How to print on a powder-coated sheet
Powder-coated sheet characteristics
The powder-coated sheets allow you to print with most of the commonly used types
of filament (PLA, PETG, CPE, Flex, etc.) without applying adhesive/separation
layers. The surface of the sheet is covered with a special polymer (Ultem), which
enables all the previously mentioned materials to adhere to the print surface
properly.
The biggest feature is the textured surface – the extruded plastic will fill the tiny gaps
in the texture and the result will be a slightly rough first layer. This helps to hide the
filament “tracks”, creating a nice uniform surface. You can inspect the printed parts
of your Original Prusa i3 3D printer for reference.
However, it is important to realize that it’s a consumable and the sheet can degrade
through continuous use and lose some of its qualities
Calibration of the first layer
Powder-coated sheets have a different thickness than smooth PEI sheets,
therefore it is required to do the First layer calibration.
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The extruded filament should completely fill all gaps of the print surface while
remaining smooth and flat on the top during the print of the first layer
Please note, that the improper adjustment of the first layer height can lead to
damage of the sheet’s surface. This type of damage is not covered by
warranty!
Use the image below to calibrate the first layer
Dos and Don’ts for print surface preparation
✓ Do apply little bit of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) 90%+ as a degreaser.
✓ Apply IPA on a paper towel and clean the cold surface with it.
 Do not heat up the print surface before cleaning as the IPA will evaporate
quickly and you won’t be able to clean the surface perfectly.
 Do not apply any adhesives on powder-coated sheets.
 Acetone must not be used on the powder-coated sheet! Using acetone
makes the surface (Ultem) crack, and eventually, it peels off.
 Do not clean the sheet with water as it may corrode
Removing prints from surface
Prints are easy to remove after the sheet has cooled down.
 Don’t forcefully remove the object when the sheet is still hot.
 If it is not separated automatically, try bending the sheet
 Try not to use a spatula or other scraping tools
My prints still don’t stick to the surface – what should I do?
If your print surface is perfectly clean, degreased with isopropyl alcohol and the first layer
height is set up properly, your prints should (with only a few exceptions) stick to the plate
very well.
If the part is small, consider using a smooth sheet for better adhesion (especially PLA
material). Otherwise, use a brim for small parts printed. Set the brim to at least 3 mm for
better adhesion.
Changing the steel sheet profile in the printer
Magnetic heatbed on MK3S+ enables using multiple steel sheets for continuous
printing. However, due to a different thickness of various sheets (textured vs smooth
PEI), each sheet requires individual First layer calibration.
Visit the settings menu called “HW setup”, which will allow you to individually setup
each sheet and some other parameters.
To set up the individual sheet profiles, please head to the Settings -> HW setup ->
Steel Sheets (refer to image below)
There are currently eight sheet profiles (Fig. 2) available with predefined, but fully
customizable names. Note that each sheet has the same factory settings. (refer to
image below)
For each sheet you can do the following:
1. Select - confirms the selection of the sheet, which will then become the
default
2. First layer calibration - takes you through the first layer calibration process,
this calibration must be performed on each sheet (Fig. 3)
3. Rename - enables you to change the name, up to seven characters (Fig. 4)
4. Reset - sets the values back to the factory defaults
As soon as two or more profiles are configured, you will be able to quick-toggle
between them directly from the main menu (refer to image below)