Printing with PLA

EZ-Stik Hot

Nozzle - 200C

Bed - 50-60C

EZ-Stik Cold

Nozzle - 200C

Bed – Ambient (room temp)

As long as first layer height is good and the temperature settings are correct, there should rarely be any problems with adhesion or removal using PLA. As with all filaments, there is quite a bit of variation between brands so you may have to adjust your settings to get the best results. 

Warping with PLA: There are some geometries that have very little in contact with surface that can cause warping problems. Also, very large parts or very dense parts can cause a lot of thermal stress and lead to warping.  If you are having trouble with PLA warping there are a couple things that you can do to help avoid this. The first thing to always verify is that the first layer is good and that the surface is clean. If you are still having issues with warping, then the best option is typically a Brim. This is where you configure your slicer to add number of outlines to perimeter of the first layer, increasing the surface area in contact with the surface. For even the most difficult parts typically about 1” of brim is enough to prevent warping. If needed you can increase the size of the brim or some slicers allow you to increase the number of layers if you are printing at small layer heights. 

Removing PLA parts: EZ-Stik is designed to release the parts once the surface has cooled down to room temperature. Most parts will take little to no force to remove once the surface has cooled. Sometimes, very large, flat PLA parts like a box lid or wall sign can be difficult to remove because of the large surface area. PLA is a very rigid plastic and removing a part with a lot of surface area means pulling against the force of the entire area at the same time. In those cases, it can help to re-heat the surface up to about 60C to cause the PLA to become a little softer. This will allow you to ‘peel’ the part off the surface and reduce the amount of force needed.