How to remove ABS from PEI Sheet

Question

Recently building a new printer, I went with a Wambam PEX system. When I began printing ABS I found it did not stick very well and eventually purchased a new build plate and a PEI sheet since PEX isn't suited to ABS.

Not altering some of the setting while trying to get ABS to stick to the PEX I started printing on PEX which is gripping extremely well...too well. Bed temp may be a few degrees too high, nozzle was giving a little too much squish. I now have several skirts and now the base layer of a ringing tower embedded in the sheet. What is the best way to remove these? I was using acetone on the PEX sheet but I'm told not to use that on PEI.

Just looking for into to clean the PEI sheet, please do not respond on what I should have done, or how to use PEX with glue or whatnot.

Perry Webb · Answer 1 · 2021-08-02T16:12:59.023

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Heat up your bed to the print temperature; maybe even as hot as 100 °C. This will soften the ABS and make it easier to scrape off. It will distort a print to remove it this way, but is good for cleaning.

Less preferred method: Acetone will dissolve ABS but may be rough on your PEI, even causing it to lose its bond. It also evaporates very quickly and is highly flammable. You don't want to breath the fumes. It is now considered a carcinogen.

edited Aug 02 '21 at 16:12

answered Aug 02 '21 at 14:43

Perry Webb

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acetone may damage the PEI sheet to the point where it no longer bonds the part during printing. – fred_dot_u Aug 02 '21 at 16:00

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 03 '21 at 02:37

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Heating the bed didn't help much, but Someone suggested using the flush cutters which pryed it up just enough... to get the bigger chunk off.

answered Aug 03 '21 at 02:37

tarnis

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For me heating the bed helped softening the ABS enough for it to scrape without damaging the PEI. It's not a perect solution but an improvement. – Perry Webb Aug 03 '21 at 13:37

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Dec 29 '21 at 16:43

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Update here: even the 105 degrees of the heatbed wasn't enough. Put the PEI sheet in the oven, then the ABS wiped right off with a paper towel. I set it to 180 degrees, but I don't think it even got there.

answered Dec 29 '21 at 16:43

Jonathan A. Levi

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Hi, are you the OP (tarnis)? Have you created another account to add an update? If you aren't tarnis, then it doesn't seem much sense to prefix your answer with "Update here"? If you are tarnis, would you like your two accounts to be merged? Also if you are tarnis, then it would make more sense to edit your previous answer to update it, rather than posting another answer. – Greenonline Dec 29 '21 at 17:58
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That was someone else – tarnis Dec 30 '21 at 17:39

How to remove ABS from PEI Sheet

3 Answers3