Easy PLA Removal of 3D Prints

by MikeTheMaker in Workshop > 3D Printing

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Easy PLA Removal of 3D Prints

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My experience in printing with PLA (Replicator 2) has been that the builds (raft or no raft) stick to the platform with tenacity!  A spatula and scraped knuckles eventually will remove the print.

I tried using the painter's tape supplied, but it just ripped around big builds and left me with the spatula problem again.

Here's my workaround, (maybe this is the plan--just not communicated clearly to me) which allows for easy one hand removal of prints.  Instead of sticking the painter's tape entirely to the build platform, only stick the edges.  I used parchment paper (for baking cookies, available at grocery stores) under the tape in the middle of the build rectangle. Tape stuck only to the edges of a sheet appears to create a stable build environment. 

In other words, all the print head sees is painter's tape--so it's happy.  Under the entire print area, there is no tape sticking to the platform, so the print will remove by just peeling tape away from the outer edges--then print removal is like lifting a sheet of paper.