Reliability of using glue stick for attaching PLA and PETG prints onto glass bed for long time



  • I have a 3D printer that has a heated bed with glass surface. I set the bed temperature to approximately 60C and apply glue stick onto the glass surface before heating the plate up and print.

    This works well for PLA and PETG prints if the print duration is less than 3 hours. However for overnight prints, I find that the adhesion often loosens off.

    So what is the most reliable way if I have to print a PLA or PETG object on a glass surface for more than 12 hours? I need to get this right because some big prints can easily take ore than a day.



  • Personaly I use a watered down mixture of PVA glue and water, I have used this for some time, with good results, after a few prints I wipe the glass with a damp sponge and reaply the mixture. I use a 50 degree bed temp.



  • @markfarnell - I use hairspray and it works really well.



  • erniehatt and swclark:

    Thanks for your suggestions, and the glue stick is in fact PVA glue. However, what is the longest duration of your prints? I find that the glue stick (PVA?) becomes loosened after more than five hours of printing

    Also for the hairspray, what was the longest duration of the print? I need to find a way for it to stick on glass for > 24 hours for some really long prints



  • My longest was about 9hrs.. I have also printed tubes 100mm high and 6mm diameter with no problem.



  • my longest has been about 8 hours. I don't have enough trust in my printer to print overnight. Still trying to get running more smoothly and consistently.



  • Hairspray doesn't seem to lose adhesion though. In fact, it some times hard to get model off the glass. I have heated the bed to 40º.



  • swclark: I am most interested to see how long can the object remains on the glass before it loses adhesion. Also do you wait for the hairspray to dry before heating up the plate and/or start printing?

    erniehatt: Just thought of a problem. I apply the glue stick directly onto the glass just before heating it up. If I put too much glue onto the glass plate (i.e. layer of glue on glass too thick), will it cause the object to lose adhesion after prolonged printing?

    prolonged printing is very important for me because I have a 40cm x 40cm heated bed, and when I print large object, it will be easily an overnight, or even multiple-day job.



  • The hairspray dries almost instantly. Also, i do multiple prints with one layer of hairspray and then clean it off under water every so often. I have only had problems when the hairspray was worn off. I think you'll find it will adhere well and stay that way, especially with the heated bed.




  • We always recommend blue masking tape for PLA and PET. You don't get the glossy bottom like printing on the glass, but this is still the most reliable form of bed adhesion we've found for either of those materials.



  • @markfarnell said:

    swclark: I am most interested to see how long can the object remains on the glass before it loses adhesion. Also do you wait for the hairspray to dry before heating up the plate and/or start printing?
    erniehatt: Just thought of a problem. I apply the glue stick directly onto the glass just before heating it up. If I put too much glue onto the glass plate (i.e. layer of glue on glass too thick), will it cause the object to lose adhesion after prolonged printing?
    prolonged printing is very important for me because I have a 40cm x 40cm heated bed, and when I print large object, it will be easily an overnight, or even multiple-day job.

    Mark, I tried the glue stick and had very little luck with it.

    I normally thin the PvA about 60% water to 40% PVA, but these are experimental. I apply it as the bed is heating, I am trying some other ways that I will put on the forum if they work out.



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