achieve this state of perfection on its own – you will have to help it with some adhesive. If you fail at this, you will likely end up with a print that collapses eventually, has corners that curl upward, or layers that shift out of place. One of the most important steps in 3D printing is making sure that the base layer of the print sticks to the print bed. What kind of situation calls for adhesive tape and how should it be used? Why use tape? Granted, you can’t use just any tape for 3D printing, but you also don’t need to look beyond your standard hardware aisle. One of the more useful tools in the arsenal of a 3D printing professional is adhesive tape. From DIY enclosures to safety pins as nozzle-cleaning implements, everyday items have proven to be valuable in the practice of 3D printing. 3D Insider is ad supported and earns money from clicks, commissions from sales, and other ways.Īs advanced as 3D printing technology has become, it’s not beyond simple solutions to its inherent issues.
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