Do heated print beds need a particular type of glass or is it just a matter of thickness to prevent cracking through temperature differences?
I’m interested in the idea of replacing my current glass plate with a first surface mirror, mostly for aesthetic reasons but it should also be useful as for visual levelling.
I haven’t heard of glass breaking due to temperature changes in 3D Printers, but easy to break glass could smash with a head crash easy enough, I scavenge glass from scanners as it’s pretty tough and very flat, thin glass can bend easier too which could be a problem.
borosilicate glass is rated for the temperatures needed to print ABS. ordinary window glass is not. I broke several pieces of window glass before I decided to cowboy up and get the right stuff.
ahh ok, I only print PLA heh, cheers for the tip!
Yeah, +1 to @Chapman_Baetzel . Regular glass is okay for low/no heat beds using just PLA, barring a head crash. (I use window glass on my PrintrBot Simple.) If you try to heat it up for ABS, you’re going to have a bad time.
I have broken 4 pieces of regular glass due to thermal expansion at abs temps. But my bed is 16" x16" so I think that’s part of why I have had a worse time with it than others.
I’m using regular 3mm window glass for my 400x200mm bed. I can even heat up one side of the bed to 120°C and leave the other side cold and i’ve never had a problem with it. Thinner glass is ridiculously easy to break, i’ve manged to break quite a few 2mm ones when pulling prints off the Kapton tape.
I haven’t dealt much with warping on my thinner window glass sheets with ABS. Biggest negative for me is not breaking it, but rather my hands getting cut by not rounding off the edges. Make sure they do that when they cut it, your hands will thank you.
what about using glass table mats…they are for hot plates to go on??
stevep
I printed on glass forever without much an issue @~100.
Just changed to a mirror, messes with depth perception.
@Ben_Van_Den_Broeck at your local hardware store (not the big box ones, the kind with a 70 year old guy behind the counter) you can get emery cloth designed for beveling glass. Takes about 5 minutes to round the edges. The cloth comes in grades that can either rough off the edge, or ultra fine for polishing. A sheet of it costs around $0.75 at the store near me.
I was even cheaper. i just rubbed the cut glass side on 120 Grit sand paper. made it smooth enough so i would not cut myself but wouldn’t win me any prizes for its looks.
@Brandon_Satterfield sounds like I’ll have to give it a shot then. I already do all my bed levels by eyeing the reflection off the glass, so it should help with that.