Prusa MK3S PEI Sheet

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Brand: Prusa3D

Condition: New product

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39,99 €tax excl.

48,39 €tax incl.

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Steel bases with PEI surface for Prusa i3 MK3S, with smooth or textured finish.

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Usage tips
Specifications

The Prusa i3 MK3S features a MK52 heated magnetic bed that holds, with the help of high-temperature magnets, a removable alloy spring steel base with a PEI surface, which facilitates the adhesion between the bed and the piece, preventing it from peeling off.

There are two types of bases to choose: smooth PEI and textured powder-coated PEI. Both bases are coated with Ultem PEI (polyeterimide). The difference between the two bases is that the textured base is coated with PEI powder baked directly on the surface, while the smooth base is glued to the sheet like a sticker. Both bases can be used to print with any material as long as it is used correctly.

There are different steel base colors, however, they all contain the same properties despite the color variations.

Smooth PEI base

This base is made of spring steel with double-sided smooth PEI. It is the best PLA printing solution and has a great adhesion with almost all materials. The bottom of the 3D prints has a smooth finish.

Image 1: Smooth base

The color of the smooth PEI base may differ from the product image (may be black, gold, green...), but in any case its properties are exactly the same regardless of the color.

Textured PEI base

Powder coating directly on the metal makes it very difficult to damage this base. If the nozzle grazes with the base, it does not wear out, but the top coating of dust (bulges) wears out. This coating also attributes a rough appearance to the bottom face of 3D prints that is in contact with the base of the 3D printer.

Image 2: Textured base

General information

The following recommendations should be followed for the use of Prusa's PEI bases:

Before placing the steel base on the heat bed, make sure it is clean and free of filament residue.

Never print directly to the heated base of the Prusa printer. Always use the smooth or textured steel base.
Ignore the two holes in the steel base opposite the notch, only serve to facilitate the manufacture of it.
The use of the trowel should not be necessary, only necessary if the cold printed object cannot be decoupled from the printing surface by any bending of the base.
Because the bases are made of steel, they are prone to oxidation. Don't leave them for long in a humid environment.

In addition, in the case of the textured base, the following warnings should be taken into account.

Never clean the textured base with acetone and never apply ABS juice on it, as it causes the powder coating to crack and wear.
Do not cool the base in a refrigerator or freezer.

Possible problems

The following are the most common problems that may arise with PEI bases, as well as their possible solutions:

Bubbles under the PEI

With the passage of time, small bubbles may emerge below the PEI. It is nothing serious, as these bubbles usually do not affect the print quality and after a few days disappear. However, there are two tips that are effective at undoing those bubbles faster:

Change the side of the base on which it is printed. This accelerates the disappearance of bubbles.
Bubbles appear around where it is most printed (center of the base), most often below the corners of printed parts. When cutting models, place them on the entire print surface and not just at one point.

Image 1: Bubbles at the base

Dent in the PEI

Sometimes when unpacking the smooth base there may be a small dent. Usually, simply flip the base and use the other side is enough to fix it. The warmth of the bed causes the dent to disappear on its own after a couple of days.