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Textured steel sheet

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MK2.5
MK2.5S
MK3
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The Original Prusa magnetic heatbed is designed to hold a removable double-sided flexible spring-steel sheet, designed specifically for easy removal of printed objects from the print surface.

Textured Sheet (color may differ from yours)The underside of a printed object

The powder-coated sheet, also referred to as the textured sheet, has its surface covered with a special polymer (Ultem PEI) to ensure perfect adhesion. These have been used in our print farm for many years and are perfect when printing a lot of high-adhesion filaments like PETG, and are also ideal for printing flexible filaments (TPU). It has a rougher texture than the Satin sheet and is more durable with some filaments than the smooth sheet .

The exact color depicted in the e-shop and our knowledge base may differ from yours. All sheets are checked and verified being within tight specifications. These specifications are both considering the manufacturing method and the sheet's function (adhesion and durability used with certain material types), but not the cosmetic aspect of the sheet or pattern left on printed parts. We can not guarantee the pattern left on your printed objects will match perfectly from sheet to sheet.

Main attributes

  • Textured finish
  • Double-sided! Both sides can be used interchangeably.
  • Thinner than its smooth counterpart.
  • Ideal for extensive printing of PETG, CPE, TPEE/TPU.
  • No need for glue stick with flexible filaments (TPU/TPEE)
  • Prints automatically detach after the sheet cools down
  • To be cleaned with ~90% IPA or denaturd alcohol when cold. Do not use anything made for skin! It can contain oils/sugars that ruin adhesion!
See our blog article on how to print on a powder-coated sheet.

Considerations

  • Never clean the sheet with acetone! It will deteriorate the surface!
  • Never apply ABS juice to it!
  • Prints from ASA, ABS, Nylon and PC Blend require the application of a glue stick (separation layer).
  • Live Z value needs to be readjusted if you switch sheets. See Steel sheet profiles.
  • Not scratch-resistant!!! Do not use metal spatulas etc. to remove the prints. We recommend printing a plastic spatula, like this one.
  • Small PLA prints may require a Brim.
Consumable parts, such as print sheets (satin, smooth, textured, etc.) are not covered by warranty as the coatings will diminish over time. Unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship, cosmetic damage, including but not limited to scratches, dents, cracks, or other cosmetic damage is also not covered by the warranty. Only defective sheets on arrival are covered by warranty.

Filaments

We have done a lot of testing and compiled our results for you to use. To easily see how to prepare your sheet for any filament type, please see our Material table.

Prints don’t stick

If your print surface is perfectly clean and all grease has been removed by wiping it with a paper towel soaked in isopropyl alcohol ~90%. Also, make sure the first layer height is set up perfectly.

If your prints still do not adhere reliably to the print surface, try to wash the sheet in warm water (not hot!) with a few drops of liquid dish soap (not hand soap). This should not be done often, and do not submerge the sheet completely in hot water, bu this can clean away oils/sugars that are not affected by rubbing alcohol. However, the textured sheet is not water-proof so consider this a last resort which should not be done often.

For more info on how to deal with adhesion issues, please see First layer issues.

 

11 comments

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Reedy
•
>bu this can clean away oils/sugars that are not affected by rubbing alcohol.
^ bu is a typo for but
Reply
J.J. Kucharczyk
•
Today I printed PETG for the first time for a test on the MK4. After printing there were small pieces of filament left in two places that I can't remove. I tried using a plastic spatula and a metal spatula which scratched the surface slightly. How can I remove these residues. I understand that I should use glue for PETG prints next time. If I rotate the plate, won't the PETG residue damage the hotplate? Best regards.Edit:  Isopropylalkohol 99% is good for this?
Reply
Darsch
•
This article states "To be cleaned with ~90% IPA or denaturd alcohol when cold." but I didn't really listen to the cold part.  Not sure if this is the main reason for it needing to be cold, but I was in a hurry and cleaned my textured PEI sheet when it was very hot, close to the starting 85c for PETG.  Obviously I had some quick evaporation, but I just really loaded up the paper towel with 91% alchohol, no additives.  Oddly, I immediately had adhesion issues after this cleaning and I thought my z height needed to be adjusted a bit because it had been working for several days printing the same project.  I tried adjusting a number of different things, but in the end the water a dish soap fixed it.  I am afraid to  test my theory, but if using alchohol on a hot sheet actually causes adhesion issues, you might want to emphasize that a little more in the reason for why the sheet is supposed to be cold.
Reply
Buxton
•
Agreed, I run into the same thing
Reply
Zacharisa
•
Would using Sinol cause long-term damage to a powder-coated sheet?
 
Sinol:
isopropanol  1–5 %
butanone 2 %
methyl isobutyl ketone 2 %
ethanol 91–95 %
 
Butanone is also known as Methylacetone, so I would guess it could have some adverse reaction with the powder coat?
Reply
Marina Curzi
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We have not tested this product with the sheet, but indeed some of the components could damage it. It is better not to use it.

Reply
Robert kallgren
•
How do you prepare the textured sheet for Petg prints?
Reply
Darsch
•
No special preperation needed for PETG prints, just make sure the z height is calibrated correctly and the sheet is clean.
Reply