Can Coca Cola help 3D Printing?
Could Coca Cola be an option for sticking prints to your 3D Printer?, at least that’s what I tested in the video in this article. The result might shock you!
We’ve all been there. Your 3D Print starts to lift at the corners and even slide of the print bed. You have the new fancy Auto leveling feature installed but it’s still not good enough. What could it be, lack of adhesion it appears!
The next thing to do is to run over to your 3D Printer toolbox (or PrintaKit?) and take out you Build Plate adhesion of choice. Only to discover it’s empty.
Will Coca Cola work as a replacement?
My thesis is that Coca Cola is sticky when you spill it, so it should be sticky for 3D Prints as well right? There’s not much to do else than to try it out.
For this experiment I use the BCN3D Sigma R17 3D Printer I’m reviewing for Matterhackers as my test subject and printer of choice. Combining that with ColorFilla PLA that usually doesn’t warp.
Utilizing the heated bed I speed up the process of drying the Coca Cola by boiling it off. What’s left is a sticky residue, much like what you have on your kitchen floor when you forget to clean spilled coke.
Testing its function
I modeled a quick 215 x 30 x 30mm piece that would on a normal cold un-treated bed warp and not stick, even if it’s PLA i’m using.
The piece was sliced in Simplify 3D without any temperature on the heated bed and with pretty typical settings for a PLA print. Max cooling is important to test the warping!
The print, as you can se in the video worked splendid. It’s not like a good application of 3Dlac or PrintaFix, but works well!
There you have it!
Now we know! If there’s no bed adhesion around, boil some Coca Cola (or just drink it while you wait for your delivery!)
Hope you enjoyed, let me know if you have questions or want me to try another bed adhesion that shouldn’t exist!
