Installed my new 350mmX350mm 400 watt heated bed from alirubber on alibaba. They made it custom to my specs for $28.00 USD. Shipping was pricey but it arrived less than 1 week from when I ordered it. I ordered a 350 watt also just in case my power supply didn’t like that much power. But it works like a dream. Anyone in the midwest want a 350watt bed?
This thing kicks the snot out of the 300x300 QU-BD bed that I fought for months.
Oh I also learned 3/8" thick mirror glass doesn’t like 120C at a 3min heatup cycle. I will be getting Borosilicate soon. But I am using window glass now until I can find a sub $100 plate at my 16"x16" dimensions. Any suggestions from the group on a source?
I think the problem is the surface area I am dealing with. 16"x16" is a large surface area. Maybe a better heat spreader than my current aluminum foil would help. Plus I think the shock load of the heater since it comes up to temp so fast is harder on it.
I never had the issue when I used the QU-BD bed. But then again it took a heck of a long time to reach abs temps.
@Richard_Mitchell I have been using abs juice. I did find you can make it too strong though. Had to pitch a piece of glass because it wasn’t gonna come off short of using a crowbar.
Im in the midwest… and have also been going nuts with my qu-bd bed. We should talk.
As far as bed materials I have been playing with ceramic, marble and granite floor tiles from menards. They all work FANTASTIC with running my bed at 110c (surface is 15-20deg less) and hairspray.
I had issues finding a flat ceramic tile so make sure you check them, but granite and marble are both ground and work awesome.
I got my 330mm round borosilicate from Cincinnati Gasket - very nice folks, I think it was $35 per piece, but I ordered three of them - price goes down quickly with multiple pieces. http://www.cincinnatigasket.com
McMaster has Pyreceram, 12"x12" for $72. They also do custom sizing, though it might break your $100 budget. It’s flat, and much more conductive and has a lower thermal expansion coefficient than borosilicate, so cracking shouldn’t be an issue, if it’s in range…
Lower the temperature a little and use purple glue sticks I had much success with them but you have you use a thin layer. Do it while it is warm so it evaporates and turns clear.
@Nuker_Bot_NukerBot_3 I use glue stick on pla all the time. I had poor performance on abs with pvac (I think that is the main component of Elmer’s glue)
I never use anything when printing PLA, just straight on the glass @ 60c with no warping. If I use the glue sticks I need to run the build plate under cold water to remove them.
at a 3min heatup cycle. I will be getting Borosilicate soon. But I am using window glass now until I can find a sub $100 plate at my 16"x16" dimensions. Any suggestions from the group on a source?
